I was over in the West Village today, and I stopped into my two favorite British shops- Myers of Keswick and Carry On Tea and Sympathy. Both are owned by British expatriates, and carry a wide variety of British goods.
Myers is a British-style grocery shop and carries pretty much anyone would need for a simple British teatime except the milk They carry Ty-Phoo, PG Tips, and Yorkshire Tea, as well as sausages made right there in the shop by the ownener who was a master butcher in Britain. They also carry pasties and pies. The curry pie is fantastic. They also have a variety of sweets, including Mr. Kipling brand bakewell tarts, Wagon Wheels, most of the McVities line and tinned sponge cakes that can be heated up. If you want an authentic Brown Betty teapot or a knitted teacozy, they have those too, as well as tea towels. This season, they also have handmade mince pies.
Carry On Tea and Sympathy lies between two other shops that all that the same owner- Tea and Sympathy (a great teashop that specializes in lunches, suppers and high tea- that is a fullbodied meal with sandwiches) and A Salt and Battery, which serves take-away fish and chips. COT&S reminds me of the kinds of shops I picture in Dickens, or the old 5 & 10 I grew up with, only a little posher. They sell Taylor's of Harrogate teas as well as lots of others, and they have a larger selection of teapots and cups than Myers. Like Myers, they are taking orders for mince pies, and they have packaged plum puddings that are suitable for vegetarians. I would suggest you stop in Myers first and then go to COT&S, because if you don't you won't have a penny or any carrying armroom left by the time you get there. Both places make me feel like they popped out of an episode of 'All Creatures Great and Small.'