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See spotted dick sell Grocers bring San Franciscans a taste of British culture By Rachella Sinclairbiztips@sfbg.com
When hankering for treacle pudding or Britain's famous supersweet chocolates, San Franciscans have a variety of choices just a Muni ride away. Expats and Anglophiles can satisfy their cravings for a Maltesers fix or a Yorkie bar ("It's not for girls") thanks to three local grocers who stock delicacies from the UK. David Kidd, owner of You Say Tomato, in the Tendernob, had trouble finding certain treats from his home country when he first moved to the Bay Area. Now he stocks all his favorite British items in his store. To Kidd, an Englishman from the Midlands city of Stoke-on-Trent, staples such as Branston Pickle, Farleys Rusks, and digestive biscuits were obvious inclusions for his shelves. He also expected luxury items like double Devonshire cream and seasonal items like fancy Easter eggs and Christmas crackers to be popular. However, Kidd initially found some of his customers' favorites surprising. "Fairy Liquid's very popular," he says. "People buy it for the name. The same with spotted dick. I think I sell a lot of tins of that to people who don't eat it." While novelty-seekers are attracted by strange English product names for dishwashing liquid or sponge pudding with raisins, most of Kidd's customers are loyal repeat shoppers. British household items such as antiseptic, beauty products, canned soup, Heinz baked beans, frozen foods, and a few locally made English specialties like Cornish pastries are items British and Irish expats rely on. Of course, you can't mention British foods without including the wide selection of sweets and biscuits that Kidd also stocks. If he doesn't have a particular item for sale, he is happy to order it. The Roxie Market and Deli, in the Sunset, offers a good selection of British groceries and canned products, including condiments and baking supplies. The proprietors – brothers Peter, Simon, and Tony Tannous – also stock traditional baked goods, such as scones and sausage rolls, and specialize in Irish favorites, such as soda bread, black pudding, and Irish sausages. This large selection of sweets and biscuits (that's "cookies" to Americans) is well supplemented by the appropriate seasonal favorites. Just before Easter, the shop is filled with Easter eggs, some larger than ostrich eggs, from a variety of British chocolate-makers. Christmas brings fruitcakes, steamed puddings, and Christmas "crackers," the requisite English party favor, complete with ridiculous hats stuffed inside. Patrick Alexander, owner of the British Grocer, in Potrero Hill, came from Essex, England, and set up shop in San Francisco in 1973. He's been selling English products, with a few Irish favorites, ever since. Like the other shops, Alexander sells groceries, biscuits, beauty products, and a host of teas. His shop also sells English crockery, tea sets, and royal commemorative china. Alexander is happy to take special orders, so long as the item is available and approved by the FDA. In addition to his Potrero Hill shop, Alexander has a thriving online business, which ships worldwide. Alexander's customers include English expats, Anglophiles, and people from British Commonwealth countries such as Nigeria and South Africa. Whatever the reason someone may want British food, whether it's a longing for the old country or a craving for the English version of Turkish delight set off by seeing The Chronicles of Narnia, UK transplants to the Bay Area won't go unsatisfied. And Americans can find out that British food isn't really as bad as they think it is. SFBG YOU SAY TOMATO 1526 California, SF (415) 921-2828 THE ROXIE MARKET AND DELI 500 Kirkham, SF (415) 731-0982 THE BRITISH GROCER 726 15th St, SF (415) 863-3300 www.britshoppe.com |
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