What was some of the favorite food from Europe that you brought back with you from your trip?

For me, it was definately the tea in London, and they have these chocolates that taste like large m&ms...Galaxy Minstrels I think, very yummy!

Alziari olive oil, from Nice. It is absolute heaven. Bertoli from the grocery store will seem like canola oil afterwards...

Foie Gras d'Oie de Strasbourg from Bon Marche in Paris.

I also love my fleur de sel de Camargue.

No question--foie gras from Périgord!

Balsamic vinegar from Castello de Verrazzano. It is unlike any balsamic I've ever tasted.

Curry sauce for homemade chips!!!

Tea from London (Whittard's Original loose leaf & Harrod's afternoon tea,) crocks of Stilton, sometimes jams & used to bring back elderflower cordial. There's more but that's all off the top of my head.

Without a doubt my 5 liter mini-keg of beer from Ettal Abbey in Germany. One of the best beers I've ever had the privelige of guzzling at home.

Chocolate- from anywhere!!

Just kidding- I really like most chocolates, but I thought Irish (probably made in Great Britain) chocolates were surprisingly good.

Of course, Russian chocolates too- very different, but equally fantastic.

Pan Forte from Siena. Love the stuff. Even better, I bought a variety of seeds at an outdoor market for a number of Italian vegetable varieties that are difficult to obtain here. The thought was that I would declare them at customs and if I couldn't bring them into the US it would not be much monetary loss. Arriving at the airport, I brought them to the attention of the officials and was asked to wait until everyone from my flight cleared. The officer then had a long discussion with his supervisor and they both disappeared for about 45 minutes. When they returned, all the seed packages had been opened and then taped shut but I was allowed to bring them in. Last summer, I had a wonderful Italian vegetable garden - the best food I ever brought back.

I do very little shopping, and refuse to lug back anything heavy and/or breakable. But I did enjoy the wine gums and tea I got in the UK.

At the Zurich airport I bought some Cognac flavored chocolate with real, liquid cognac inside each square of chocolate. It was magical. A couple of years later I was in Switzerland again, only that time I was in Geneva. I searched in vain for that cognac chocolate and couldn't find it. However I did find chocolate with apricot brandy.

Yup, Swiss chocolate is right up there.

The recipe for Sticky Toffee Pudding from Scotland!

For us, it was the Partenkirchner Bierlikor from the Gasthof Fraundorfer. If we could import it by the gallon, we would be very happy. Spent a lovely evening with our hostess Barbara, laughing, speaking German, drinking, and generally enjoying ourselves.

From Scotland, taffy candy flavored like Irn Bru soda.

Cheese from Tuscany! For 10E we purchased a cheese sampler from the distribution "factory" in Pienza, a sampler of assorted Pecorino cheese. We also bought other cheese stuff in town. We are still eating from our take-home cryovac-ed purchases. Every time we open one it is a tangible memory of our wonderful trip.

All from Provence!

Olive oils from Nyons, Maussane-les-Alpilles, les Baux, and of course Alziari. Black-olive tapenade. Pistou sauce. Red rice from the Camargue. Blackcurrant jam from the Alpes of Haute-Provence.

Fleur de sel from Brittany.

Mariage Frères French Breakfast tea, from Paris.

Underhill,

Do you think we've crossed paths at Mariage Freres??? I'm the one staggering out under the weight of all the tea I'm carrying....

Olive oil from Jaen.

Manchego cheese.

Nocilla (Spain's version of Nutella)

Calcot sauce