What should i bring back?

Maybe weird, but I always take back Maldon's flaky sea salt.  I've not seen 'flaky' salt back home.

Pickled cockles are hard (not impossible) to find.  I'm the only one who likes them, though...

Pickled cockles are hard (not impossible) to find.  I'm the only one who likes them, though...

Sorry if this is a stupid question, but what in the world are pickled cockles?

As far as finding foods in shops back in the US, we also order online sometimes if we're really wanting something.  It's hasn't really been more expensive to do it that way than when we can find it at the store. There are loads of sites that sell British foods that have been imported.

Cockles are small bivalve molluscs... a type of clam, I think.  Delicious when pickled, but usually a bit sandy.

Ahhhh, thanks!

Sorry if this is a stupid question, but what in the world are pickled cockles?

In my humbled opinion, they are sort of pickled food poisoning 

I guess it isn't unique, but I don't remember seeing it much in the states. 

i know... i certainly never saw it there either, but my mom assures me she buys it all the time.  She is such a kill-joy! 

I'm in MA and my local Shaw's had a better selection than the Stop and Shop, but I tend to alternate between there are some things Shaw's has that Stop and Shop doesn't and vice versa. They do have quite a good selection though. The tea is no problem, I bought an 80 pack of PG Tips for Lee when he visited in December and they usually have Lyons and some other good brands in the British and Irish foods section. I know they have some British jams, but can't remember quite what.

Shaws and Stop and Shop had  pretty good selections 20 years ago!    But there is a huge British/Irish population in MA.  We had more British friends than we did American. 

Shaws and Stop and Shop had  pretty good selections 20 years ago!    But there is a huge British/Irish population in MA.  We had more British friends than we did American. 

Definitely! I have known a few British and Irish people as well, though they haven't been my age, so I haven't had friendships with them. I saw that the British Embassy has a list of stores that specialize in British imports and Massachusetts did have a good sized list, particularly around Boston.