Specialty bakery a welcome addition to Stittsville – British Pride Bakery has arrived

(The British Pride Bakery opened its doors on November 13th with a steady stream of customers coming to sate their taste buds with the well-known sweet and savoury British food. Photos: Rochelle for Stittsville Central)

A new bakery has opened in Stittsville with a nod to the British. The British Pride Bakery opened its doors on November 13 much to the joy of those who love everything British with a side of home-baked Scottish bread. The Bakery is located in the Crossing Bridge Square at the corner of Stittsville Main and Carp Road, having taken over the space of the former Hillary’s Cleaners and Hallmark store.

Whether you are looking for a hearty pie to warm your cockles on a winter’s day or want a lighter pie for a light picnic lunch in summer, look no further than British Pride Bakery with a high number of residents dropping in to indulge in the sweet and savoury delights.

The Bakery has all of the classic British pie flavours that will keep you coming back for more such as Steak and Ale, Pork Pasty, Bridie meat pies, Cheese and Onion – well with over 30 selections of pork, lamb, chicken or beef, you will certainly find one (or two) that appeals to your tastebuds. You can find Scotch Eggs, There is a large selection of scones and sausage rolls of every flavour so it is hard to choose. A fantastic selection of puddings (called desserts in Canada) includes Eccles Cakes, Custards, Cherry Bakewells, Lemon Tarts, Sticky Toffee Pudding and Spotted Dick to name a few. You’ll find everything from savoury to sweet to meet all of your cravings!

There are shelves and shelves of popular imported foods from the U.K. from canned goods, teas, drinks, chocolate and a section dedicated to frozen foods as well. There is a corner of the shop set aside for a few gift items from the U.K. and Scotland such as umbrellas, toss cushions, Paddington Bears, King Charles souvenirs, tea mugs and already you can find stocking stuffers such as a selection of small British made jars of jams and lemon curd wrapped as that perfect stuffer.

Tony Armstrong, the proud owner of British Pride Bakery shops across Ontario, was at the entrance greeting and chatting with the steady stream of customers as they arrived and thanking each one as they left the shop.

Tony told us when asked why he chose Stittsville for his bakery, “I searched the Ottawa area looking for a perfect location and with the increasing population and distance that Stittsville has to the main roadway, it would be the ideal spot for the bakery. Not having a bakery here also helped with the decision.”

Tony opened his first British Pride Bakery in Cambridge in 2010 to rave reviews, so the decision was made to expand. And expand they did – to Burlington, Hamilton, Niagara Falls, St. Jacobs and now Stittsville. They are the only Ontario British shop to produce and import 100% of their products on the shelves and in their display counters. Tony says he will introducing products from the well-loved brands of Marks & Spencer to the store in the near future.

“When you walk into a British Pride, we have fresh products made every single day, seven days a week, so people are always picking up product that is just like their granny would make,” said owner Tony Armstrong. “Everything we make, we make from scratch. Back in the U.K., when I was a kid growing up, it was all done that way. Now when people go on vacation to the U.K., they come back and they say our stuff is better than it is in the U.K.”

The bakery ovens and other equipment are not installed in the Stittsville store yet, but Tony told us, “I drive up from Hamilton (where everything is baked for now) every second day to bring all of the freshly baked goods to Stittsville. While I’m here it is great to have the opportunity to meet the residents of the area, but I will be happy when the bake area is completed”.

Tony looks forward to serving customers for years to come and takes pride in the store’s motto “Quality that counts’. Before arriving in Canada in 2008, Armstrong had enrolled in a baking course in Scotland and upon graduation, purchased an existing bakery in Plymouth, England where he was known for his quality products and the Scottish style of baking.

If opening day is any indication of the numbers who love British foods, residents will make certain that the bakery is in Stittsville for years to come – the proof of the pudding is in the eating.