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www.celtic-connection.com
JULY-AUGUST 2008
The Best Celtic Services and Merchants in Langley and New Westminster
THIS past month, Colleen and I were on the road again and we paid a visit to Black Pudding Imports in Langley; P & G Sausage in Langley; Colour Tech Hair Studio in Langley; and Ye Olde Sweet Shoppe in New Westminster.
By CATHOLINE BUTLER
BLACK PUDDING IMPORTS
Black Pudding Imports In Langley only carry British products and are noted for their imported British groceries, cheeses, bacons, sausages and pub pies. Located in an industrial areajust off 200 Street in Langley, one need only to follow the Union Jack flag signs to Black Pudding.
We were welcomed by owner and general manager Linda Hazelton, who had just returned from a well-deserved holiday in Newfoundland.
Hazelton and her staff are not only friendly and helpful but also know their product. Linda pointed out some of the new U.K. products that have just recently arrived from overseas. These included Coronation Street steins and beer glasses, trivia DVD games, soccer stadium street signs, soccer balls, World Cup and England soccer team scarves, jams andjellies, andBritish cookbooks.
One particularly interesting book is the number one bestseller in Scotland: Maw Broons' Cookbook. It looks like the kind of cookbook that we all have in our kitchens. It's the one with the turned-down pages to our favourite recipes, coffee stains on some of the pages and recipes that have been cut-out and pasted onto other pages.
It's the kind of cookbook that your mother or grandmother would have had when they make-up those delicious recipes that we all remember as a child. Not only will you want one for yourself, but they make a great gift.
Linda said, "we carry over 80 different flavours of British sweets. Some of the most requested are humbugs, pontefract cakes, dolly mix and clotted cream fudge." These sweets are all stored in large jars and you can buy whatever amount you
ROBERT GOODRICK (the English butcher) with Charlotte and Lome Johnson at P&G Sausage in Langley.
ROSE FARRELLin hershop ColourTech Hair Studio in Langley.
wish. They also carry Walkers toffees.
Some of the pub meat pies available at Black Pudding include steak and Guinness; chicken and mushroom; steak and kidney; and chicken to name a few. Scotch Egg is made fresh every Wednesday and fresh banger sausage twice a week. There are also seven different flavours of British sausage and of course, black and white pudding.
Black Pudding Imports is located at 20243-62 Avenue in Langley, British Columbia. For more information, call (604) 532-1223, or visit: www.blackpudding.ca.
P&G SAUSAGE
Located on the Langley Bypass, P&G Sausage have been in business for many years and features European home-style deli meats and products.
Since English butcher Robert Goodrickjoined the company, he has brought a new dimension to P&G with his recipes and English-style sausages, bacon, ham, cottage rolls and a large selection of individual and family-size meat pies in all the well-known flavours.
Robert Goodrick is a certified traditional English butcher. He completed five and a half years at Blackpool Food Technical College in England where he received his City and Guilds certificate.
When Colleen and I dropped by P&G Sausage, we were welcomed by owners Charlotte and Lorne Johnson and Robert Goodrick.
With barbeque season now in full-swing we asked what delicious items P&G could recommend for outdoor grilling. Without hesitation, Lome recommended the Maui ribs; garlic coil Mennonite sausage; Bavarian
LINDA HAZELTON (owner/general manager) at Black Pudding Imports, holding one of their large black puddings.
smokies; regular and spicey Polish sausage; rib eye and New York steaks.
He said, "we also have eight different flavours of burgers, and all our burgers contain only five percent fat. At P&G Sausage, we make our own European-style potato salad which would also go great with any of the above items."
For marinating or for brushing on sauce for any of your barbeque items, try Robert's own special barbecue sauce recipe which is also available at P&G Sausage.
It's hard to believe that Christmas is a mere six months away and already Robert has started to work on his own original mincemeat recipe. It takes all that time for the mincemeat to be properly matured in time for the Christmas season. He only makes a limited quantity...so better get your orders in now!
P&G Sausage also carries a great selection of British groceries such as Heinz baked beans; Batchelors peas; Heinz sticky toffee, treacle; Paxo stuffings; Colmans mixes for chicken, sausage casserole and shepherds pie; and Jaffa cakes. Wholesale orders are also welcomed at P&G Sausage.
"What I used to do at my shop in Kerrisdale, I'm doing here at P&G Sausage and having just as much fun," said Robert, "and I'm excited to be adding new items all the time. For instance, I've just added an Irish pasty."
Lorne said, "every new item that Robert has added here at P&G Sausage has been a success."
P&G Sausage is located at: #108 -20551 Langley Bypass, Langley, British Columbia. For more information, call (604) 533-1990.
COLOUR TECH HAIR STUDIO
When Liverpool-born, Rose Farrell, owner of Colour Tech Hair Studio, was forced to move her business 16 months ago from West Willow Mall, an area where she had operated her business from for several years and relocate to Valley Centre Shopping Mall in Langley, she wasn't sure how many of her regular clientele would follow her to the new location.
Rose need not have worried since most of her loyal customers have followed her and she has made many new ones since. In fact, just recently it was announced that 220 new condominiums will be built just across the street from her salon at Paddington Station, so talk about
being in the right place at the right time...must be the luck of the Irish!
Colour Tech Hair Studio are experts in colour and colour corrections and I recently spoke with Rose about colour corrections and some of the latest trends and what she recommends for dry and damaged hair.
"Colour Tech is a full-service hair salon but 90 percent of our business is in colour and colour correction," said Rose, "so we see a lot of disasters.
"On that note and one that I won't forget is the man who drove down to Seattle to stay overnight with the intent of flying out the following day to Los Angeles for a job interview.
"At his hotel in Seattle he was browsing through one of the shops there and saw a box of hair colouring with before and after pictures and decided to give it a try. He had a white beard and his hair went black.
"In a panic and after several phone calls, he finally located us online. He drove back to Vancouver and we stayed open late for him. It took three hours to fix the problem. We put white streaks in his hair that matched his beard and he looked quite distinguished. He drove back to Seattle and flew to LA the next morning.... and he got the j ob."
With hair styles and colours changing all the time Rose spoke about some of the latest trends. "For awhile it was blond highlights, now it's lowlights and caramel warm blond.
"Many of our younger clients just want one solid colour such as reds, vibrant copper, rich chocolate browns, dark gold, and subtle ash shades, and if you're game for it, peek-a-boo electric blue (just a tad) will turn heads. Even our professional clients are stepping out to make a statement.
"One of the biggest problems that we see is the build-up of silicon in the hair, it weighs the hair down. However, it's easy to fix with a cleansing shampoo and after a few weeks this will bring the hair back to the right PH, and then you can get started on the right shampoo and conditioner.
"If you're going to be out in the sun, a leave-in conditioner is a must. If you're using straightening tongs then use a thermal spray to protect the hair. And everyone should have some Chi Oil, it's unbelievable. It's a natural silk and that's how you get that super gloss shiny hair that everyone envies."
Colour Tech Hair Studio is located
at Valley Centre Shopping Mall, 113 - 20151 Fraser Highway in Langley, British Columbia. For more information, call (604) 533-4441, or visit: www.colourtechhairstudio.com.
YE OLDE SWEET SHOPPE
On June 18, David MacMillan, the new proprietor of Ye Olde Sweet Shoppe in New Westminster, held a grand-re-opening celebration.
Colleen and I dropped by to whet our whistles and enjoy some of the jolly good fare from the British Isles. With a mouth-watering array of delectable hot foods to sample, we were spoiled for choice.
David MacMillan is also the owner of Sugar Mountain Catering Company and the grand opening was an opportunity to introduce everyone to the delicious hot menu he plans to offer along with the sweets, British groceries and ice-cream traditionally available at Ye Olde Sweet Shoppe. Tables and chairs will also be added so that customers can either stop and enjoy lunch or dinner at the shop or take home.
Some of the hot items that will be available are roast beef and gravy, bubble and squeak, stuffed Yorkshire pudding with roast beef and gravy, bangers and mash with onion gravy, chicken curry with basmati rice, butter chicken with basmati rice, and vegetable curry with basmati rice.
Also available is a good selection of the popular pub pies such as steak, scotch, chicken and Melton mowbray, and butty sandwiches, and, of course, the smooth as silk and oh so decedant, Birchwood Dairy ice-cream in some incredible flavours.
I tried the butter chicken with basmati rice and it was sumptuous. Colleen tasted the Irish bacon and cheddar butty which she is still raving about.
Of course, we both had ice-cream. Mine was licorice marble (I'll be back for more). Colleen loves chocolate, so she had the chocolate raspberry truffle. We both agreed that we will be returning to Ye Olde Sweet Shoppe to try some of the other items on the menu and the ice-cream is a given!
The unique aspect about Ye Olde Sweet Shoppe is that you can get all this incredible hot food, and you can also shop for all your specialty U.K. items at the same time
Ye Olde Sweet Shoppe is located at 732 - 12th Street in New Westminster, British Columbia. For more information, call (604) 515-8839.