Get your haggis at the Continental Shop
Sunday, January 29, 2006 15:51
January 25 was the birthday of Scotland’s national poet, Robert Burns, which means that Scots everywhere are obliged to throw roaring parties where they read the “Address to a Haggis” and consume vast quantities of sheep parts and whisky. Such a celebration requires a trip to the Continental Shop.
First on the list is a can of haggis. You can spend more for a larger frozen one, but we think it doesn’t taste as good. Do not, under any circumstances, purchase the vegetarian haggis, which, despite being made of raw material which in its original state is probably less disgusting than haggis constituents, tastes absolutely horrible. Just feed the vegetarians a mince pie and leave them with the air of mystery.
You can find all your British standards–Sharwood’s chutney, Jacob’s Cream Crackers, Marmite, McVities digestive biscuits…you name it. Worth trying are Walker’s Crisps — we love the Thai Chili and Oriental Chicken, but aren’t too crazy about the Smoky Bacon or Beef and Onion (tastes like Week-Old Meatloaf to us!). Keep an eye out for the infrequently-stocked Ham-and-Mustard and Prawn Cocktail, which are fantastic.
The dessert aisle is full of goodies like Cadbury’s, Aero bars and Yorkies, but there’s no Scottish treat quite like the deep-fried Mars bar. You can get full-sized British Mars Bars at the Continental Shop, but we went with bite-sized Milky Way bars (the American equivalent) prepared according to this recipe. Tasty as hell.
The Continental Shop also rents out all kinds of British movies and TV series, so pre-hobbit, pre-heroin Dominic Monaghan fans can get their Hetty Wainthropp fix. You can also stock up on British gifts like this one.
The Continental Shop
1619 Wilshire Blvd
Santa Monica, CA 90403
(310) 453-8655
By Maribeth (see more of her posts).
Kristy says:
January 29th, 2006 at 9:48 pm
Hmm…Haggis? Thanks for this post, but I think I’ll pass on the Haggis. Didn’t care for it when I went to Edinburgh. Deep fried Mars Bars? Wow…you really can fry anything! ;)
Jonah says:
February 23rd, 2006 at 12:58 pm
Do you know how this place compares to the British Shop on 2nd Street in Santat Monica (the one with the tea room attached). I like to go in there and browse the Cadbury candies and packaged food.
maribeth says:
February 23rd, 2006 at 1:23 pm
Are you talking about the King’s Head Shoppe on 2nd and Santa Monica? If so, the Continental Shop is bigger than the King’s Head Shoppe and has a larger and wider selection of foodstuffs, which includes a freezer case.
That said, the King’s Head restaurant is an excellent place for fish and chips!
Jonah says:
February 23rd, 2006 at 2:02 pm
I do know the King’s Head, but there is a shop on the other side of 2nd, I’m drawing a blank as to what it’s called. There is a tea room next to it and I know they have a frozen section too. I’ll track down what it’s called.
Jonah says:
February 23rd, 2006 at 2:04 pm
Here it is:
The Tudor House
robert says:
December 17th, 2006 at 11:42 pm
The Continental Shop is the BEST I have seen for years.Tudor House And Kings Head are way too OVER PRICED. The guys in the Continental Shop are very friendly and helpful. Yes no overpriced tea room,But over 300 teas,Ect. TRY them before you write about them.
I rate them 4 out of 5 stars.
Phil says:
December 18th, 2006 at 12:46 pm
I’ve been shopping at The Continental Shop for years, even back when they were in the Ambassador Hotel almost 20 years ago. They are the oldest of the British shops in the Los Angeles area and certainly have the largest selection of foods in town. Also a great place for all the British films and TV shows that are released here.
Angie says:
March 29th, 2007 at 7:17 am
I’ve heard ALOT of good things about the Continental Shop too. My one friend visits there at least once a month for various things.
David Rubenhold says:
May 12th, 2007 at 11:51 am
Great place for a bit of old UK. Bob Brown, the store manager and part of the furniture there, added much to the ambience. I wish him speedy recovery.