As you walk down one of the most pleasant streets of Budapest your eyes might be caught by an underground sign one can see in London. You can believe your eyes, it’s not a figment of your imagination. Surely enough, don’t expect to find the means of transportation itself or the multitude of people so typical of the British capital. The sign reading The British Store is no more than a notice for one of the peculiar shops of the neighborhood.
The name, that might sound quite uninteresting at first, is much more telling of the reality as Britain’s most popular drinks, foods and ingredients are to be found here. So if you feel like trying what they eat in James Bond’s country, you’ll definitely find something for every meal of the day.For breakfast you can choose any of the different cereals, if you think that the traditional English breakfast made of Hungarian eggs and bacon is not that English any more. Should you want to start your day with something more filling, you can still go with one of the various spreads, the maple syrup, special jams or peanut butter. The latter delicacy is offered in more kinds to make your job of choosing more difficult. And those wishing for something similar but more special have Marmite to satisfy themselves. Marmite is a quite pungent cream made of yeast, and as such, is a highly controversial food in the Isles, which is shown by its motto, too: “Love it or hate it!” It’s a well-known fact that the subjects of the Queen do not possess the most refined gastronomy of the world. One can argue against it but one thing’s for sure: the ingredients used do not really differ from those of the cuisines of the continent. Anyway, it’s not surprising that the biggest variety can be found among snacks, ingredientsfor cakes and drinks. The former is represented by dozens of types of chips together with the British peculiarities of pork scratchings and beef jerky.
Of course, the sweet-toothed won’t be disappointed, either. The shelves are packed with boxes of cookie-sets, that not only contain the most of the ingredients to be used but cookie cutters, as well. Also, you can get your hands on another typical sweet food of the Anglo-Saxon nations, thus the residents of Wisteria Lane, the pie. Kids won’t be left without yummy food, either, as there are a countless number of jelly beans, a huge favorite of British children.
The shop didn’t forget about the products of the well-known chocolate company,
Cadbury: their products fill up almost a whole shelf in various forms – powder, bars, drinks, bonbon and more.
You cannot be expected to eat your muffin or pie without Britain’s stereotypical drink, the tea. The different kinds of tea could fill up enormous shops, as well, and surely enough, there are shops specifying in tea in Budapest, but British Store has no reason at all to be ashamed of. The most authentic and most typical types of the “national drink” of the English make up the commendable selection.
By the way, drinks. At British Store you can follow the current trends of British social drinking. A sizable assortment of beers, including, of course, Guinness and ginger beer, can be found here together with the excellent alternative to the brewage, cider. Sipping this latter you can feel as if you’re sitting in your favorite pub amidst the greyness of the fog. If you’d rather have alcohol-free drinks, you can find fruit juice and other refreshments, most of which cold, including the famous Dr. Pepper.
This little piece of Britain does a great job at satisfying the needs of any fans of British gastronomy in spite of its size, whether you’re a young Skins-supporter or a pensioner with decades of afternoon tea history.
British Store
Address:
1136 Budapest, Tátra utca 26.
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