A taste of England

BY MARC LALONDE

marc.lalonde@transcontinental.ca

A British food importer says authenticity is part of what has made her business grow exponentially in the year since she and a partner launched Clarence & Cripps.

First conceived a year ago as a web-only business, St. Lazare resident Rachel Cripps and Hudson resident Maxine Clarence have seen their business grow more in a year than they could possibly have imagined.

“It’s gotten way bigger than we really thought was possible, especially in such a short time,” she said.

What started as a web-order business for the two British natives has mushroomed into a busy retail store (the pair have rented out space from a Hudson florist) and delivery business that, although it’s based in the off-island, puts the pair in touch with West Island British expats and children of British descent looking to get a taste of England.

The two boast many different varieties of British staples such as porkpies, steak-and-kidney pies, sweets, cakes, drinks, pickles, sauces, condiments, cereals and other assorted goodies.

The idea for the business goes back further than a year, though.

“It actually goes back about three years. I’d been living here a year already and I was on my way home for a visit,” Cripps said. “That’s where I met (Clarence). We were talking about what we missed most about home and we immediately both said we missed the food and we both agreed it would be great if there was a place in North America where we could get the foods we missed from home,” she said.

Cripps said the English foodstuff she missed the most was easy to figure out almost immediately.

“Heinz baked beans,” she said. “That’s what I missed the most, easy.”

Now, the duo import not only Heinz baked beans, but also Heinz curried beans and three kinds of Batchelors peas. Got a hankering for some snack food? Maybe one of their 18 different brands of potato crisps will whet your appetite. If it’s popular across the pond, Clarence & Cripps can help you get it into your larder. They’ve even got spotted dick - a funnily-named pudding, not a medical condition you need to worry about. Six varieties of back bacon (ironically enough, called Canadian Bacon in the U.S., even though it’s tough to find in Canada), ten varieties of English sausages and frozen smoked haddock - usually the main ingredient in English-style fish and chips.

And word is starting to spread.

“We had a man who drove from Sherbrooke to come to the store. Another customer, this one from England, called us to arrange delivery of a gift basket of food to the South Shore. People come from all over to see us,” she said.

Special monthly pre-orders are also available for people willing to wait for shipments, but get those orders in early because, the first of every month is a busy day for the Clarence & Cripps duo.

“We did 40 deliveries in a snowstorm on Dec.1. It’s only going to grow from there. We can handle it, though,” she said

“Heinz baked beans,” she said. “That’s what I missed the most, easy.”

Now, the duo import not only Heinz baked beans, but also Heinz curried beans and three kinds of Batchelors peas. Got a hankering for some snack food? Maybe one of their 18 different brands of potato crisps will whet your appetite. If it’s popular across the pond, Clarence & Cripps can help you get it into your larder. They’ve even got spotted dick — a funnily-named pudding, not a medical condition you need to worry about. Six varieties of back bacon (ironically enough, called Canadian Bacon in the U.S., even though it’s tough to find in Canada), 10 varieties of English sausages and frozen smoked haddock — usually the main ingredient in English-style fish and chips.

And word is starting to spread. “We had a man who drove from Sherbrooke to come to the store. Another customer, this one from England, called us to arrange delivery of a gift basket of food to the South Shore. People come from all over to see us,” she said.

Special monthly pre-orders are also available for people willing to wait for shipments, but get those orders in early because, the first of every month is a busy day for the Clarence & Cripps duo.

“We did 40 deliveries in a snowstorm on Dec.1. It’s only going to grow from there. We can handle it, though,” she said