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Things To Include In A British Care Package | Expat Life

ByKylie
The Little Care Package British Subscription Box Review

Being a Brit in the USA, there’s nothing I enjoy more than receiving a little box of English treats from home! This post was originally about the Little Care Package British Subscription Box, however since writing this post, I have discovered that the Little Care Package is no more, which is a real shame as it was a really good product! I loved the range of products so I decided to keep the post live as a way to get ideas of what to include in a British care package

Disclosure: Please note some of the links in this post are affiliate links, which means I will receive a small commission if you make a purchase after clicking and it comes at no extra cost to you! As always, opinions are my own. My box was received complimentary from The Little Care Package.

If you are a Brit living in the USA that’s after a little taste of home, here are some companies that are still in business:

  • Pouch Pies – British Themed Meat Pies
  • Parker’s – British Food and Gifts
  • British Corner Shop – Food, Books, Cosmetics
  • World Market – Online and phyical shop locations in the USA
  • Expack – Is another British subscription box but as far as I’m aware you only get around 6 – 8 random items for the subscription cost ($35-$40)
  • Amazon – If in doubt, there’s always Amazon…

British Care Package From Home

Since The Little Care Package is no longer in business, here is an example of one of the boxes that my mum sent me in the post!

  • A jar of Marmite

This was an item where because I COULDN’T find it anywhere in the supermarkets here, I suddenly REALLY wanted it! For my American readers that may not know what it is, it’s basically a spread that you put on bread/toast/crackers. 

It’s yeast extract…which sounds kinda strange…and is thick, dark brown, shiny, sticky and has a bitter taste. (The Australian equivalent is Vegemite, I love that too!). I’m not a fan of Peanut Butter, I once tried a PB and Jelly sandwich when I was a Camp Counsellor and I don’t plan to ever eat one again. I now have something else to put on bread other than butter!

  • A Cadbury’s Freddo Frog

Here we go with the chocolate items!  I’m not even a huge chocolate fan but when American chocolate tastes so bad (sorry) it makes me miss the English stuff so bad! Cadbury’s is a British chocolate company, you can even visit the factory that’s in Birmingham!  

It was bought out by Hershey’s but thankfully the taste stayed the same. I believe British chocolate uses more milk or cream or something? It has more of a creamy texture to it. A Freddo Frog is a bite size chunk of chocolate, the type that used to be in shops for 10p!

  • Cadbury’s Twirl (5 Pack)

Flakey chocolate coated in a layer of chocolate! Kinda like the type of chocolate you’d have stuck in ice cream!

  • Daim Bars (3 Pack)

One of my favourite types of chocolate! Brittle hard caramel covered in chocolate!

  • Ferrero Rocher (4 Pack)

I actually managed to find a bar of Cadbury’s in a DIY store (of all places) but instead of having hazelnuts in it like the British version, it had almonds in, which lead to the discussion of ‘do you get hazelnuts in America’?  

One of the main ingredients of a Ferrero Rocher is hazelnut! There’s a whole hazelnut in the middle, surrounded by ‘liquid’ chocolate, inside a wafer ball, coated in chocolate with chopped hazelnuts! They are amazing. We used to have them a lot at Christmas time.

  • Kinder Bars (8 Pack)

Funny fact. Kinder EGGS, are illegal in America. It’s a milk and white layered chocolate shell with a plastic pot inside it that contains a toy or parts of a toy that you put together like a puzzle.

They are illegal in the US because it mixes something edible with something non edible…in other words someone tried to eat the toy. You can’t even import them. Kinder Bars are thicker versions of the chocolate shell.

  • Mini StarMix Haribos

I believe you can buy Haribos in America…they pop up all over the place but they don’t always have quite the same taste or consistency.  They are my favourite chewy sweets!

  • Flying Saucers (Bumper Bag)

Again, for conversations people don’t seem to think that Flying Saucers exist in the States. They are a sugar paper disc with sherbet in the middle. I can literally eat one after the other! They are quite popular at fairgrounds or at sweet stands at British seasides…usually in a cone shaped bag, hanging from the ceiling by a peg!

  • Strawberry & White Chocolate Popcorn

I hadn’t had this before, apparently it was something my Sister had picked up, it was pretty tasty!

  • Post-it Notes

In blue, my favourite colour. I know they sell Post-it Notes in America but they are always handy 🙂

  • Box of Man Sized Tissues

Some of my US friends were amazed by the size of the tissues we have in the UK, they are about 3 times the size of a regular sized tissue!

  • A dinner place mat that I’ve had since I was young

I’ve been using this place mat for years and it was something I had forgot to pack…I don’t even have a table in my USA house yet! But now I have it ready for when I do!

  • My bum bag/fanny pack

And lastly, my bum bag. They used to be popular in the UK back in the 80s and then kinda disappeared (unless you are a waitress), however they are becoming more popular with young people again, especially at festivals.  

I bought a flat one that I found perfect for visiting theme parks, I could wear my money and my phone around my waist and could take it with me on rides without worrying about items flying out of my pockets!

My job at the school suggested it would be something that may be useful to keep Band Aids etc in at Recess, I’m not sure if I’ll use it for work but at least now I have the option!

The Little Care Package

I was so excited about it arriving and it really is JAMMED PACKED with loads of British goodies! Here’s a little look at everything I received in my box!

British Gifts (the inedible stuff!)

A London Bus Model

Ever since moving to the USA, my house is now covered in British stuff: the flag, post boxes, telephone boxes, London tube trains etc so the bus is a lovely addition!

A ‘LOVE TO BAKE’ Oven Glove

ONE WITH A THUMB. Why oh why don’t all oven gloves come with a thumb! It makes it so much easier to hold hot stuff! I now have one for each hand! Yay! (My current one came from Western Australia, who says all travel souvenirs are pointless!?)

A British Themed Canvas Shopping Bag

These things are actually so handy. I even used a similar one when I went to the USA embassy for my visa interview to hold all my paperwork in!

An OK Magazine

I actually really miss hearing about boring British news and celebrities. I was tempted to set the bbc.co.uk news as my home page just because I feel so out of touch with the world! This will make an interesting read!

The Little Care Package British Subscription Box
British Care Package

Actual Food…

Yorkshire Pudding Mix

This is amazing. Seriously. I cannot WAIT to try this mix out! I tried to make Yorkshire Puddings for Christmas dinner and failed miserably, the flour isn’t the same here! My Mum had previously sent me scone mix and that worked perfectly so I’m hoping this stuff is just as good!

Treats

A Box Of Jaffa Cakes

For those that don’t know what Jaffa Cakes are, they are a layer of sponge, with a type of orange jelly, covered in chocolate. It was the first thing I opened and had a couple with a cup of tea.  How very English 😀

A TIN OF SHORTBREAD BISCUITS

Shortbread is literally my FAVOURITE type of biscuit (cookie to Americans!). I was bought a box of American shortbread for Christmas and it didn’t quite taste the same as the British equivalent! Even better, they come in a tin.  

I struggle to find just a single pack of biscuits in America, they all come in packs that would take me a month to eat alone and as they are in plastic, once they are open they’d just go soggy! A tin is much needed!

A LARGE GALAXY CARAMEL BAR

Yum yum yum! I’ve found big Cadbury’s bars but Galaxy is not Galaxy as Brits know it. Dove chocolate in America has the same wrapper though…

A BAG OF FLYING SAUCERS

I request these whenever my Mum sends me over a parcel!!! They are lightweight which is perfect for posting! Flying Saucers are sugar paper shells with sherbet in the middle. Once I start eating them I really struggle to stop!  One of my FAVOURITE British sweets!

A Bag of Quavers Crisps

A Bag of Chipsticks Crisps

The Little Care Package British Subscription Box Review
Everything in my British Care Package

Fun size chocolate and sweets:

  • Chomp
  • Fudge
  • Curly Wurly
  • Cadburys Twirl
  • Galaxy Ripple
  • Freddo Frog
  • Packet of Love Hearts x2
  • Double Decker

That’s 20 ITEMS! I can’t believe how much was squished into the package! I love the range of items included, the way there are sweets, as well as savoury products and goodies that I can actually keep and use in my day to day life!  

I also love the way it’s packaged, there’s so much thought and attention to detail! The box is covered in British ink stamps, there’s a little note inside the lid and the items are wrapped up in tissue paper with a cute little sticker sealing it all up!

Above is a video of me opening the care package and showing each item in all their glory!

Once again, The Little Care Package is no longer in business, however you can check out some of the links at the top of the post which are some other companies I’ve used or they’ve been recommended by other British expats!

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Kylie in Zanzibar

About the Author – Kylie

My travels have taken me to over 40 countries worldwide (& I lived in USA for 4yrs). I hold a BTEC National Diploma in Travel & Tourism (triple distinction) and have been writing on Between England & Everywhere since 2015.

Expert in: Adventure travel🎢, beach destinations🏖️, and packing light (mid-budget backpacker)🎒

Things to include in a British Care Package

Last Updated on April 17, 2024

6 Comments

  1. Cool post. I arrived here because I was looking for a subscription box for model trains. I didn’t find it, but I liked your post. I forwarded to a friend who has a husband from England and thought he might like it.

    Reply

  2. Sad they had to refund me, due to a family emergency. Are there any other boxes? I did the Brit box, but was disappointed in the lack of items I rec’d. Got spoiled from the little care package. 🙁

    Reply

    1. I’m sorry to hear that! I think there’s a company called the British Corner Shop, however I’m not sure if they are more of a buy what item you want or if they are more like a surprise box!

      Reply

    2. I agree totally I loved Littlest care package .Brit box paled in comparison.I tried Londonpopbox too and was also disappointed,four tiny items for $25 not worth it .Im going to get goods from the English grocer or similar .

      Reply

      1. I’ve seen others on the market but was unsure on if they’d be worth it! 4 items though is a bit rubbish!

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