I ditched the UK for an underrated African country - it's just as safe and I live in a huge house with a swimming pool, but there's one thing we always miss about England

Daily Mail​

7 hours ago

A woman who ditched the UK to move to Zimbabwe has revealed the one thing she misses about living in England - despite living it up with a huge house and pool.
Natalie Furk, from Leicester, moved to Zimbabwe in March 2024 with her husband James and their two children as they were attracted by the 'lifestyle' changes it would bring them.
The family moved into a huge four-bedroom home with an office, large kitchen and dining room area, which they plan to renovate and a large garden, where they grow their own organic produce.
But despite the sunshine, spacious living and wide availability of 'delicious, healthy' food, Natalie says her children can't help but crave one thing - McDonalds.
Recently, the mother-of-two revealed she visited family in the UK for two weeks and on her way home she decided to bring chicken nuggets and chips back on the plane - even bringing them back in plastic sandwich bags.
Taking to her TikTok account, @naturallyfakemum, Natalie said: 'I live in Zimbabwe and I've just got back from visiting my family in England for two weeks without my kids, without my husband and I promised them one thing. That I'd bring them a McDonald's back.'
Natalie filmed herself surprising her children with the food from the fast food giant, which does not currently have any outlets in Zimbabwe, racking up more than 290,000 views on TikTok.
She previously said the reason why she decided to make the move from the UK to Zimbabwe was because of the 'lifestyle' it offers her and because her husband's family lives there.
'My husband would always go on about how he had an amazing childhood in Zim,' she said.
'They got to play outside every day and swim every day, because most households have a swimming pool.
'We just want that. We have gone to Zim almost every year we've been together. I've got to know the lifestyle of Zim, I've got to know all the people.'
Nat said that, in her opinion, living in Zimbabwe is no less safe than being back home, adding: 'It's just such a kind community and everyone is there for each other. A lot of people say it's unsafe, but it's just like here, you have to have your wits about you.
'Also, Zim is a beautiful country and it's on the rise. In the past eight years I've been going, a lot of stuff is being rectified. The roads are being fixed, businesses are popping up and creating more jobs.
'What I really love about Zim is that the food is so fresh, it's so delicious and so organic. It's actually more expensive to buy processed food there than it is to buy fresh food.'
However, telling her UK-based relatives that they were making the big move didn't initially go down well.
'Telling my family was one of the hardest things I ever had to do!' she said in a TikTok video. 'I was nervous sweating and my heart was racing. My dad stormed out the room, and my sister cried.'
On TikTok, people were left divided by her McDonalds 'hack', while others were surprised it's not yet available to buy in the south African country.
One person wrote: 'Would the chicken not be a bit dodgy to eat with all that traveling not in a fridge?'
Another said: 'This is on another level of 'mum can you bring McDonald's home please''
Someone else added: 'Could you not just keep the packaging and cook some fries and nuggets??'
A fourth said: 'Is there not one there? I thought there was a McDonald's everywhere lol xx'
Natalie works in aesthetics, offering botox, microblading, microneedling services, and also bakes cakes to sell at a local market every weekend.
Previously, an expat revealed how he ditched the UK for the north African country of Morocco.
'The weather in Morocco is terrific, the wine is cheap – and there's no undercurrent of racism here, like in the UK.'
The clip racked up over 290,000 views and people rushed to the comments to leave their thoughts on Natalie's extreme lengths
So says British-born architect Philip Brebner, who has been running Riad Porte Royale, a B&B he owns in Marrakech, for the last 20 years, alongside writing books, with his newest novel, Shadows of Marrakech out now.
It was a 'moment of madness' in 2004 while accompanying his wife on a work trip, that saw Philip buy the property in the town's old quarter, the Medina.
At the time, the Marrakech riad was 'rundown and dilapidated', as the couple 'didn't have much money', but they decided to renovate it before opening it as a guest house in 2006, and Philip has never looked back.
He says: 'Marrakech is a really lovely place to be and a wonderful location. It's a bit of an oasis, and it's just got everything.
'In the city, all the buildings are pink, so it just feels really magical and charming.
'You also have the Agafay Stone Desert very nearby, and you can see the Atlas Mountains from the city, where you can go skiing if there is enough snow. And then, if you go over the Atlas, you have wonderful gorges, a dune desert and oases.
'And, of course, it's sunny most of the time!'