The British Pedlar: Catering to Your Inner Englishman
By Bruce Collier July 28, 2005 Issue

North Beal Parkway in Fort Walton Beach may seem an unlikely place for an outpost of the British Empire. On the other hand, England didn’t get all that empire without being willing to locate in out-of-way spots. Heather and Chuck Pohlmann, owners of The British Pedlar, have carved out a little corner, among the car dealerships and Asian markets, that is, forever, England.

And that’s only the beginning. The British Pedlar had previously lived in Mary Esther, but Hurricane Ivan led to a lost lease and the need to move. The Pohlmanns transferred operations to Beal Parkway in November of 2004, and are looking to open in Navarre as soon as practicable. The Mary Esther location also featured a tearoom and tea service, called “Tea By The Sea.” Plans are underway to resume that practice, much missed by Pedlar regulars.

As you might expect, The British Pedlar has a loyal client base of expatriate Britons, augmented by military personnel who had served in the U.K., and returned here with a taste for its homey, sometimes eccentric foods and treats. The shop also serves customers nationwide, taking orders on its website and producing a newsletter.

The store is small, brightly lit, clean and tidy. There’s no eating or drinking on the premises, but one immediately notices a large display of boxed and canned teas. The principal featured brand is Taylor’s of Harrogate, which offers black, green, and fruit flavored teas to fit a variety of tastes. “When we served tea at the other shop, we always used this brand,” says Heather.

Hardcore fanciers of British goods will recognize the following names: Bisto, Oxo, Bird’s, Cadbury’s, McVitie’s, HP, and Dettol. They are, in order, brand names for canned gravy, beef stock, powdered custard, chocolate bars, cookies (“biscuits” in England), pub sauces, and dishwashing soap.

Some other names you’ll see, like Mars and Heinz, are familiar to Americans too, but the aforementioned list offers a nostalgic hint of the old country to many a sun baked Englishperson here on the Emerald Coast.

Heather and her employees, Julie Vachon and Alicia Robinson, are British-born, Heather in Hertfordshire, Julie and Alicia in Suffolk. Chuck is a Yank, but has clearly taken to the British way of eating. “We have a freezer full of sausage rolls, British bacon, Yorkshire pudding, and scones,” he says. “We bake scones to order.”

In case you’re wondering, a scone is similar to a biscuit, but richer and slightly sweet. They are served at tea, traditionally with double Devon Cream (clotted cream), lemon curd or preserves.

In addition to Anglos and Anglophiles, the Pedlar peddles to customers from her former Empire, such as India and the Caribbean. “We carry a line of Indian spices, chutneys, sauces, pickles, and breads,” says Heather.

If curry is not exotic enough, or too hot for your taste, you can move over and buy a jar of cockles, or a can of hard or soft codfish roe. There’s treacle (think molasses), marmalade, ginger preserves, and all manner of candy bars from Cadbury’s.

If a shop sells tea, then it probably sells teapots. The British Pedlar carries a selection of colorful, painted pots from James Sadler of London. In the store now are Christmas-themed pots, and one memorializing the Titanic. “Sadler makes a special tea pot at Christmas, a one-time design that we carry,” says Chuck. Christmas, a much-beloved holiday in the U.K., is a busy season for the shop. “We’ve just placed our Christmas order,” says Heather. Plum pudding, coming up.

If you aren’t hungry or thirsty, you can still find something to buy. The British Pedlar carries a line of stuffed toys, miniatures, banners, and memorabilia, most sporting the Union Jack in some form or another.

Chuck excuses himself. “I ran out of gas, with four miles to go,” he says. He has to trudge to a nearby mega-store to line up for fuel. Both he and Heather lament the recent gas shortages, but Heather is also concerned about another kind of shortage. “There are no Indian restaurants around here. There are a lot of them in England.”

Even so, she and her employees are quite happy here in the Sunshine State. Asked what she thinks of the weather, Julie Vachon considers. “Bit humid,” she says.

For some reason, it made me think of a joke. Two Englishmen meet. First Englishman: “Sorry to hear you buried your wife.” Second Englishman: “Had to. Dead, you know.”

The British Pedlar is located at 652 N. Beal Parkway, in Fort Walton Beach. The telephone number is 863-3969, and you can call them toll free at 1-866-326-3969. The website address is www.britishpedlar.com.

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