Bramptins

I’m not entirely sure why this store needs to exist. I mean it’s not like England makes particularly amazing snack food anyway. I can understand the nostalgic feeling of walking into a store and seeing the beloved snacks that you remember having when you were a child, but spending extra just for UK brands seems bizarre to me. And it’s not like you can’t go to the supermarket here and find something very similar, just in a different packet. Many of the more well-​known items that they sell here are in fact sold in supermarkets anyway; things like Worcestershire Sauce and HP Sauce. I don’t mean to sound too critical, so if you really have a craving for some Walker’s Crisps, and when no other brand will do, come here for your fix.

If you’ve spent any time in the UK, you’ll be aware that there’s a whole heap of delicious treats that are common there but not here. The one I miss most is Monster Munch — I mean what’s not to love about a MSG covered, artificially coloured, corn snack made in the shape of a monster? If you’re craving UK foods, Bramptins is the place to go to — they’ve got everything from tinned mushy peas through to Wispa bars through to above named chip, sorry, crisp.
As you’d expect for items where only a few of them are being imported, things can be on the pricy side — chocolate bars are $ 2.50 each. That’s not too much more than ones sold here in your local dairy though I suppose. They do have a shelf at the back of the shop where they sell short dated stock at lower prices.
Unfortunately I’ve never had a really pleasant customer service experience here — they always seem in a bit of a hurry to get through serving customers and get back to restocking shelves; in short, they could be a bit more friendly.

Bramptins. Such an ugly perfectly British name. Curiosity led me here. I had never heard of a British grocer before I heard about Bramptins. I have spent some time in the UK, and to be honest my experience with the food wasn’t great. The food in England does not really offer the rich cultural experience that you may get from the food in other European nations. London’s supermarkets are filled with sad people buying sad food. But my opinions aside, this store fully achieves what it sets out to achieve — it sells a large range of British products, a lot of which you cannot buy anywhere else. Good on you Bramptins!

I’m Irish but grew up with a lot of British food so there’s as much nostalgia in this shop for me as any English person. Even if you are not familiar with the food, there’s some great stuff to choose from eg The Colmans Shepherd Pie Mix. This is essential if you want to make a good shepherds — you can get a Maggi one at any supermarket but they are crap as far as I am concerned. I also also got a box of Country Store Muesli — a snip at $ 6. This brought me right back to my childhood. There’s plenty of goodies that will remind you of home — Walkers Crisps; Frys Chocloate and Ambrosia Cream rice. The problem is you tend to chuck everything that catches your eye in the basket and then you find yourself with a lot to pay at the till. There’s a branch of Bramptins in Devonport and also Browns Bay. I enjoy coming here and always find it a treat.

Moving overseas, one always misses the taste of home and their particular brand of bread spread and confectionary. Lucky for the Brits out there in Auckland, there is a British grocer in Pakuranga stocked up with British sauces, crisps, confectionary and the likes. So if you are out for some home comforts or just interested in a taste of England with no passport required, check this place out. It is not cheap, however one does expect the prices being a speciality english grocer.