Where to Begin? Ingredients of course!

Recently I have been in search of ingredients for the recipes I wish to begin posting on this site and have found it difficult to locate Mexican food Grocers in the United Kingdom, but my search has not been in vain as I have located a few online retailers so far.  Obviously, many of the ingredients are imported and cost a bit more than we pay for our local ingredients, but once your store cupboard is stocked up with the basics you are on your way to preparing tantalising Mexican dishes that will impress your friends, family and lovers.  Most importantly, of course, is the gratification you get in impressing yourself.  So let us begin with the basic or shall we say ingredients. 

The first and most popular on Google is mexgrocer.co.uk  which has a very large selection of Mexican ingredients which include spices, sauces, fresh tamales, decorations and corn or flour tortillas for those who dare not venture into making them on their own.  A similar online shop is  the Cool Chile Co. which also sells a wide variety of Mexican ingredients.  They both retail Mexican cheese made in England and therefore only ship to the Mainland.  I was delighted to find this out, because Mexican cheeses play such an important role in the authenticity and flavour of Mexican Dishes.   They also make their tortillas fresh daily.  Yes there is a god!  Keep on top of their seasonal ingredients.  At the moment you can buy fresh Tomatillos and Poblano Chilies.  They were out of Oaxaca and Chihuahua cheese and I hope it is only temporary because their cheese was more affordable than the mexgrocer.  Another option for you chili lovers out there is Scorchio.  Their website tells you the Scoville rating of a chili in case you dare go a little hotter or perhaps dare not to go too hot.  The variety of chili's from different countries is amazing and worth having a look.  Sous Chef offers a great Mexican selection as well.  Their 250G bags of chilies for £8.50 are a great deal in my opinion.  Looking forward to putting an order for some of those bad boys. Of course, this is only the beginning of my Mexican grocer list, so perhaps along the way, many new ones will emerge. Cross our fingers.  Mexican food is now the 3rd favourite foreign food in the United KIngdom.  That says a lot.  Please share if you know of any Mexican food grocers my friends!