A young, delicate child pushing a very heavy cart with having pile of suitcases and bags is a very common site at the major international airports in India. It is acceptable that when they go overseas to stay for long, they have to do this otherwise their survival will be difficult. If you check these bags and suitcases, more than half of them will be filled with eatables, it sounds funny in this global world but it is true. It is a well-known fact that Indian cuisine is diverse and full of a lot of ingredients providing various flavors, each state has its own set of spices and style of cooking various dishes which is the complete opposite of the food that is staple in the UK. In the UK, the local food is mostly either baked or boiled and has very mild seasoning which is considered bland in India, therefore when Indians go there they pack numerous food items in their luggage so that they do not miss the taste of their home in the UK. However, most of the time a lot of the stuff they pack is not even allowed to pass at the customs check due to various reasons which is too frustrating when you have not packed some important things to make space for the eatables. Let us explore what one could do to save themselves from all this hassle.
Look for the stores selling Indian food items:
The first thing that you should do is to find out beforehand about the grocery stores or supermarkets selling Indian products in the neighborhood you are planning to stay in the UK. You can easily do that by searching on the Internet. You must check the price list if available so that you can check if it is pocket-friendly for you or not, be prepared that it will be a little expensive as the import cost is also added to the cost price but if you consider the extra amount that you need to pay at the airport for extra luggage then you will find that it balances that out.
Check out the places heavily inhabited by Indians:
Another approach is that you find out where most of the Indian population lives in the UK, near your accommodation as it is obvious that you will be able to find Indian stores with specific Indian products, some of which are small and not visible online. At these places, you will be able to get Indian food and spices and get to meet the people of your country who share similar preferences.
Online websites delivering Indian products:
In this digital world, it is a popular trend to order groceries online everywhere and it is also true about the UK. As you do in India, you can also order the grocery and other eatables online. For this, you must find out the websites which have Indian products so that you can order them from there, for example, www.amazon.co.uk
Search for Indian Restaurants:
It is always good to search the Indian restaurants in the city so that sometimes when you wish to eat out, you can go to a good Indian restaurant to enjoy a sumptuous meal to satiate your hunger for an authentic meal reminding you of the home-cooked meal. There are many restaurants in the UK in most of the cities which serve Indian food.
Learn easy cooking:
Before moving to the UK it is best to learn basic and simple cooking techniques. Learn a few dishes that can be cooked using less and easily available ingredients. To learn how to cook using an oven as it will be quite useful. Find out about the pre-cooked meal packets that could be easily re-heated and eaten like Frozen Parantha or pre-cooked curries.