What specialty food items should I bring back from Paris and London?

My personal choices: London/UK: • Tunnock's Tea Cakes • Tunnock's Caramel Wafers • North Staffordshire Oat Cakes Paris: • Speculoos Pâte à tartiner (sweet cookie spread in a peanut-butter jar) (shelved near nutella) • Prunes • From Poilâne bakery: Punitions. Maybe a brioche loaf to freeze at home • 1-2 best baguettes, to cut into thirds and freeze once you get them home (cfr. David Lebovitz). • Some form of foie gras • Some unfamiliar cheeses from a fromager (see https://help.cbp.gov/app/answers/detail/a_id/82/kw/importing%20cheeses, customs is not as scary as people seem to think).

In my view Gentleman's Relish is the most English of foods. If you get a ridiculously expensive china puck from Fortnum's or somesuch you can refill it with fake Gentleman's Relish when you run out and never feel less than bracingly English. It is an anchovy-based paste served spread thinly on hot-buttered toast. There is the first thing about it: hot toast is specified. Cold toast is a thing in the UK. That's why there are toast racks: to serve crisp but cold toast. Cold toast is a fine thing preferable to bread, because in the morning, bread is stale. You couldn't eat it or go out before breakfast, could you? Also, because by the time toast gets to the table it can either be cold or soggy. Cold but crisp is better. Hot toast, then, is a treat. And English treats can be lashings-of-things, but are more often tiny hints of indulgence. And that's the second thing: when you feel indulgent enough to treat yourself to hot toast, a brisk streak of Gentleman's Relish will enhance things in a way that is both austere and luxurious. It's the sort of informal slight naughtiness you can go for when you feel able to eat close to the toaster after the servants have gone home. Lacking servants, I usually have it for breakfast. If you like the stuff, you'll run out quickly. It's not available in Australia and in any case it's crazily expensive for what it is even if you do buy in the sad plastic "tin" instead of the Empire-redolent china one. So you can refill it with fake. The recipe is SECRET and probably contains other things such as gestures towards spices. But you can get awfully close with five parts anchovy paste - the sort Continental chaps squeeze on pizza - and three parts butter. And that's the third thing: butter (slight return).

Pfft. Fromagiers, indeed. Try some unfamiliar cheeses from a cheese shop. http://www.nealsyarddairy.co.uk/cheeses.html Some http://spitalfieldslife.com/2010/09/23/tubby-isaacs-jellied-eel-stall-aldgate/ And a pork pie.

Fleur de Sel, the French sea salt--bring back a suitcase full! Just a pinch on top of steak or any dishes you prepare at home adds so much to the flavor. You can use it to make your own salted caramels, aka crack. Bring back salted caramels from some great confiserie to hold you until you get home and can make your own. David Liebowicz's salted brownies started the brownies craze in France. You can get fleur de sel at any Monoprix--look for the Camargue brand in a small cardboard container with a very pretty label. (I know, I know you can get it on Amazon, too.) Other lasting things I've stashed: --a small canned fois gras to transport myself back to France via taste memory. (You can't bring back fresh fois gras.) --fig preserves --different Maille mustards you can't get here (Fauchon and Hediard have many delectables to bring home) --many dark chocolate bars. Try different ones while you're there then stock up. Monoprix has fantastic dark chocolate bars to try then pack. Some of the most delectable French goodies--baguette, macarons, cheese--have the life span of a Mayfly and get smooshed on the flight. You look at them the next day as you unpack, and they just make you realize your trip is over.

This depends on what you are trying to do and what you like. Are you looking for oddball items to scare your friends or delicious desserts? A few ideas -- London: Welsh cakes, treacle tarts, and Chelsea buns. Paris: I'd recommend reading http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0767928881/metafilter-20/ref=nosim/ for lots of ideas and lists of patisseries, some listed http://www.davidlebovitz.com/2007/08/10-insanely-del/.

Another Paris chocolate option: Michel Cluizel. 201 rue Saint Honore. I know there is a location in New York City, but the chocolate barks were out of this world.

Roll with Lebovitz on what he recommends bringing back from France. I have found a lot of British products in the US so be sure about what is truly rare. My suggestions are rare honeys from both nations which can last quite awhile. Another thing that I found somewhat difficult to acquire in the US is chestnut spread of decent quality. Since the Chestnut tree blight of decades ago chestnuts are not that common except during the holidays. A lot of things listed are lovely fresh such as, bread and butter, pastries and a properly treated cheese. Think about storage and long term care in your luggage. Happy eating.

also, I forgot marzipan! I grew up thinking I didn't like it, but one taste of the Real Stuff in France made me realize how foolish I was!

Seconding Mariage Freres tea in a huge way (they have some teas in the shops there that you can't get easily from the importers in the states), and you might want to keep an eye peeled in Paris for marrons glace, chestnuts soaked in a vanilla sugar syrup for a few days and then wrapped. They show up mostly in fall/winter, but I've found them after the season in shops like Maison du Chocolat. And if pickle doesn't sell you, you can always pick up a canned spotted dick in England. Terrible tasting, but fun to show friends at home.