SueG

Went and had a look around at about 5.00 p.m. No where near as busy as I thought it would be - mind you mostly English doing their whole weekly shop! Yes - I was good spent less than €20 and nothing frozen!

Kayak

So is it worth the trip? I've been to a few British supermarkets on the costa and most of them are full of the worst of british food or 50% pork sausages you know the sort jamie olivier stopped school kids from eating!

What sort of waitrose products do they sell?

Does anyone know where to buy boddingtons on the costa blanca?!

Thanx and looking forward to going to Iceland pity tesco don't come here!

jimenato

There's been an Iceland in Estepona for ten years - I have never been to it. But then, Estepona is a lot more Spanish and has a lot more going for it than most places on the costas.

Fred James

The Iceland stores that have been discussed are actually a company called Overseas SL which has the right to sell Iceland products.

They do not have a store in Estepona so it must be some other enterprise with the right to sell Iceland products.

There used to be one in Nerja some years ago but it closed down.

http://overseas.es/

jimenato

It was called "ICELAND". Google streetview shows it's not there any more. Obviously Estepona didn't have enough expats to support such an enterprise...

Kayak

Thanks.

Does any one have the address of the new iceland store in benidorm? Strange its not on their website yet.

jackytoo

who owns all those thousands of newly built apartments in Estepona if not ex-pats, or are they all empty? Is it true the Ayuntamiento is broke?

jimenato

Mostly Spanish - those few which aren't empty. Estepona is very Spanish. Yes there are, of course, a good number of expats but it remains essentially a Spanish resort.

I suspect most Ayuntamientos are technically broke.

SueG

Can't remember address but head for La Marina it's by Carrefour

mikelincs

Iceland sell Waitrose goods along with the frozen stuff, have a much better stock of non Iceland goods than they do in the UK, remember Iceland is not the company, it is Overseas trading which have been allowed to use the Iceland brand name in Spain.

Kayak

urgh!

As a Brit living on the costa blanca, I got dragged along to the Iceland benidorm store for my second time. Yes I wasn't happy- I hate the idea of iceland- I mean Frozen joints of meat into the oven and your sunday roast is ready in 2 hours- yuck!

However we stopped briefly in June and picked up some BBQ stuff and a few bit's and bobs. Saturday my Spanish wife suggested she'd like to go back and buy a few things she misses from England- I mean what can you possibly miss?!!

Off we went......

We went in the store and the first thing she picks up is broccoli, I was fuming, we pick up all our veggies at the local market every week, why would I want some thing that's trucked down from the UK? On closer inspection I was expecting to see Spanish broccoli trucked to the UK packed and re trucked back down to Spain, no this was from Cornwall. I was fuming. Why would we want to buy this? I always moaned in the UK about buying Spanish produce when we could buy something locally grown.

Around the shop........

Full of crap I thought, every thing I hated about the UK, yes the freezer to Sunday lunch dinners (ewwwww) sausages that contain 40% pork and cochineal (google it).

So off we went home, with loads of crap my wife missed from the UK.

The worst thing about the trip? When we ate the broccoli, it was the best i've ever tasted. Nice and firm before we steamed it it felt very fresh (the market broccoli is often spongy and old).

...........I can't believe i'm in Spain eating British produce......

jojojojojo

Just goes to show that inverted snobbery about all things British isnt necessarily right anymore!!! In our local Iceland, there are a fair few Spanish who seem to like the prepacked food and ready meals, and I think, like it or like it not, the way of "fast food" livng in Spain is coming. Busy working Spanish mums are seeing the benefits of not having to slave over a hot stove after a long day at work or spend money going out to eat. Spanish supermarkets do a few ready meals, but they havent got it right.

Its a shame, but Spain is in europe and the Spanish want European "luxuries"!!

I personally dont buy the prepacked or ready meals, but I do get a few bits that the kids and I like that you cant get in Spain yet!! - Mainly Lenor fabric conditioner and real "Diet Coke" which doesnt taste the same as "Coke Light".... oh and pop tarts!

Jo xxx

paintermujer

I feel the same way.

Some of it is awful esp the cheap ready meals.

But we get excited to go there because we can pick up bits that we cannot get here.
Ummmm the sweets isle.Sweet heaven with so much choice.

Clotted cream. Extra thick sliced bread.Ready to toast pancakes.Etc Etc Etc

We travel approx 1.5 hrs for this pleasure but only once every 3 months ish.

Oh and the blue tac.

paintermujer

But it appears that many independant english food stockists are suffering because all the mums are going to Iceland.

HBG

As my other half is in England at the moment, I’ve stocked up with healthy food to get my fitness back. I noticed that she had been to Iceland a few times recently, but hardly ever bother to look in the freezer.

For lunch today, I started preparing a healthy tuna salad, but something drove me to open the freezer. Right on top was a giant packet of frozen Chinese spare ribs. How can you resist something like that? The frozen chips were a bit further down, right next to a vegetable curry.

I’ll have the salad tonight – maybe.