A London-based expat asked traveling Phillies fans to bring her ranch dressing, and they lined up to help
A story about women supporting women and their devotion to ranch dressing.
Alexis Golden preaches the gospel of American condiments to anyone who will listen.
The former Philadelphian moved to the U.K. in 2022 after two years of traveling back and forth for a long-distance relationship. Life is mostly great, she and her partner just celebrated their five-year anniversary. But there’s one thing Brits can’t easily find that has left this Philly girl desperately looking for solutions: ranch dressing. When she turned to strangers for help, they came rallying in droves.
In their South East London home, Golden, 29, keeps a stash of the good stuff — Hidden Valley Ranch — to accompany chicken wings, pizza, fries, and salads.
“When we have company over, we always have veggies and ranch out for them alongside other tapas and apps, like my homemade dill pickles — which is another thing I can’t find here so I make my own,” Golden said. “We also host a Friendsgiving every year with our international and British friends and a crowd favorite has been my buffalo chicken dip.”
But ranch isn’t an easy commodity to procure across the pond.
When Golden attempts to buy it locally, it costs $8 for an 8-ounce bottle or $14 for a 16-ounce bottle, a significant markup compared to the same dressing stateside. Prices and sizes vary in the States, but bottles of Hidden Valley Ranch begin retailing at around $4 for 24 ounces. Locally, Walmart sells a 52-ounce bottle for about $10.
“U.K. grocery prices are typically very low, as are U.K. salaries,” Golden said. “So this would be a really big splurge if I decided to buy it here.”
Since moving, Golden and her partner have gone through about eight bottles of the dressing — two she brought over herself, and six more from visitors.
“We would probably go through many more if we had an endless supply, but we try to be conservative,” she said.
But with the Phillies London-bound for MLB’s London Series this weekend, Golden saw opportunity pour in front of her.
She took to a private Facebook group for women’s support in Philadelphia with a plea: Could anyone already planning to travel for the game also bring her ranch?
“I know this is a ridiculous and last-minute ask, but if you don’t ask you don’t get,” she wrote on Thursday. “In my household, Hidden Valley Ranch is like liquid gold. Even our British friends have come to love it and expect it whenever we have them over.”
She continued, “We have one tiny little squeeze of ranch left and I don’t think we’ll survive until September when my mom comes to visit (joking). I know we’ll survive, but it’s just one of those home comforts that is really nice to have living abroad.”
In exchange for smuggling, Golden promised to Venmo willing volunteers, travel to wherever they are in London for pickup, and share her travel recommendations.
The post took off, with more than 300 likes and 100 comments as of Friday morning. Empathetic Philadelphians rallied to help. Some offered recipes to make ranch (Golden said she’s tried and Hidden Valley remains superior), others offered to be on standby to ship her the goods when she’s pining for them.
One woman said she checked an entire suitcase of PopTarts when she visited her friend in London for the same reason. Another shared that ranch was also nonexistent when they were an exchange student in Finland.
“My mom mailed me the dry packets to mix with sour cream or yogurt, but it wasn’t quite the same,” the Facebook commenter said. “Scratches the itch a little bit though.”
Golden said that she had hoped for a volunteer or two. Instead, she told The Inquirer she received more than 10 offers among people traveling for either the Phillies, Glastonbury Festival later this month, or Taylor Swift’s August stops at Wembley Stadium.
Kat Huber, 36, is one of the faithful couriers. Originally from London and now living in Overbrook, Huber visits her family about twice a year. This summer, she’ll be making the trip and seeing one of Swift’s Wembley performances.
“My flight to London is June 18,” Huber said. “I’ll grab a few bottles and any other snacks she’s missing from the U.S. and meet up with her to drop it off.”
Huber is one of several connections Golden’s made in the last 24 hours. So now, it’s really happening. She’s getting her ranch.
“I’m in conversation with four people,” Golden said. “You always need a Plan A, B, C, and D in my opinion.”