I was told last week that Guatemalans don’t like British food.
Apparently they are not used to the taste. I can’t believe it. Who could possibly not love a fabulous roast beef dinner, with a Yorkshire pudding (if properly done). And I have never met anyone who doesn’t like fish and chips.
All of us who know Britain also have seen the explosion in the restaurant scene producing world class, creative British cuisine. As well as the enthusiasm of the British public to get cooking. And here in Guatemala and Honduras the television is loaded with familiar chefs such as Nigella and Jamie showing that Britain knows how to produce a good meal.
There was agreement though, that when it comes to British drinks Guatemalans and Hondurans appreciate a good Scotch. Scotch Whisky is one of the UK’s manufacturing export success stories. It is the number one globally traded spirit drink, with exports in excess of £4.2 billion a year.
It is a growing market here. But it is not always plain sailing as contraband can undermine legitimate sales. We are working with British drink companies and the authorities to tackle these problems.
And how about food and drink from Guatemala and Honduras in the UK? We import coffee, spices, cocoa (Mayan gold as it is also known to some), sugar and honey to name but a few products. If you would like to see how UK imports and exports measure up around the Central American region we have produced a comparative briefing on this.
Anyone thinking of importing or exporting should get in touch with the Embassy for more information. I have a personal interest in introducing Marmite to the region, but that might fall foul of the local taste test…