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               Brief Beach Encounter Ends up in “Little Britain”

 What do two girls who met on an Okanagan beach have in common?  A love of food, people and getting involved in their community.  But, what do you do when the food you love is over a hundred miles away?  If you’re clever – you work out a way to bring the food closer!  That’s exactly what these beach girls decided to do.  Their love of British food has led to them opening a little piece of Britain in the Okanagan.
 

Little Britain Specialty Foods is the Okanagan’s first all British grocery & souvenir store.  The shop officially opened its doors on September 6, 2007.  But already the girls are enjoying success and they have plans to grow.

Little Britain is located in Kelowna on the corner of Enterprise and Cooper Roads, making British goodies accessible from to the whole Okanagan Valley.  The shop stocks a full range of foods, tinned goods, soft drinks, sweets, crisps, teas, bacon, sausages, cheeses, Devon cream, black and white pudding, Melton Mowbray pork pies, as well as haggis and of course, the favourite English toffees and Cadburys chocolates.  The meat pies, Cornish pasties and sausage rolls made by Britannia Pies in Penticton, are already very popular with customers, with Steak & Kidney pie being their best-seller.

Sharon and Mandy met a few summers ago on a sandy Okanagan Lake beach.  Sharon had recently moved to the area from Langley, BC and Mandy had been in Canada for just over a year.  That brief encounter on the beach led to the girls teaming up and forming their new business.

Sharon was born in Dorking, Surrey, England and her family immigrated to Canada when she was 3 years old.  Growing up in the Lower Mainland her roots remained firmly in the UK where she returned after finishing school.  She lived in London for 13 years before meeting her husband who was in the British Army.  They decided to set up life in Canada and are now very happily enjoying family life in the Okanagan.

Mandy was born in Witney, Oxfordshire and emigrated from Northamptonshire where she worked many years in the catering trade.  She and her husband have  two daughters and are enjoying their new life in Canada.

The two Brit girls got tired of driving down to Vancouver for their Heinz baked beans & goodies so put their efforts into setting up the Okanagan’s first all British grocery shop.  There is a large community of ex-pats in the Okanagan valley and until now, the girls say, they haven’t had a full range of groceries and souvenirs to access. 

The specialty store is cram packed with goodies from the UK.  They even make up specialty British food hampers upon request and will deliver  hampers and groceries to Big White and Silver Star Mountains as well as almost any destination in the Okanagan.  Gift certificates are also available if you are gift giving to someone who might like to pop in and choose their own treats.

Mike Roberts from CHBC in Kelowna has done a story on the shop which has been aired a number of times over the past two months on Okanagan Now, and already it has seen people visit the shop from all over the Okanagan valley. 

The shop is currently open Mon-Sat from 10am-5pm and Sundays 11am-3pm.  They are located in Kelowna at #14, 1771 Cooper Road, on the corner of Enterprise and Cooper Road.

Pop in and share a cup of tea, a few memories and catch up on some old time favourites and a few new surprises as well.