EXPATS in POLAND: 10 things you miss / don't miss about home . . .

Turning Poland into little England fantastic idea - you should get in touch with Harry Ramsden and see if he's interested in branching out :)))

Ok then, any takers out there, want to invest a couple of quid in a Gourmet Chipper in Warsaw?

Can't be that hard, can it? Just think battered black pudding, and pasty suppers, pickled eggs and proper chips.

I don't want Poland to be "little Britain", Warsaw has resteraunts from all over the world with all sorts of cuisine so i'm sure a chippy would go down very well here.

there are a couple of ideal lokals on monte casino that are going for a reasonable rate

otodom.pl/index.php?mod=show&insId=327712

otodom.pl/index.php?mod=show&insId=350136

always fancied having an upmarket chiperia

Since when was a chippy a restaurant?!

Easy tiger it was a joke!


Im sure anything you put you name to Mr B would be considered up market, even a chippy at a push :)


Harry Ramsdens (world famous I may add)

Anyway if I had money to invest in Poland it would be in a good nail salon - didnt see one in Krakow or Wraclaw - cheap as chips (pardon the pun) low overheads and you can charge (uk prices) circa. £30 for a set....wouldnt imagine there is a great deal of compatition in PL - woman are going to have more expendable income in the not too distant future start pandering to their needs...

I looked at buying a place (sort of a burger/chicken bar serving beer, with seating for about 20 persons etc) about 100 yards from the beach in Jastrembia Gora last year, I almost went for it, but we reckoned that the work (i.e. and income) would be too seasonal, only 3-4 months in the year.

as you well know, i never disagree with anything you say ;-)


ooh, now theres an idea


yeah - i looked at a similar place in wladyslawowo and came to a similar conclusion plus the ground rent was a little higher than i felt comfortable with... so i bought a bar without the land which is now in storage in kartuzy and will be set up in the centre of wejherowo this summer... if all goes according to plan...

not even i am tempted by that ...

Is it gonna be right in the town centre next to the fountain. To be honest, Wejherowo is badly in need of bars/entertainment etc. One closed down opposite the town hall last year and I think that it is some sort of credit shop now. Anyway count us in as customers mate

no - ive got a place on sienkiewicza where london style has openned up - i will set the bar up on the land in the back... if all goes according to plan...


top stuff but i thought you were leaving wejh and heading down to wawa

Yeah, I saw London Style (I had a wry smile at the name) just this morning, is it some sort of nail/hair salon? I take it that there is still plenty of red tape to get through

lol - its a clothes shop run by a londoner and his polish wife - great people - pop in and say hi if you have time!

red tape questions are still up in the air but it is being sugested that as i own the land i shouldnt have too many problems with it... time will tell and as we all know, you never know whats going to happen until it actually does...

I've got this old bit of wood. Can you lever the nails out and straighten them for me?

Looks like I could be relocating if there really is such a demand. I've got a crowbar and a hammer.

Yep, we're gonna brave the cold and check that out tomorrow.

lol - im sure they will sell you a pair of gloves if need be...

Yep, we'll be renting in wawa, but will still be based in wejh, and we intend getting back at weekends.

I thought about starting a chip shop in Warsaw a couple of years back but couldn't go ahead due to, ahem, cashflow probs! Also thought a quality Gastropub or a Sausage & Mash place would be great. Must stop, am drooling like Homer Simpson!

10 things I don't miss

1) Black pudding

2) Listening to yobbos on buses

3) Job Centres

4) The high prices for rubbish

5) The lack of talent on the go

6) Drinking too much as a student

7) Some of the drivel on TV

8) The prices of property

9) The rain

10) The humdrum of excessive familiarity

What I miss from home since living in USA:
actual home made foods
soups that aren't stews
buildings older than 50 years old
coffee houses and small town feels
weekly markets
NOT missing:
stores closing at 5pm; no evening life during weekends
people looking at you oddly if you decide to go for a run outside
no microwave popcorn :)

Jul 6, 09, 23:27 - Thread attached on merging:
RESEARCH FOR NEW BUSINESS 10 THING YOU MISS THE MOST FROM THE UK......

Hi Everyone,

I'm interested to know what people from the UK living in Poland or Polish people who lived in the UK and now live back in Poland miss the most.

I'm talking about things you can't buy in the shops over here, for instance a good selection of English books or malt vinegar etc etc

If people could help me by listing the ten things they miss most it would be really helpful and might also make an interesting thread!!!

Thanks a million in advance!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

1) Certain types of crisps

2) Irn-Bru (Doda didn't manage to get it exported here :()

3) Butteries (Scottish rolls)

4) Scampi

5) Fish and chips

6) Curry

7) The range of chocolate, i.e Twirls, Crunchies etc

8) A broad range of international beers

9) Colmans mustard (though Polish ones are ok, esp the Roleski copy)

10) Chinese carryouts/takeaway

someone should open a place which does pie mash & eels, haha

or chips and gravy :)

Or Admiral's Pie by Youngs :) Fish pies are legendary. A pie and a Bovril at a footie game, nice.

These days there aren’t many things which can’t be found in Poland. And there tend to be very good reasons why the things which can’t be found can not be found.

The major problem is going to be getting frozen goods to Poland. Refrigerated trucks don’t come cheap and doing internet/mail order frozen foods will be a real challenge.

Personally the only things I really miss which could be sold here are Sure original aerosols, Maclean’s toothpaste and Walker’s prawn cocktail crisps. Everything else is available (although at rather high prices). The rest of the stuff (proper bacon, ready-prepared meals, Tropicana orange juice) would be too tricky to transport really. Although the stuff from Look What We Found would be easy to transport and I’d love to have more of it.


Which ones? Even Salt and vinegar Pringles are now available in Poland (or at least in Warsaw)


Have you contacted Kuchnia Swiata and asked them about it?


Patience. Curry will come. It’s hit Warsaw and the stuff here is now better than what I can get back in UK.


Been to Bomi or Piotr i Pawel? Both have a good range of international beer. Alternatively you can contact John King Polska: they import more than 100 types of beer and will sell you a crate at a time.


Colman’s mustard is available at Kuchnia Swiata.

Why on earth can't we get tomato flavour Pringles in the UK? You can in Canada, so why not here? :(

Many types of crisps, Harry. Brannigans, McCoys, Hula Hoops, Nik Naks, Worcestershire Sauce (Golden Wonder), Pork Crackles, Prawn Cocktail etc etc. I could go on and on. Gliwice is small.

As for the other things, they may be in the rest of Poland but not here. A new curry restaurant has opened in Wrocław.

I could ask about Colmans but the Roleski copy is good enough for me. I like Kamis stuff too.

Thanks for the suggestions, Harry :)

I'll happily bung a pot of Colmans in the post for you. Just PM me your address. I can only get the original kind but if you want the squeezy version

irishshop.pl/go/_category/?idc=%22id_9%22&sess_id=5c1fe44559b949bbb0e8fdde422bc7ec

If you can post me Hula Hoops, Nik Naks, Worcestershire Sauce (Golden Wonder), Pork Crackles or Prawn Cocktail following your next trip to UK/Eire, I'd be very grateful.

dont dare to try at namaste india restaurant it has serious health voilations like food being exposed to open toilet overcrowding of cooking and serving staff no gloves or hats being used by cooking staff etc beware and the food is expensive the price of a restaurant and not of a take away joint plus the food has same sauce/base curry and chappatis are made by hand by the cooks who are using the toilet and didnt seem to wash dry there hands as in toilet there is no hand drier or paper towel.Just be beware guys what you buy and eat there I was sick for 3 days.Also you can buy canned indian food at Marks and Spencer stores with cans of dall,lamb curry,chicken curry,butter chicken,naans and much more varieties with typical british taste at the price way cheaper then namaste india which has same sauce/curry base.