In Blighty cheap bangers are crap.

Cheap bangers are crap everywhere! The ones I used to buy in the UK were 'Richmond' (pictured), and the ones I bought when I lived in Aus were made by an Irish butcher who sold them in his shop for about $11 per kilo - they were absolutely awesome!

You're also correct about hamburgers. It's far easier to make your own using pork mince. I usually choose a lump of pork from my local butcher and then have him mince it up on the 'small' setting of the machine. Add some mashed-up onion, a bit of garlic, a raw egg or two, some breadcrumbs and a few spices, bingo!

You can then make them into patties and freeze them. Easily cooked from frozen when you want a 'burger', and they're not a bad substitute for the humble sausage either. I can make them for about RMB1 each.

As for pies, well if you CAN find them in China they'll be bloody expensive! Again, it's not difficult to make your own. Last Christmas I made a few Melton-Mowbray-style pork pies and they were awesome! Time-consuming and a bit fiddly, but well worth the effort. There's nothing better than a hunk of pork-pie and mustard, especially at Xmas.

If anyone wants to have a go at making one, let me know and I'll send you the recipe (that I fiddled with).