Irn-Bru and haggis via the net

FIVE container loads of Christmas puddings and mince pies, as well as all-year-round British favourites such as Branston Pickle and Yorkshire Tea have arrived in Islamabad in time for the Christmas dinner of the British embassy staff in the Pakistani capital and in Kabul.

This British nosh was sent by e-tailer Expatshopping's York headquarters well before the 10 December last shipping date for consignments outside Europe. The Kabul/Islamabad goodies will include this year's top Christmas seller, the Cadbury's chocolate Advent calendar.

Expatshopping's biggest seller the rest of the year is Walkers Crisps, closely followed by Mars Bars and other such reminders of home. The company supplies individuals as well as organisations such as the 50 British embassies acquired when the e-tailer bought out rival mail order firm Kingsbarn in August. This deal could help to more than treble sales to £3m in the year to 31 May, Expatshopping co-founder Simon Aldrich said.

What Expatshopping.com itself would like for Christmas is more tie-ins with High Street retailers. Bricks plus clicks equals a lot more orders from the estimated 13.5m British expats around the world. 'Many retail groups are also e-tailers but they don't generally export, and even when a UK shop opens overseas, it does not necessarily stock British goods,' Aldrich said.

Export sales are individually small potatoes to British retailers yet they demand sophisticated shipping know-how, especially when air-freight cargoes are involved. The e-tailer already has tie-ups with Argos, Boots, Next and Marks & Spencer. Aldrich said: 'We ship M&S dry goods like cans and biscuits, but there is a demand for M&S fresh and frozen foods overseas, and we're talking to them about that now.'

About 75% of Expatshopping's business is in food and drink. It includes British expats who, living in France, persist in ordering British bread and milk. There are even Scots exiles who ask for a single can of Irn-Bru to be airlifted to them in the wilds of America. 'We have no minimum order,' Aldrich explained. 'People start by being suspicious of e-shopping and doubt they will get their goods, so they will order something small - but then come back with bigger orders when they receive their first one.'

Aldrich, 31, and co-founder Richard Finch, 33, have been expats themselves. Both are former soldiers in the Military Police, and in civilian life found themselves working in the same company. 'I was sent to Bangladesh and when I heard Richard was coming out too, I asked him to bring me some mustard, marmalade and chocolate. But he didn't, said he couldn't get it in his suitcase - and we thought we couldn't be the only expats in this pickle.'

Expatshopping is already tackling the American expat market in Britain by bringing in Oreo cookies, Hershey Bars and grape jelly, and the company would like to move on to supply French, German and other expatriates with their own comfort food, not just in Britain, but wherever they may be in the world.

Meanwhile, there is Burns Night, 25 January, to attend to. Expatshopping has just signed to handle export sales for Edinburgh master-haggis maker Macsween, and soon 50,000 including all-veggie haggises will be hurtling around the world to a whisky-sodden but poetic end.