"Eagle Village drops the "Spread" adds new shops" (November 2009)

"College students won't have Spread Eagle Village to make fun of anymore for its sexually suggestive name. It's now called Eagle Village Shops and has added a new, more contemporary logo and retail that can dress patrons "from head to toe."

"...Just recently A Taste of Britain has moved in from its location in Devon...The center is also now holding more community events there...Next month the center will host a tree-lighting and repeated visits by Santa Claus."

To read the entire article, click here.

"Eagle Village will fly with the times" (September 2009)

WAYNE— Spread Eagle Village, a bastion of Main Line boutiques fronting Lancaster Avenue here, will undergo a major, multimillion-dollar face-lift that also includes — after 30 years — changing its name.

Before dedicated shoppers get a case of the vapors, be forewarned it’s a name that should be an easy transition even for those who disdain change. The new name for the sprawling 85,000-square-foot center comprised in 14 separate buildings will be: Eagle Village Shops...."A new logo and new image is part of our answer to remain competitive in this period we are experiencing. We realized we need to stay fresh and stay focused," Donna E. Torpey, general manager of the center, said.

All of Spread Eagle's 33 retailers are local or regional and not one national chain occupies space there, which isn’t expected to change. One of its anchors is Georges’, a restaurant run by Chef Georges Perrier. Two other restaurants are set to open, one of which is A Taste of Britain and the other a French style café. A new apparel store called Skirtin Around will also soon open.

Aside from a new name, there will be a new logo, paint jobs, signs, seasonal marketing campaigns, increased advertising, more community events, including fundraisers, parking lot and landscaping improvements, and a re-focus on service...In addition, an initial $2.3 million over the next 12 months and another $2.3 million will be spent over the next five years to change the overall look of the center. That means upgrading façades on buildings with new colors. Instead of a chromatic scheme, the structures will get different colors that move away from pastel to colors that have warmer and deeper tones.

To read the entire article, click here.

"Best Find: A Taste of Britain" (February 2007)

What we like: The skies threaten rain or snow on this damp, cold January morning, but already baker Karen Muir is in the kitchen, whipping up a batch of lemon scones. What better way to treat yourself than with a bracing cup of tea and a warm, flaky scone served with clotted cream and raspberry preserves?

Between 40 and 50 customers a day apparently agree. In December, the tea shop's busiest month, the dining room's 12 tables are packed, especially Saturdays.

"There's something about the ritual of afternoon tea, with white table linen, bone china and silver, that nourishes the soul," owner Tara Buzan said. "I think the process is really relaxing," says Buzan, who has operated the shop for two years, although it's been in business for five. "We try to be pretty formal about the way we serve our tea."

Tea can be sit-down or take-out, but it's always upscale. It includes a variety of loose-leaf imported teas. Those who want a strong brew ask for English, Irish, or Scottish breakfast tea, Buzan says. Included in a full tea are tiny sandwiches containing delicacies such as roast beef with watercress, or English Cheshire cheese with fruit chutney. There are scones in lemon, raisin, plain buttermilk and cherry-almond flavor.

And there are desserts, such as decorated shortbread, pastel-colored petit fours, and wedges of chocolate walnut brownie dressed with coconut. "Everything is made from scratch," Buzan says.

Buzan has expanded the menu to include soups, chicken pot pie, and traditional shepherd's pie. She also offers an English pub food called Cornish pastie, which is cheese and onions or other fillings encased in pastry.

Cost: A complete afternoon tea served at the shop costs $15.95 per person. It's available all day. For a pickup order, the cost is $13.95 per person up to three. For four or more, the price is $11.95 a head. Call ahead for reservations, 610-971-0390.

Where: 40 Berkeley Rd. , Devon.

"Tailgating with Ease" (May 2007)

We're at the starting line for a full program of May events — Winterthur, Willowdale, Radnor, Devon, plus Mother's Day, Earth Day, and Cinco de Mayo! So, if we plan to tailgate with style, as Cooky McClung advises, we'll need to be strategic to do it all will grace and ease.

A quick stop at A Taste of Britain with Easy Elegance, in Devon, just blocks off Route 30, can provide all that's needed for the most stylish tailgate spread, and without breaking a sweat or a nail. A State Store is just across Route 30 for bubbly or other spirits to keep our own spirits up and fortified. Think how much more pleasant company we'll be at all our May events with just a little help from our friends. The lovely folks at A Taste of Britain can pack up platters of assorted tea sandwiches and finger food (think Smoked Salmon with Watercress, Minted Radish with Lemon Mayonnaise, Tomato with Basil, Micro-Greens in Parmesan Cups).

For something heartier, try their Ploughman's Platter or a few Pasties (a workingman's sandwich of pastry surrounding ground beef or cheese with onions). Add a tray of Scones (buttermilk and cherry almond) with the requisite clotted cream or yummy lemon curd.

There's also a full line of desserts, including exquisite Petit Fours to display prominently for the tailgate judges. Toss in a few Cadbury bars, shortbreads, biscuits and other goodies from the shelves.

Serving tea to complete the British theme? Pick up elegant iced teas with A Taste of Britain house blend or other classics. For the non-caff crowd, try a black currant or rosehip and hibiscus. Antioxidant fanatics on the guest list? There are plenty of green teas to choose from and even trendy white teas ­ the most subtle and pure of all teas.

For a special menu, call the other side of the house — Easy Elegance, the catering arm. They'll work with you to create a menu to claim as your own ­ fruit plates, pasta salads, barbeque. In fact, the web site advises that you don't tell your guests you didn't make everything yourself! Now that's easy elegance!