The Great British Shop Relaunch: A Right Royal Return to Online Shopping

Welcome to the grand relaunch of The Great British Shop’s online store!

If you’ve been following our journey, you’ll know we’ve taken a bit of a break from our digital shelves—quite the lengthy one, if we’re being honest. But chin up! We’re back, better than ever, and just in time to bring a fresh taste of Britain, straight to your doorstep.

A Quick Stroll Down Memory Lane

We first launched The Great British Shop online in 2020, right smack in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. Back then, we knew many of you had your fill of lockdowns—and the idea of popping into a store was about as appealing as a cold mushy pea. So we bravely ventured into cyberspace to deliver the best British goodies to your door.

Fast-forward to 2022: I packed up my life in Ontario and landed in Nova Scotia, specifically Halifax, where I decided to open our first physical location. Let’s just say things went rather brilliantly—brilliantly busy, that is! The local community welcomed us with open arms (and open mouths), and before we knew it, we were knee-deep in orders and had to invest in bigger ovens, mixing bowls, walk-in collers and a pinch more elbow grease.

But running both a bustling bakery and an online shop was like trying to juggle scones, teapots, and biscuits all at once. With staff shortages and the demand for fresh, warm, savoury goods soaring, we needed to press pause on our online operations—strictly temporarily, of course. Well, time got away from us as the bakery side began to boom, and we started wholesaling our British-style baked goods all over Nova Scotia. From Bridgewater to New Glasgow, Masstown to Downtown Halifax, you’ve likely encountered our steak pies or sausage rolls somewhere along the way!

The Grand Revival of Our Online Shop

But here we are in 2025 with a new wave of energy and an expanded team who share our passion for British treats. Since January, we’ve been behind the scenes orchestrating a relaunch that brings you an even better online experience than before:

• Industry-Leading Service: Because who wants just decent when you can have tip-top?
• Clear Best Before Dates: No more guesswork—know exactly when to devour your British goodies!
• Live Inventory Levels: If it’s in stock, you’ll know in a jiffy.
• Pip Pip Points: Coming soon to reward you for shopping with us—collect points, earn freebies, have a cheeky grin.
• Canada-Wide Shipping: We’ve already shipped goodies from coast to coast, even during our soft launch. As was the case before, wherever you are in Canada, we will find a way to get you your biscuits!
  
• Local Shipping for Meat Pies: At present, our perishable meat pies can only be shipped within Nova Scotia, but we’re hopeful that ongoing talks to lift certain trade barriers will let us whisk your crumpets and bangers from Toronto to Vancouver Island in the near future.

The biggest change? We’ve hired a dedicated e-commerce manager named Eleanor. She’s an absolute gem who’ll keep the online orders running smoothly even if we’re up to our elbows in sausage rolls in the bakery. You’ll see her handiwork in every carefully packed parcel—no battered biscuits here, thank you very much.

Treats You Simply Must Try

Now, we’re all about nostalgia. As an expat, I know how one sip of Irn Bru or a nibble of McVities HobNobs can transport you straight back to the UK. So, whether you’ve been pining for a crunchy digestive or craving a proper Bisto-laden roast dinner, our online shelves are brimming with all the essentials:

• McVities HobNobs for dunking (or stealth nibbling in the pantry)
• Bisto Gravy to drench your Sunday roast in savoury goodness
• Marks & Spencer Biscuits when you’re feeling fancy
• Hartley’s Jams for that morning toast pick-me-up
• Paxo Stuffing for the ultimate roast dinner companion
• Cadbury Flake because who doesn’t love a crumbly treat with their ice cream?
• Irn Bru to satisfy those fizzy taste buds
• Walkers Cheese & Onion Crisps for a proper British crunch
• Mr Kipling Cakes if you fancy something exceedingly good
• Warburtons Bread & Crumpets for those warm, buttery breakfasts

If you pop in to see us at our Halifax location, you’ll find even more goodies that we can’t quite ship yet (but oh, how we wish we could):

• Black Pudding & Haggis (don’t knock it till you’ve tried it!)
• Square Sausage (Lorne Sausage) and a wide variety of meaty and vegetarian pies
• Fresh Cream Eclairs, Victoria Sponge Cakes, Bakewell Tarts, Eccles Cakes—all freshly made with locally sourced Nova Scotia ingredients
• A selection of savoury pastries—cheese & onion pasties, sausage rolls, steak pies, chicken pies—the works!

Nostalgia Never Tasted So Good

One of the reasons I’m so passionate about this shop is that I genuinely believe we’re not just selling products. We’re selling memories—heart-warming bites of home for every British expat and Anglophile in Canada. After all, there’s something truly special about that first sip of a beloved beverage or the crunch of a crisp that reminds you of childhood, family, and all those everyday comforts you miss when you’re far from home.

What’s Next?

For now, enjoy exploring our relaunched online shop. Stock up on your favourite British goodies, and keep a lookout for Pip Pip Points—our upcoming loyalty scheme to thank you for shopping with us. If you’re in Nova Scotia, you can order baked goods to your heart’s content. If you’re outside the province, hang tight! We’re ready to go the moment those pesky trade restrictions lighten up.

In the meantime, Eleanor is prepped and ready to pack your HobNobs and crisps with the utmost care. We’re thrilled to be back, fulfilling online orders and shipping a taste of Britain across Canada. So take a browse, have a cuppa, tuck into a biscuit, and celebrate with us as we launch this new—and dare we say improved—chapter of The Great British Shop.

Cheers to you all, and thank you for standing by us through thick and thin (and short-staffed chaos, and bigger ovens, and all the rest)! We’re absolutely chuffed to bits to bring back our online shop, and we can’t wait to send a bit of British nostalgia right to your doorstep.

Now, off you pop—there are crumpets waiting!