I'll take it on faith why people feel it necessary to drive huge distances to get the durian they want. For all I know they want a Malay variety and not one from Thailand (eg, I'm not a fan of the sweet red apples prevalent in Spain, but I love the acid charged green varieties common in England. You could also say that melons are available from most British supermarkets, but I know full well that they're a waste of money and will go to the Turkish/Greek Cypriot shops in Green Lanes, North London to get an edible one) or it could be that Toronto is nearer for them than Seattle or SFO. I understand that the USA has only recently (in the past 10 years or so) relaxed some of it's laws on importing what it regarded as 'unsanitary' food whereas Canada has been more open to exotic imports for far longer.

But that was the point of this thread, to see if there were any Durian lovers who knew the ins and outs of buying this fruit in London.

I'm pretty picky about the other fruit I eat and don't just buy it from the nearest source, I was assuming that Durian fans would be even more fastidious.