Until recently, I’d never been to an Iceland. I’d wandered into a Farm Foods store once and been horrified, and assumed Iceland was similarly unfit for human consumption. A friend of mine was a great fan of Iceland, but I used to sniff with derision and remain in the car while she nipped in, saying it just wasn’t my type of place.
But I was wrong! Three months ago I moved house and there is now an Iceland 2 minutes walk from my home. I visited it tentatively at first, just for the odd top up of milk and bread, but soon found I was coming out with a trolley full of quality goods and change in my pocket.
I’ve since been to several Icelands on a regular basis and I’m totally hooked. Why on earth doesn’t everyone shop there?
My local store is what I’d class as medium sized, and my opinion will be based on what it has to offer.
Firstly, car parking facilities. My Iceland has a large free car park with plenty of disabled spaces right next to the entrance.
The store layout is also disabled-friendly, as someone in a wheelchair could easily move between the aisles and reach into the freezers. This also means that two people with trolleys can pass each other without any trouble, which is always a big plus in my book. I enjoy shopping and do not like to be made to get flustered by narrow aisles.
About 60% of goods in my local Iceland are frozen. The rest are fresh, tinned, packet etc. There is also a reasonable selection of alcohol.
Anything you can think of that might be frozen (food wise, that is), is available. Fish, meat, pizzas, ready meals, vegetables, meats, desserts, breads and other sundries are well displayed in well-stocked freezers the length of the store. Tinned and packet goods are on shelves above, and fresh and chilled produce has its own sections.
Iceland stock lots of the big brand names and also do their own label alternatives to just about everything. I’ve tried many Iceland own brands and find they range in quality from superb to mediocre, which is on a par with any other supermarket. Iceland have also just introduced a wide range of low-fat or calorie counted foods too, most of which are versions of their other product but with less fat/sugar.
In the fresh produce, there is a selection of fruit and veg which, though limited, is always very fresh. And in the chilled cabinet you can get nice sandwich meats and salad accompaniments. There is also a good selection of fresh bread, often with special BOGOF offers.
Where Iceland really do it for me, though, is with their fresh meat. And I mean fresh. Succulent steaks, mince, chickens and other meats are brought in daily and the quality is superb. And the prices are incredible. For instance, you can get 4 premium quality juicy, skinned, boned chicken breasts for £2.99. In Tesco, the same item is £5.99. their lean mince is about half the price of Tescos, and equally as good.
Another thing to watch out for is their weekly specials. At the moment, for instance, if you buy a frozen ready sliced joint of beef in gravy for six quid, you get free a 12 pack of Yorkshire puds, a kilo of frozen roast potatoes, a large bag of frozen carrots and a tub of Mars ice cream, saving you the same amount again. Liking fresh meat and veg, I haven’t taken up this offer, but a few weeks ago I bought 4 chicken kievs for £4 and got £6 worth of stuff free, all of which was delicious and the kind of stuff I’d normally buy anyway.
Checkouts are my only real gripe. There are only 2 in my local very busy store, so you often have to wait for ages. However, when you do get your turn, the checkout operators are friendly and helpful, and you help yourself to as many free carrier bags as you need.
Anything else to mention? Yes, the store also sells fridges and freezers, and again often has great offers on these. And the store also does some kind of card, about which I’m afraid I know nothing as I have quite enough cards already. There is an online service too, which again I haven’t tried as that would be lazy.
Oh yes, and very importantly, Iceland guarantee that all of their own label goods (including fresh meat and fruit and veg) are guaranteed GM free. So you won’t be having half-man-half-iguana children just because you’ve eaten the odd one of their thin ‘n’ crispys.
In conclusion, if you’re looking for quality food at genuinely good prices, Iceland is a must. You probably won’t get your whole shop there, but you’ll save enough money to treat yourself to a CD/book/DVD when you go to Tescos/Sanisburys/Asda to get your remaining few items.
From now on I will endeavour to follow the old adage ‘Don’t knock it till you’ve tried it’, and keep my big gob shut until I know what I’m on about.
More details
City / Branch address
Stoke-on-Trent
Frequency of visit
Weekly
Availability
Goods are always in stock
In store customer service
Good
After-sales service
Satisfactory
Staff knowledge
Good
Freshness of goods
Excellent
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