Hi,
I'm new to this forum but was wondering if anyone would be able to help!
I spent a lot of time in Switzerland last year with my boyfriend, we travelled around but spent most of our time round Gruyeres, Fribourg, Geneva.
We absolutely loved it and are hoping to go back in a couple of years, in the mean time though it is my boyfriends 30th birthday on the 9th August and I would really love to get him some of the Swiss food we loved. I have searched everywhere and cannot find anyone that sells Swiss food in the UK! I found a couple of websites but they were all to send to America and didn't stock the things I wanted to get.
Is there anywhere any of you know that would send to the UK? Or alternatively is there anyone that would be willing to purchase things for me if I pay you and then send by courier? I can arrange a courier from this side so would just involve packaging?
I know its a long shot but if anyone could I would be so so grateful, and more than willing to do a return box of any English treats you might be missing!
I'm after
Gruyeres Double Cream (double creme de la gruyere?)
Gruyeres Meringues
Chocolate (if its someone in Gruyeres there is an amazing chocolate shop in the village, otherwise Caillier Dark)
Zweifel Original Chips Paprika
I know its cutting it pretty fine time wise as well but any help or tips on how to go about it would be greatly appreciated!
Thanks in advance
Interesting question. I first lived in London in the early 70s, when the Swiss Centre in Picadilly was very famous, and there was also a great Swiss delicatessen off Tottenham Court Road, Bartoli's I think it was called- with great sausages and all things Swiss. In my 39 years in the UK, I used to receive the magazine for the Swiss abroad that regularly advertised Swiss food places- but as I am now the othr kind of foreigner, eg a Brit in CH- I don't get it any more. So looking forward to replies.
Happy to send stuff by post from nearby France to avoid customs- do you have a paypal account? Also we will be coming by car with plenty of space to spare in October- if you can wait - to East Leicestershire.
We have a fabulous (but expensive) chocolatier that makes the best chocolate out of the best Criollo chocolate and cocoa (NO palm oil there!
chocolat - jacot .ch/
btw- for any chocolate lovers in Switzerland, a great place for a group visit- to combine with a visit to the amazing Creux-du-Van limestone circle, the Asphalt mines or the really interesting 'Maison de l'Absinthe' a Museum about the Green Fairy, its birth in the Val-de-Travers, the prohibition period and the famous bootleggers and its rehabilitation at the turn of this Century- or also Mauler Champagne, both in Môtiers- which is currently hosting the largest outdoor art exhibition on a 4km circular walk.
I can recommend this place in London if you want to make a weekend of it!
http://www.stmoritz-restaurant.co.uk/
The owner keeps threaten to retire then changing his mind at the last minute.
@Odile, I remember the Swiss Centre, used to get dragged there once a month by the boyfriend so that he could stock up with chocolate.
He was really upset when it closed!
Does St Moritz sell food though? The prices at teh Swiss Centre were very high I remember- but the food court looked great. We could certainly never afford to buy anything from there, lol ... but it was nice to look
If I remember well, there was a swiss food place near Macclesfield and friends of mine swear by the German /Swiss trained baker in Alderly Edge
http://www.gwienholt.co.uk/our-story/
Looks like few others enjoyed dining chez Armin - several times I was there, Mossiman was sat in a corner on his night off (or more likely, before he stated).
..... and wasn't the Swiss Centre on Leicester Sq., at the bottom of Wardour St.? Certainly the one I remember was, with its array of bells, which always drew an audience on the hour.
Just had to walk up Wardour St. to get to St. Moritz.
No, it's just a restaurant in Soho run by a Swiss-German that specialises in Swiss food, just thought the OP might be interesting in taking her fella away to the Smoke for the weekend!
Only ever bought chocolate at the Swiss Centre, a monthly treat for boyfriend in the days when I was young and still living at home so had a bit of spare cash!
Cream:
How about this Waitrose cream as a substitute:
Here *
Meringues:
Make your own. Just use a proper recipe that doesn't cook the meringue before piping.
(English supermarket meringues are made this more efficient and scaleable way but they don't taste as good as the Swiss ones made the proper way).
Chocolate: Lindt from most U.K. supermarkets.
* I'm sure your boyfriend will be happy with that - especially if he misses Paprika chips!
Otherwise, how about Tyrells Sweet Chili and red pepper crisps?
It's all about improvisation!
Thank you so much for your replies! From a bit of Googling I think the Swiss Centre shut in 2008 ,
I may be wrong on that though so I might see if I can get down there at some point to check it out in case, the restaurant looks great as well, will definitely check it out next time we're in London!
Odile thank you so much for your offer to send, that chocolatier looks amazing, I'd would love some. Then it's mainly the Gruyeres cream and meringues as well as he hasn't stopped talking about them since we came back!
If you would be happy and able to send, from France would be great but I wouldn't want to put you out so whatever would be easiest for you. I have a paypal account and will be happy to pay extra/send you back English treats for your time and help with this
I hope you have a great time when you come over in October, if the chocolate tastes as good as it looks then I may have to take you up on that as well!
my email address is [removed] if you want to arrange.
Tom1234, thanks for the recommendation. We did actually try the Waitrose cream with my attempts at homemade meringues and it was close but just not the same! You're right though about improvisation and it will definitely work as a last resort
Thanks so much for all your kind replies!
To be honest, i wouldn't want to send cream via post- we have an electric foodbox for car- so perhaps best is we bring in October. How far are you from Market Harborough- and pay cash- much easier. French post office is 2 mins from us, so no worries there.
I would check the rates before posting as it's usually cheaper to send international packages from Switzerland rather than France. There will be no customs issues sending goods if that value to the UK so it makes no difference in that respect either.
Meringues and crisps would need to be well packaged if the boyfriend doesn't want crumbs for his birthday although Eton mess would be a good option for smashed meringues.
For cream, just buy some Devonshire clotted cream and 'dilute' (thin a bit) with some organic double cream.
Actually you are probably right, sending cream most likely won't end well and the meringues are pretty fragile.
Perhaps the improvising is the way to go for his birthday and then we can have a Swiss feast in October. Market Harborough is only 90mins or so away from us so if you don't mind bringing over with you then I think thats the best bet
You can buy raclette cheese (or a fondue mix), dried meats and cornichons in most UK supermarkets these days.... a reasonable Swiss-style birthday meal suggestion without too much hassle.
Then you can indulge yourselves with meringues and cream in October, when you've finally managed to digest what will feel like several kilos of solid cholesterol.
Good thinking Anjela, I left Switzerland half a stone heavier and that was with mountain walks every day so at least it gives me a couple of months dieting time before October! lol
Honestly, if you are going to have all those calories- don't bother with UK supermarket fondue or raclette, or even Swiss supermarket ones. For all those calories, make sure you get the best and tastiest qualtiy, and make it all worthwhile- not that tasteless fatty **ap.
will get in touch nearer the time with your 'order' for October.
Okay, I'm going to chime in because I really wish people would stop thinking cholesterol is a bad thing. I found a nice article that more or less explains things in layman's terms.
http://io9.com/what-we-know-now-abou...-ye-1029869257
and less layman friendly... http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2014286/
Having low cholesterol seems to be a risk factor in the progression of dementia, early memory loss and emotional instability. High cholesterol has never accurately been linked with heart disease, only been assumed to be in the dogma. So please, eat your saturated fats and increase your HDL (good cholesterol) and party on, it's only a concern if your small particulate LDL-b particles go out of control and those are mostly from eating sweets and carbs. And they cause problems because they increase inflammation in your arteries and THEN cause heart attacks, really very little to do with fats.
So please eat your cheese, and butter and red meat and pork rinds if you want to as long as you're not full or something especially in fondue houses.
Carry on.. while I get back to my butter and cheese on a stick in batter of egg-pork rinds.
And where exactly did I say cholesterol was a bad thing???
I nearly meant that raclette and fondue can have a nasty habit of sitting in your stomach like a lead-filled balloon for a while.
No need for a self-important pontification about that now, was there?
Brill thanks Odile look forward to it, you'll be making two people very happy!
What about some Fondue (any Waitrose, Tesco, Sainsburys) and Lindor
Btw, two days ago back from UK and already miss British food
Hi,
I have kind of a similar problem. Is there really no way to get Swiss food products in the UK? I've searched all of London and there is no store. Is there any way to order it from somewhere maybe? I tried googling but couldn't find anything.
I'm looking for Swiss stuff like...
Butter (Floralp, Migros, whatever)
Sausages, e.g. Wienerli, Kalbsbratwurst (preferably Bio)
Blätter/Kuchenteig
Thomy Senf/Mayo (preferably Swiss Bio version, not the German one from Amazon)
Spätzli, Rösti
Zweifel Chips
Any idea? It has to be possible to get this stuff? :\