For the last 10 years, a local grocer has offered local Brits a taste of home. At the same time, they’ve also cultivated a whole new customer base of locals who have become fans of British delicacies.
Operated by the Keld family, The British Grocer is Oakville and Burlington’s home for everything that makes meals from across the pond truly special. The Keld Family took over the business in 2014 from the previous owner, and since then it’s grown and expanded into two successful locations.
As imports from the UK themselves from Warrington, Leeds & Manchester, Chris, Sean and Valerie Keld were looking to bring a piece of home to their new homestead in Canada, which led to them setting up shop with The British Grocer.
October 23rd marks the ten-year anniversary of The British Grocer in Canada. While some people might think they know what British food is all about, all it takes is one visit to The British Grocer’s retail location to reveal that their cuisine has much more depth than first glance.
Because of Canada’s long-standing ties to the British monarchy, there is quite the crossover between British and Canadian foods. Whether it’s chocolate, meats or pastries, most Canadians might be surprised to find they’re quite familiar with these British foods.
“A lot of the same brands as Canadian food,” Keld said. “Our customer base misses the food they used to have as a child. They love that nostalgia.”
In addition to retail locations in Oakville and Burlington, they operate a manufacturing plant in Burlington. They produce 50 products in house that are distributed all over Ontario, including over 100 Sobeys and Foodland locations through the Sobeys’ Look Local Program.
Chocolate is a big seller at The British Grocer, with Cadbury Flakes among one of the staple items in the store. Keld says that next to Swiss chocolate, British chocolate is some of the best in the world. The first ingredient in British chocolate is milk, which gives it that creamy texture compared to Canadian chocolate.
The British Grocer is also one of the biggest manufacturers of haggis in Ontario, making over five tonnes of haggis every year. Their store has been an institution for haggis as the centrepiece of countless Robbie Burns Day dinners. Their haggis has become famous around these parts, even appearing as a prop on The Rick Mercer Report and enjoyed by the Toronto Maple Leafs Hockey Team!
Keld says their scotch pies, which are made by hand with help from a machine that’s over 50 years old and was imported from Scotland, are one of the biggest sellers at The British Grocer. With over 2,000 scotch pies made every week, the production runs like a well-oiled machine.
Whether it’s haggis, scotch pies, Cadbury Flakes, Heinz Beanz, blood pudding, sausage rolls or pork pies, you’ll discover something worth trying at The British Grocer. It’s a slice of home for British people in Canada, and a destination for Canadians craving a taste of England.
The British Grocer has two retail locations; in Oakville at 213 Lakeshore Road East, and in Burlington at 1240 Burloak Drive.
Find out more at BritishGrocer.ca