Tim Tams in France

Arnott's Tim Tams in FranceUs Aussies are pretty good at making biscuits, and that’s why Tim Tams have appeared as the only Australian product on the shelves of the supermarket chain Carrefour in Annecy.

These biscuits, similar to the UK’s Penguin biscuit (but nicer — I might be biased of course), are hauled all over the world by travelling Aussies and after years of only being available in shops selling Australian goodies (mostly to Australians desperate for a fix of something from home), Tim Tams made it onto the shelves of Tesco supermarkets in the UK about five years ago. I took them for granted: they were always available and I bought them only when I had a real hankering.

That all changed when I moved to France. The “foreign foods” aisle of the supermarket has various things from the UK — Heinz Baked Beans, treacle, tomato soup(!), and this really posh (ie, tiny cardboard container and very costly) oatmeal stuff that I never actually saw on the shelves anywhere in the UK — but there’s never anything from Australia — until now, that is. Wedged between random honey from the Middle East and biscuits from Italy (oh come on: Italy is only an hour away!) lies the Tim Tams in all their glory. Just to reiterate, I have never seen any Australian product on the shelves of a French supermarket. I heard rumours that vegemite is available closer to big cities, but I’ve never seen that. The Tim Tam presence is a total win in my books.

Upon arrival in the aisle containing these treats, I embarrassed my shopping partner by letting out a shriek, followed by “TIM TAMS” in an overly loud voice. The five shoppers in the aisle all turned and stared at me, my shopping partner disowned me, and I ran to the Tim Tams and picked up two packets for the trolley, hugging them on the way. The five shoppers shrugged at the weird English girl rejoicing about her English biscuits and moved on.

Since that day, I’ve been checking that the Tim Tams are still there (and they are). Just in case, I’ve been buying a few packets every few weeks — obviously to keep the Australian export market bolstered rather than for any personal enjoyment. Obviously.

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About

I'm a technical author, journalist and writer from Australia who has been living in Europe since 2000 and exploring the world from there. My passions are writing, snow sports and travel.

11 Comments on “Tim Tams in France

  1. I gave much the same reaction when I found Tartiflette on the menu in a Brittany pizza restaurant.

    “Tartiflette!” was the cry, several decibels above acceptable polite restaurant volume.

    😀

  2. I was introduced to Tim Tams by my Australian friends, who would ship me packages of the lovely biscuits. I’ve spotted them a few times in America now, and I buy some whenever I can.

  3. Bon Jour! I just arrived via Maria’s blog block party and am glad I did!

    Too funny!

    Reminds me of being in Mexico in the 1970s and doing the dance of joy when I saw a sign that said “American Ice Cream.” Ummm . . . dairy products . . . ummmm . . .

    Or the McDonalds jones in Paris. Must. Have. Quarter. Pounder.

    First two comments seem to have disappeared. So, I have rewritten. If I triple post, I apologize.

    Terri

  4. Found you from Maria’s Blog shout out party. I have got to get some Tim Tams, all the authors and Australian people that rave about them have made me curious! Now an English girl raving about them also, have to get some somehow before my curiosity gets the best of me… I am now RSS Subscriber to see what other goodies you have to share!

    jackie b

  5. Great comments from everyone – thanks!
    Teri, Jackie and Mike, welcome – I hope you enjoy reading (and Mike, you need to lose that virginity!).
    Tara, that’s great that they’re available in some parts of America too – I’m really happy to hear that since the US has so many tasty biscuits already!
    Bex, I can just hear the scream now. :O)

  6. Sad news…after waiting for months for Tim Tams to be restocked, they’ve never reappeared in Carrefour Annecy. Apparently, they can be found in Paris at Monoprix, but that’s little comfort for those of us so far away. Merde.

  7. Hi

    I was curious as to how many euros for these Tim tams in France? Or a rough price as I want to send money to a friend in France

    • Hi Claire. They’re around €3.60 per packet in Carrefour from memory (on a par with many French biscuits!). They’re about 20c more at Monoprix, which is a posher supermarket in France.