Buying British Groceries - Getting a Taste of Home When you’re in Orlando

Here’s the scenario - you’ve arrived at your Orlando villa, everything’s looking spick and span, you’re keen and eager to make yourselves at home, and you open the pantry. But where’s the Marmite, the Ribena or the Hob Nobs?

Of course, you WILL have your Debbie’s Villas ‘Welcome Pack,’ with basics such as milk, tea, coffee, sugar, fruit juice, soft drinks, water, bread, butter, cereal and biscuits. But, as good as our basket of starter groceries is, it can’t include some of the essential goods we know many of our guests like to surround themselves with for the duration of their holiday.

Call them ‘the tastes from home,’ and, for kids especially, they can make all the difference when it comes to making you feel truly at home with your fully self-service holiday accommodation.

So, in this blog, we’re going to tell you exactly how you can stock up on all those little home comforts, and more besides!

Check out the Supermarkets in the Orlando Area

Welcome to a completely different world of grocery shopping during your stay in Orlando! Not only are the supermarkets likely to be all-new names to us (with the exception of Aldi), many of the products are distinctly different, too.

And, while they may look similar to what we’re used to, many will be a major change from the usual Sainsbury’s or Tesco weekly shop. And, if you have picky eaters in your family (especially children!), you may struggle to find an equivalent product to keep them happy.

Things like Heinz Salad Cream, Birds Custard Powder, Bisto and Chocolate Digestives are completely alien to the US shopper, for example.

But never fear. Supermarkets like Publix, Winn-Dixie and Walmart have all discovered that there is a major market to be served in and around the villa areas, notably in Davenport (with multiple locations), and they therefore stock up on suitably British comestibles.

Just look for the International aisle, and you should find a solid selection of UK standards, from Marmite and McVitie’s to HP Sauce and Heinz Baked Beans. Biscuits, jam, gravy, custard and choccie bars are all usually readily available and, while they will certainly be more expensive than you pay back home, you should be able to keep everyone happy with their favourite brands.

But do at least have a look at some of the local varieties on offer. You will discover a huge range of things that will be completely novel to you, and you may well find a few things that really tickle your tastebuds, especially in the bakery section, where there are often a dazzling choice of cakes, doughnuts and cookies, as well as local delicacies like guava pastries and Cuban bread.

The Specialist Shops for British Food in the Orlando Area

While Publix and Co do a pretty decent job at providing the basics of a typical British supermarket, you may still find there are some products they just don’t stock. Don’t despair!

In addition to the main supermarkets, there are a couple of specialist stores that REALLY know how to cater to the UK market.

Need a big bag of Quality Street? A supply of Walnut Whips? How about a 12-pack of Walkers crisps or Monster Munch? Scones, jam tarts and sticky toffee puddings? You’ll find them all at The British Shoppe in Longwood, just north of downtown Orlando.

Here, surrounded by just about every well-known UK shopping staple, you can shop to your heart’s content on all the familiar brands and products you’re used to seeing, and a few more besides.

By the same token, the British Food Club at 1745 Premier Row (just off the Orange Blossom Trail north of the Florida Mall), sells wholesale to the general public, both from their store and online, featuring some 900-plus products, from Crown traditional pork sausages to Iceland chocolate eclairs.

In truth, these two shops are largely geared towards Brits who have moved to Florida or can afford to stay for months at a time, but they also serve as a valuable ‘last resort’ for those who really need their Jammy Dodgers or Yorkshire puds.

And, if you are a dab hand at making your own curry and want to find the best local ingredients, head to 1750 West Sand Lake Road (also near the Florida Mall) and you will find Patel Brothers, a superb grocer’s dedicated to all kinds of Indian produce, as well as flavours of the Middle East.

And then There’s the Proper Pie Co for Genuine British Pies

When you need your British snacks and other goodies NOW, and you don’t want to have to travel across Orlando to find them, there is only one answer, and it is The Proper Pie Co in Haines City.

Recently moved from their long-time location just off Highway 27 in Davenport, they now have a much more expansive store right next to the Haines City Mall on Highway 17-92.

Their speciality, as the name suggests, is in offering their own brand of British-style pies and pasties, with a wonderful variety of fillings, from traditional steak and kidney and beef and onion to more adventurous selections such as Buffalo Chicken and BBQ Pulled Pork.

What’s more; they also feature proper fish and chips, fruit pies, home-made shortbread and scones, sausage rolls, Scotch eggs and shepherd’s pies, as well as a full Afternoon Tea (for a bargain $19.95/person), with sandwiches, cakes and English tea.

Just to top it off, they also sell an extensive range of British goods for you to stock up on, including Batchelors Cup-a-Soups, Weetabix, Walker’s crisps and Cadbury’s chocolate, plus seasonal goodies like hot cross buns and Christmas pudding.

It’s a handy one-stop shop for all your tastes of home, and it’s barely 10 minutes or so from some of the main villa communities, like Bridgeford Crossing and Southern Dunes.

So, just because you’re a long way from home doesn’t mean you have to go without the tastes you know and love best. Yes, there are some great local tastes and flavours, but sometimes you just need a reminder of dear old Blighty, right?!

What are your favourite tastes of home? Tell us about them on our Facebook, Twitter and Instagram pages… and don’t forget to interact with us on Pinterest, too!.