Food from home

In one of my earlier posts about living in Amsterdam I mentioned that you needed to be careful when buying simple things like catsup and soy sauce as they tended to be Indonesian flavoured as that is where the products originally came from. These two items were not at all similar to what many Americans have come to enjoy. I am not a big catsup fan especially after working in a cannery and saw how it was made so that wasn't as much of a problem for me as it was to find a soy sauce similar to what the Japanese used. Many a bottle went into the trash bin while I was in Amsterdam.

What I didn't realize was how many other items were being sought after by the expat community until a German friend told me about his nieces desire to buy Pop Tarts in Amsterdam. Okay another product that I did not consume nor desire but there were stores that catered to that need.

Amsterdam

Absolutely British
Eleanor Rooseveltlaan 102-104 in Amstelveen
www.absolutelybritish.nl/stocklist.html
The Expat Supermarket for Amsterdam / Amstelveen. Buy all your favourite British Foods in Amsterdam, find every thing you need for Alittle taste of home with the largest British Expat Grocer in the Netherlands.
Online orders taken. Minimum order for deliveries EUR 45.


Arkwright's
Rozengracht 13, Amsterdam
Tel: 020 320 0710
www.arkwrights.nl/
Open: Tues-Sun 11am -8pm; Mon 1pm-8pm

Among its collection of goods from home, Arkwright's offers Colman's mustard, Duncan Hines baking products, Cheerios, Crunchy Nut corn flakes, HP sauce, Branston pickles and Crisco. They also have sausage and bacon for those who crave an English breakfast. It is fully stocked with Christmas goodies, including Christmas Cakes, puddings, Brandy sauce, double and clotted cream, Christmas crackers, selection boxes, and more. The shop opened in August 2001 and is conveniently located very close to the Westerkerk and Anne Frank House.

British General Stores
1e Constantijn Huygenstraat 94
1054 BX Amsterdam

Tel: 020 6836191
Fax: 020 675 3518
email: lsargent@zonnet.nl
Online: www.britishstore.nl
Open Monday 13.00 TO 18.00
Tuesday to Saturday 10.30 TO 18.00
Thursday open until 21.00
Closed on Sunday




This cosy shop is much more than a grocery store. In addition to Rice Krispies, Heinz baked beans, Tetley's and Twinning teas, Oxo cubes, Vegemite and mint sauce, the shop carries English greeting cards, colouring books and toys. Baking fanatics will appreciate British baking goods such as cream of tartar and self-raising flour. Owner Lin Sargent opened the store back in 1998 and receives her customers with warmth and care. To end the year in style, the store has a selection of Christmas stockings, tree decorations and chocolates, plus some Christmas puddings. Special mail order packages are available according to the season.

Eichholtz
Leidsestraat 48
Amsterdam
Tel. 020 622 0305
Open. Mon-Sat 9am-6.30pm; Sun 1pm-6pm





Homesick Americans will love Eichholtz. Here you'll find various goodies you never thought you’d see again, including the latest cereals, and Oreo and Chips Ahoy cookies. They also carry and Hellmann's mayonnaise, Quaker oats, Special K cereal, Philadelphia cream cheese, Pillsbury baking products, Aunt Jemima pancake mix, marshmallows, graham crackers and real maple syrup. If you bake a lot, you will like the range of sugars. Demerara, light muscovado and molasses. The shop is good for English-style Christmas puddings and mince pies and there is also a great range of chocolate available, plus a jar of vegemite or two for homesick Australians.


Tjin's
Eerste van der Helstraat 64
1072 NZ Amsterdam
Tel: 020 671 7708
Fax: 020 664 3730
Open: Mon-Sat 10am-8pm


Tjin's is an Asian grocery store (on a side street off the Albert Cuyp market) that carries American food. You’ll find microwave popcorn, Cheez Its, Duncan Hines frostings, Hershey’s chocolate syrup, Kraft and Cheltenhouse salad dressings, marshmallow Fluff, Karo corn syrup and best of all, ZipLoc bags. The store also carries ingredients for Japanese, Indian, Indonesian and Filipino cooking, and has cooked dishes (Indonesian and Surinam food) for takeaway.

Kingsalmarkt
Rembrandtweg 617-635
Amstelveen
Tel: 020 643 3751

www.kingsalmarkt.nl/


Kingsalmarkt a large, bright store filled with fresh vegetables, fruits and meats, is one of the better markets around the Amsterdam area. They stock typical Dutch grocery items but also expat favourites like cake mixes, HP sauce, breakfast scones and maple syrup.
Bloemendaal

A.A. Rutte
Bloemendaalseweg 20
2061 CK, BLoemendaal
Tel: 023 525 58 12

8:30 - 18:30 daily.
Fridays until 20:0
Saturdays until 18:00


The very friendly people at A.A. Rutte stock English and American foods such as HP Sauce, Bisquick, cake mixes, cereals (Cheerios, Cap'n Crunch, Honey Grahams), Hellman's Mayonnaise and S&W Chili Makin's. At your request they will also make special orders for items such as Log Cabin Maple Syrup. This small, well-stocked shop is worth a visit.

So why am I mentioning this now. Well here is a store we found while wandering around the historic center in Sevilla Spain and no we did not buy anything though we did have a good laugh.