Your own little Britain
You’ve moved to Cyprus and you’re enjoying the lifestyle and the weather but every now and then you yearn for a dose of the Britain you left behind. Don’t despair! We scoured the island to find you the best of British under the Cyprus sun.
By Paul Malaos
Photos by Stefanos Kouratzis
Shopping
Black Cabs
What better way to give you an authentic taste of shopping on a British High Street than to start the trip by hailing a traditional Black Cab. Over recent months you may have noticed the London Black Cab roaming around the streets of Cyprus.
In October 2008 Charalambous Pilakoutas Group officially announced that the London Black Cab was being imported to Cyprus following growing demand for the popular vehicle.
The London Black cab is currently available for the public to buy and is becoming a popular car of choice with taxi drivers over the island.
Filandia Taxi in Nicosia is the first taxi service that semi exclusively uses Black Cabs, and can hire them out on request to those wishing to have a nostalgic taxi ride.
Black Cab prices start at €39,000 and are available in a range of colors through the exclusive importer Charalambos Pilakoutas Group.
You Kays Ltd
For those of you missing your favorite British products, and when no imitations will do, You Kays Ltd is a shop in Paphos that is definitely worth a visit.
Dealing exclusively in British products, it stocks a vast array of food items, toiletries and supplies that you would be hard pressed to find anywhere else on the island.
The shelves are filled with your favourite brands from back home such as Nestle and Cadburys and you can also find things like Hula Hoops, Pringles and Shortbread biscuits.
You Kays Ltd is in Paphos at 91 Costandinou Avenue, near the Evangelismos hospital.
For further information you can contact either Stan or Tracey on: 99803147.
Bazaars
If there’s one thing the British like nothing better, it’s finding a bargain at a jumble sale or bazaar and this old tradition is flourishing in Cyprus where weather conditions permit this type of outdoor market to take place practically all year round.
What could be a better way of spending your Saturday morning than attending a charity bazaar which combines fundraising, lunch, a day out and socialising all at one event? At St. Paul’s Anglican Cathedral Nicosia, the thrift shop organises a weekly bazaar every Saturday from 10 to 12 am. Items donated by church members, well-wishers and local vendors are on sale followed by tea and snacks in the garden.
Parish members donate their time and talents to ensure that the weekly bazaar is a success.
Avid readers may like to know that excellent book and magazine bargains can be found at the Thrift Bookshop, open at the same time as the bazaar which sells mostly clothing and household items.
Where: St. Paul’s Anglican Cathedral, Georgiou Afxentiou 2, Central Nicosia
When: Every Saturday 10 to 12 am
Contact: 99823785
Marks & Spencer
Ask most Brits to list their top five national retailers and very few will have failed to mention Marks and Spencer. M&S is without a doubt your best bet for finding a large array of British products under one roof. For your chicken and shepherds pies, condiments, jams, deserts and selection of tea biscuits you know you can trust this British brand name.
For a comprehensive list of Marks & Spencer shops in Cyprus visit: www2.marksandspencer.com
British fashion designers
Groundbreaking fashion lines from Britain’s foremost designers are plentiful in Cyprus. Clothing and the most recognisable accessories for your winter or summer wardrobe are available in all the town centres if you know where to look.
Vivienne Westwood, Claire Campbell, Thomas Burberry and Stella McCartney, who are all known for their innovative and thought provoking designs, constantly defy convention and push the boundaries of fashion.
Nicosia’s Mble Boutique is one of many designer clothing stores on the island that stock the latest in British fashion designs.
Here you will find clothing lines from British designers who are recognised as being the leading creative talents of the nation.
Claire Campbell High Use line of clothing, designed for a sophisticated look and everyday use, features heavily in this shop as does a comprehensive selection of Vivian Westwood clothing and accessories.
Mble Boutique, Frederikis Street, Nicosia
Contact: 22751629
British online food shopping
Ex-pats in Cyprus yearning for a taste of home have created enough demand for an online food market that specialises in British products to be set up.
In October 2008 www.BritishCornerShop.co.uk was launched in Cyprus, and caters to the food needs of anyone seeking British products.
The website has been operating since 2004 and delivers British food products worldwide to private consumers and shops.
However unusual your request is there is a good chance that BritishCornerShop will have what you are looking for.
With over 6,000 British food products available and covering most major British brand names you can order anything from English bacon to baked beans or marmite.
Food and Drink
English breakfast
The taste of English tradition - bacon, eggs and sausage is ubiquitous over the entire world and is perhaps one of the most famous British dishes.
With Cyprus being the destination of choice for thousands of British tourists each year, it’s not at all surprising that so many establishments serve a full English for holiday makers to start their day.
For a fry up that won’t disappoint, Franx Bar and Restaurant in Limassol is a reasonably priced and friendly restaurant famed for its English breakfast.
Franx bar also shows all major football events so that sports fans can keep up with the latest sports news as they enjoy their meal.
For more information see: www.franxbar.com
Fish and Chips
Cyprus offers a great selection of fish, but you will be pleased to hear that you can also get one of Britain’s most popular take-away dishes, traditional British fish and chips, deep fried or breaded with mushy peas.
The availability may be high but it was real quality and authenticity we were after. After extensive research (and additional calorie intake) we concluded that the Lambros fish and chips restaurant in Larnaca was among the fines. It is located right next to the Ceesac café, on the seafront in Dhekelia and serves fish and chips just the way you like them with a choice of cod, plaice and haddock in batter and ‘real’ thick cut chips.
Lambros restaurant, Nearchou 3, Ormithia, Dhekelia, Larnaca.
Contact: 24723206
Curry
Forget roast dinners, spotted dick and toad in the hole. Curry is without a doubt the undisputed national dish of Britain.
British taste buds have never been more excited than when tucking into an Indian curry and Cyprus isn’t short of a few curry houses either.
In every town in Cyprus there is a curry house worth visiting to cater for your curry needs.
Nicosia: Taste of India, Hatz kornesiou 3, Makethonitissa, Tel: 22490440
Larnaca: Ganga Indian, Larnaca – Dekhalia Road, Tel: 24824 949
Ayia Napa: Taste of India, Makariou 8, Tel: 23722274
Paphos: Koh-I-Noor, Klious 7, Tel:26965544
The English Cuppa
When tea from China hit the British shores in the 1600s no one anticipated the long term impact the hot beverage would have.
A nation of tea addicts was spawned which would never turn down a nice cuppa when on offer. Indeed it has been said that the former British Empire was built on cups of tea. While Cyprus is more of a coffee drinking island, there are just a handful of places that cater for the tea-drinking aficionado.
Brew tea bar in Old Nicosia offers customers the chance to experience the world of tea though their carefully selected range of classic and traditional brews.
Every Wednesday Brew hosts a tea party from 4pm to 8pm, where tea snacks such as scones, chocolate tarts, madeleines and finger sandwiches are served.
Brew Lounge & Tea Bar
Tel: 22100133
30b Hippocratus street, Laiki Gitonia, Nicosia
British Ale
The full bodied fruity tasting ale that may seem out of place on a Mediterranean island is available for those wishing to capture a little taste of home.
There is a huge variety of styles, tastes and tipples of British beers on the island if you go to the right pubs.
If you’re fed up with drinking the usual beers on tap and want a full-bodied fruity British ale or beer, then your best off visiting a pub or bar with a reputation of having an extensive drinks menu.
Plato’s in Old Nicosia is one of the oldest popular bars in the town with a great reputation for its selection of imported light and dark beers.
A good selection of British favorite beers can be drunk here including Boddingtons, Old Speckle Hen, Cafreey’s and Murphy’s.
Plato’s is situated within the heart of Old Nicosia at Platonos 8.
For more information call: 22666552
Pub food
While American style bar food is easier to find on the island there are establishments that serve traditional pub-grub.
During the winter months there’s perhaps nothing more appealing than sitting down to some wholesome pub food accompanied by a fine ale.
Finbarr’s Nicosia serves some of your favourite pub comfort dishes such Irish stew, traditional beef and stout pie, and chicken and mushroom pie.
Finbarr’s, Makariou 52B, Nicosia
Tel: 22376625