I Ordered A Double-Double From Tim Hortons In The UK & What Happened Next Was Chaos

The opinions expressed in this article are the author's own and do not necessarily reflect the views of Narcity Media.

If there's one iconic staple of the Tim Hortons menu in Canada, it's got to be the famous double-double.

After living in Canada for several years, and having a Tim Hortons near me everywhere I went, it's fair to say I really missed the coffee giant when I returned home to the U.K.

Although there are several Tim Hortons locations in the U.K., there isn't one close to my current home in Wales.

However, during a trip to Manchester, England, over the holidays, I found a local Timmies and couldn't resist stopping by for a donut and, naturally, a double-double.

What happened next was total chaos, and my Canada-loving heart could barely take the sacrilege.

Order kiosks at a Tim Hortons in England.Helena Hanson | Narcity

First things first, Tim Hortons in the U.K. is actually pretty different from the original Canadian version.

It's extremely modern, the decor is different (think tartan-patterned furniture and a maroon-and-grey colour palette), and the vibes are just a little… cold.

What's more, the menu features items like currywurst hot dogs, chicken tenders, tuna wraps and crispy chicken stack burgers.

Customers are also encouraged to use touch-screen machines to order — like in McDonald's — rather than order at the counter with employees.

Although this place was called Tim Hortons and did offer familiar menu items like Timbits, donuts and Iced Capps, it felt suspiciously un-Canadian to me.

So, in an effort to salvage just a little taste of Canada, I decided to head to the counter and make my order using the classic Timmies lingo.

"Can I get a double-double, please?" I asked the employee at the counter, with a sort of wink-wink that was supposed to convey that I knew all about Tim Hortons and its Canuck roots.

"A what?" the employee said, with a blank expression that instantly told me she had no idea what I meant.

I repeated myself — noticeably less winky this time — but she shrugged and told me, "I'm sorry, we don't do those."

I tried one more time, leading the well-meaning but definitely confused employee to say, "Let me check, I'll ask someone else."

A second employee, who I was confident would make sense of the whole double-double chaos, told me, "Sorry, we can't make that. Can I get you something else?"

Embarrassed, but in too deep to walk away, I asked, "What about a Wayne Gretzky?"

Admittedly, it was a stretch after the double-double confusion, but given the nine-creams-and-nine-sugars drink went viral fairly recently, I thought it was worth a gamble.

"Sorry, he doesn't work here" was the polite, albeit bewildered, response I received.

Feeling awkward at the chaotic conversation we were having, I explained with an apology that I used to live in Canada and always picked up coffee at Timmies when I lived there.

"Timmies, as in here?" a third employee, who had joined the conversation after overhearing all of the confusion, asked. "That's a cute nickname!"

I went on to order my coffee without any of the Canadian slang — "just two cream and two sugar please" — which received half an eyebrow raise from one of the employees in itself.

Admittedly, it is an unusually sweet drink to order in the U.K., where strong coffee and less sugar are generally preferred.

Inside a Tim Hortons shop in England.Helena Hanson | Narcity

The coffee wasn't great, which admittedly may have been the most familiar aspect of the whole experience, but the service was good despite the apparent language barrier.

It may have been a stretch to hope that a simple double-double in a British Tim Hortons would transport me back to Canada, but I had hoped just for a little coffee-flavoured reminder of the Great White North.

Still, some things are worth waiting for — and travelling for — and maybe I'll have to hold on just a bit longer to have that authentic Tim Hortons experience once again.

The coffee isn't the best and a Michelin star is probably not incoming, but is there anything more comfortingly Canadian than a steaming double-double in a little red cup?

This article's cover image was used for illustrative purposes only.