No one goes on holiday because they want everything to be like it is at home, but it can feel really nice when certain things remind you of home.
According to Archie, a young Spanish TikToker with an English background, one city in Spain is so like the UK it’s like a ‘British colony in disguise’. Alicante is a gorgeous spot on Spain’s stunning Costa Blanca – and is popular with tourissts due to its sun-drenched beaches, vilbrant culture and history.
Alicante is one of the most popular places for British expats, and according to Archie, it’s particularly obvious in the south of the city. In a recent TikTok, Archie showed his viewers around the British supermarket The Food Co, which has several locations around Spain.
In the video, he said: “The south of Alicante is a British colony in disguise. There are signs in English and there is even a British supermarket that is all in English.
“All signs are in English and below in Spanish. Regarding drinks, we can see Irn Bru, there is also Ribena or even Dr Pepper. These are my favourite crisps, Space Raiders. I can only eat them when I go to England and what a pleasure to know that I have them 20 minutes from my house.”
However, when it comes to products such as meat and vegetables, he believes it’s too hard to import – so they are Spanish. He added: “As for the meat, I imagine it’s a bit more difficult to import, and the brand they have is El Pozo. This is Spanish meat.”
In the video, Archie could be seen speaking to a member of staff, who confirmed that most of the products are from the UK – apart from certain things like vegetables. They answered: “More or less yes, apart from vegetables, which are from Spain.”
Archie explained that his father was in the shop to buy chocolates – more specifically Walnut Whip. He also recommended his followers to try Hula Hoops, which he loves.
He continued: “Now that I’m thinking about it, it would be really cool to make a video with Angela (girlfriend) trying all this stuff. Another recommendation is Heinz tomato soup. I could live on this.”
He also wanted to buy Marmite, which he didn’t know how to explain. He added: “But we English are a bit weird about food. That’s about it. To immerse yourself in British culture, you don’t need to leave the country. Just visit the south of Alicante.”
The Food Co was set up in 2019 as a way to bring the “very best of the British Branded products direct to Spain, Portugal and Gibraltar”. They stock over 7,500 products, which aims to help bring “that little taste of home” to expacts. There are currently nine stores in Spain, including in Benidorm and Ciudad Quesada in Alicante and Guadalmina, Malaga, Mijas, Calahonda, Puerto Banus and Sotogrande in Andalucia.