Celebrate Queen Elizabeth's Jubilee with a taste of Britain baked in Michiana

SOUTH BEND, Ind.,--Celebrations are underway in the United Kingdom for the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee marking 70 years on the throne, the third longest in modern history!

If you’d like to join in on the celebrations, you don’t need to buy a plane ticket, you can get a taste of England right here in Michiana at the South Bend Farmer’s Market, home of the Great British Treat Shop.

This is the perfect place to stop this weekend if you want to feel like you’re partying with the royal family in London. The Great British Treat House brings authentic British baking to the Midwest.

David White remembered celebrating the Queen’s Silver Jubilee back in 1977 in his hometown of Durham, England.

“I remember going home and the neighbors finding some old cinny photography of the event and you see yourself rubbing your nose, running around, and piling some cake down,” White said.

“So, it was good. It brought everyone out on the street. I think absolutely everybody was there.”

Unlike the Queen’s 25th anniversary, White won’t celebrate the Platinum Jubilee in the UK like he did when he was a wee lad. Instead he’s bringing the party to the South Bend Farmers Market. Where you can even say hi to the queen. Here you can take your tastebuds on a trip across the pond to enjoy a fat rascal, a jammy dodger, lemon barley water, the official drink of Wimbeldon tennis and the one that White says started it all—sticky toffee pudding.

“Everyday, now I’m baking, rather than once-in-a-blue-moon sort of thing,” said White. Inspired by a woman from the UK who sold sticky toffee pudding in the US, White realized that the baked goods market isn’t quite as saturated here as it is in England. He started selling these sweet treats at the Mishawaka Farmers Market two years ago and then secured a spot at the South Bend Farmers Market where he is successful.

“We do well here,” White said. “People all like to come. They all like to talk about Britain and their experiences. We have a laugh really. It’s just about people, wherever you are.”

David came to the US in 1998 working for a British manufacturer on Cleveland Rd.

He spent a few years in the Middle East but then brought his family back to Mishawaka and decided to switch things up as a baker in the place he calls home.

“A week ago, I became an American citizen,” he said. “It would have been effectively my third green card, but there comes a point where you realize, this is home.”

And while White is now an American, his baking is still very British and best served with a “cuppa” tea. One of my favorites, the Victoria sponge cake was also a favorite of Queen Victoria herself give it a try.

The sponge cake is very sweet, very jammy and creamy. I rated it a 10 out of 10 with a powdered sugar thumbs-up.

White started selling treats just two years ago… in the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. His business got off to steady start at the Mishawaka Farmers Market where he started selling his hand-crafted baked goods sales where he continues to sell on Sundays.

White said the pandemic also allowed him to catch up on baking as steady crowds visited the open-air market--a place where many could safe to shop.

“The last thing you want or the last thing I wanted on day one was huge lines, so it allowed us to progressively build up, and it was fantastic really,” said White.

Now, you can also catch White at the Great British Treat House at the South Bend Farmers Markets on Saturdays. From fat rascals to sticky toffee pudding, there are plenty of treats you can buy to help celebrate Queen Elizabeth’s Platinum Jubilee.