10 Iconic American Gifts For British Friends (2024)

Despite easily finding American gifts for British friends as an expat, it might be tricky for an American to know just what to buy their bestie in England if they don’t actually live there. While the iconic Twinkie or Reese’s peanut butter cup seems to be the American go-to gift for Europeans, the truth is those American staples can now be purchased at most British grocery stores.

So what’s a unique American gift idea for someone in Britain?

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10 American Gifts For British Friends

It can be hard to find an American gift that’s truly unique and not available for sale on Amazon everywhere. However, with that said there are some fun gift categories that your British friends may get absolutely chuffed to bits over. From food to fashion, here are 10 American gift ideas for your best British friends.

1 – Coffee

It’s no secret that Great Britain runs on tea while America runs on coffee….Dunkin Donuts in the northeast to be exact.

But coffee is growing in popularity in the British Isles. So much so that amazing coffee shops are popping up in London everywhere.

But even with all the London coffee hype (Monmouth Coffee anyone?) I’m certain I’ve tried every British grocery option available at Waitrose and even only to end up resorting to Starbucks every time.

Aside from London’s best cafes (pretty ones, too), it’s hard to find great coffee in England. This is what makes sending your favorite local or American coffee a great gift. Dunkin Donuts excluded.

2 – Magazines

It took me a long time to warm up to the British magazine selection, but over time learned to appreciate the £1.99 Style At Home option over the American standard $12.99 ones. Magazines in America used to be a read and toss where now they can cost more than a NY Times Best Seller.

Magazines with holiday-themed ideas, American recipes, home inspiration, celebrity news or even sports are great options to consider gifting because the same publications aren’t readily available in the UK.

A few magazine gift ideas for Brits that follow American television programming: Magnolia, Modern Farmhouse, Martha Stewart LIVING, Sports Illustrated, and People.

3 – Something Country

With the rise of country music in the UK and abroad, an authentic pair of cowboy boots is a very nice gift to send a British friend. I occasionally wore my favorite Gringo boots on date nights in St Albans and every single time I was asked where I bought them only to sheepishly say Texas.

If you really want to impress your British friend a pair of Old Gringo boots for her and Lucchese for him will do. It’s not that different than your British friend gifting you a pair of classic Hunter Boots, and who doesn’t love receiving a pair of those?

But you don’t have to break the bank if you’re looking for a special but inexpensive American gift for someone who loves all things country.

A couple of alternative country/southern gift ideas:

• Vintage LP record. LP records are coming back! Also a fun gift to frame.
• Straw cowboy hat. The trick here is getting it to the UK without it getting crushed, but if you are delivering in person a river hat is super fun.

4 – Baseball Hats

A good baseball-style hat is hard to come by in the UK. Aside from pro-American sports teams like the NY Yankees or Dallas Cowboys, American cap options aren’t that pervasive in the UK.

Since fascinators or scally caps are more the British Isles norm, it makes sense why American baseball hats are simply hard to find. This is what makes it a unique gift idea for a British friend.

Consider a hat with a state logo or a fun message. Classic State has a great selection of state hats or you can personalize your own message with an Etsy seller.

5 – Monogrammed Gifts

A gifting difference between the US and UK is that monogrammed items aren’t regularly found in Britain. Oliver Bonas and Anthropologie are the exceptions, but still. Where the Southern states monogram nearly everything, including their firstborn, you rarely see monogrammed items in England. So if you have a gift idea already in mind, when in doubt, monogram it.

Fun ideas to monogram that double the American gift factor:

• Wine tumbler – Yeti is working its way around Europe with its UK-based online store, making it easier to share this cool Austin-based brand with friends abroad.
• Tote bag – A Maine LL Bean Bag for English seaside holidays. This is available to ship from the LL Bean United Kingdom website.
• Accessories – Cuff links, hair clips, bookmarks, or a monogrammed bandana for the pup. Small enough to ship in a small envelope overseas! (Or rely on Etsy where some ship to the UK so you don’t have to.)

6 – American Sized Stuff

The Brits are amazed at how much bigger nearly everything is in America compared to the UK. From food portions to houses, they can’t get over why Americans super-size everything. A few American gift ideas for a British friend with a good sense of humor include:

• Red solo cups! The UK is on a banish plastic mission (for good reason) and plastic disposables are becoming increasingly difficult to purchase. This red party cup holds an excessive capacity and has been the cup of party choice since the 70s. It’s not pretty – just represents fun, likely trouble, and 100% American.
• Gallon-sized storage bags. Resealable bags are really hard to find in Europe. Send over some XL American ones for storing all their bits!
• 300 count bottle of pills. Your British friend won’t have to visit the chemist for a while given most medicine options in England are sold with as few as 10 pills and at most 96. It might seem like an unwanted gift for a British friend but access to medicine isn’t as easy in the UK as it is in America without a prescription. Melatonin, Tylenol, and Nyquil tablets are popular items to bring to the UK from America.

7 – Local School & Sports Apparel

While it’s fairly common to find apparel in British stores with American references to popular cities such as NYC, Los Angeles, or Boston, access to apparel referencing US colleges and universities (aside from the ivy league schools) can be next to impossible.

Additionally, NFL football is growing popular in Europe, along with MLS soccer in the US. As such, so aren’t their collegiate counterparts.

Gifting a sweatshirt, tee-shirt, or sports jersey (monogrammed of course!) from your local university, alma mater, or sports team can be a fab gift for your British friend to wear.

8 – American Food

Swedish fish and Goldfish always make my British friend’s gift list because they are ridiculously expensive to buy in the UK. But fish-named gift ideas aside, there is a slew of other American food options to choose from.

Read here for American things and snacks you can’t buy in the UK.

Just beware that if you go the chocolate route over American spices, snacks, and candy, that it might not be a big hit with your British friend. American chocolate just doesn’t compare to what’s available in Europe…trust me, I miss it terribly.

However, there is one American chocolate exception that my expat family agrees is 100% worth sending overseas: Williams Sonoma Peppermint Bark. Only available at Christmas.

9 – Sunny Gifts

Britain might own the quintessential colorful seaside huts, but America is known for its big sandy beaches, palm trees, flamingoes, and sunny weather.

When winter arrives in the UK, it gets dark super early, typically involves consistent rainy weather and the closest thing to seeing the sun might be watching Love Island. 🤣

While a SAD lamp might do the trick, consider one of these American gift ideas to perk up a British friend in winter:

• • Sunglasses – Goodr is perfect for walking, sports, holiday, and just cool. So Hollywood and crazy affordable.
  • Flip flops – Rainbow brand sandals from Cali say it all.
  • Brightening beauty products – Sephora brightening mask or Beautycounter Vitamin C serum.
  • A US travel book – Nothing gets you out of a funk more than planning your next sunny holiday!

Read here for American brands you can’t buy in the UK.

10 – American Trivia Games & Quizzes

The Brits absolutely love a good quiz. So much so in fact that I’m fairly certain virtual trivia nights got everyone through the national #stayhome mandate in 2020 and early 2021.

Quizzes are so popular in the UK that you have to wonder what a British person hasn’t been asked and answered already. For an American, quiz night in Britain is entirely intimidating – even if your participation is only by accident at the local pub.

American bars have karaoke night; British pubs have quiz night. Same same, right? 🤪

To mix up your British friends’ quiz loot, send an American game.

• Never Have I Ever! As played on Ellen Degeneres and Big Bang Theory.
• Quiddler – Sounds like a game out of Harry Potter but this one is actually American-made.
• Shot In The Dark – For the Oxford types!

Read This Before Mailing A Gift To The UK

There’s nothing better than receiving a special package mailed overseas with love from America, but here’s the deal.

It’s incredibly expensive to ship any sized package to the UK. A small package weighing 5 lbs can cost nothing short of $150 and take 3 weeks to 6 months to arrive. The shipping delays caused by the pandemic are improving, but the costs associated with international shipments have remained the same.

Before you personalize your American gift package to send overseas, be sure you’re willing to spend far more in shipping than potentially the total cost of goods being shipped. Otherwise, focus on finding sellers that ship internationally so that the shipping burden is on the seller and not the buyer (or recipient either – be sure to remove tags and report as a gift).

American Gift Ideas To Put In A Card

If you really want to send something in the mail from the USA to your British friend but can’t afford the triple-digit shipping cost, here’s a less expensive way to do it.

Send a card with a few flat items so that the items can ship in the original card envelope vs upgrading to a parcel or oversized envelope.

A few easy American things to pop into a card to inspire your own gifting brainstorm:

• .5 ounce package of Swedish fish or similar soft American candy (can fit up to 4)
• 1-2 Sephora or Beautycounter facial masks
• Flat applique ornament to remind your British friend of something uniquely American
• Diecast sticker of a special message or something symbolic

Final Tips On American Gifts For British Friends

If you want to send something you’re certain your friend can’t buy in the UK, check Amazon UK first. Or if you have VPN, set your tunnel to the United Kingdom and perform a Google search for the item you’re considering sending.

Alternatively, if you want to gift something without the hassle of shipping a package yourself check if the brand ships internationally or has an online store in the UK. You can verify easily using VPN or go directly to the brand website you’re considering. And if you really aren’t sure, just ask your friend or scan this list of shops that expats refer to for American alternatives while in Britain.

Otherwise, know that no matter what American gift you send abroad, they’ll be truly chuffed to bits!

More American gifts for foreign friends? Try these.

• • American Things You Can’t Buy In The UK
  • 10 Holiday Gift Ideas For Someone Living Abroad
  • American Snacks Not In The UK (candy included)

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