Can Iceland really woo the middle classes away from Lidl? Everything you need to know about the frozen food store

“Mums go to Iceland”, says the slightly sexist ad slogan. Now the rest of us might too. Supermarket chain Iceland has blazed an eco-trail by promising to eliminate plastic packaging on all its own-label products over the next five years. 

This surprise trend-setter will become the world's first retailer to do so and the move is already doing it a power of good image-wise. Eighty per cent of UK shoppers support the decision to go plastic-free and a whopping 91 per cent say they’d be more likely to encourage their friends and family to shop there as a result. 

Yes, food snobs are about to eat their frozen words. Environmentally pioneering Iceland looks set to become the next "it" supermarket of choice, replacing Lidl and Aldi in the hearts of the bargain-hunting middle classes. I’ve secretly been a devotee for several years, since it’s great for dirt-cheap basics and child-friendly guilty pleasures. 

So what else do you need to know about Iceland (the shop, not the Nordic nation)? Here’s your full, freshly defrosted 10-point lowdown…

1. It was started by moonlighting Woolies staff

Iceland opened for business in 1970, when bored Woolworths employee Malcolm Walker and a colleague rented a shop for one month in Oswestry, Shropshire to sell loose frozen veg in polythene bags. Walker chose the name because he was a family friend of recently deposed Icelandic Prime Minister Hermann Jónasson. 

When Woolies discovered the pair had a side project, it sacked them. By then, though, Iceland was doing very nicely, as home freezers became part of the kitchen furniture. 

More branches were opened. It bought up rival chains, notably Bejam. Coming full circle, it even bought 51 stores from Woolworths when it went bust. Iceland now has 900 branches across Britain and more abroad.

2. Mums (and dads) really do go to Iceland

It’s only when I became a parent of two perma-hungry children that I truly discovered the sheer pleasures of Iceland. Yes, healthy eating blah blah childhood obesity epidemic etc etc. But sometimes, when you’re short of time/willpower/quinoa, you just want to shove something easy in the oven that the children are guaranteed to greedily wolf down.

Iceland’s prices are unbeatable for kid-friendly fare such as sausages, fish fingers, chicken nuggets, pizzas, oven chips and ice cream. It’s also invaluable when you’re bulk-buying for a birthday bash or party bags, offering sacks of fun-size chocolate and tubs of Haribo at do-a-double-take prices. Don’t judge me.

3. It can be good for grown-up food too

As well as its famed £1 ready-meals, Iceland has increased its offering at the other end of the scale. Following Aldi and Lidl’s lead, it has spent the last two years investing in better quality products and luxury foods to broaden its appeal.

You can now pick up such upmarket fare as zuppa di pesce, chateaubriand steaks, asparagus spears, frozen scallops, whole Dover Sole, Black Tiger prawns, wild-caught Argentinian shrimp, lobster thermidor and wagyu burgers. There are frozen berries for juicing, plus ranges from Slimming World and Pizza Express.

The spaghetti vongole is very respectable, although I tend to “pimp” it with extra garlic, chilli and parsley. Its smokehouse pork ribs were also a hit at my house. 

Its cheeses, meat, fish, puddings, and Chinese and Indian takeaway ranges have all won awards. It’s no M&S, admittedly, but it’s half the price.

4. It’s taken a whole country to court

Bizarrely, Iceland Foods was granted a Europe-wide trademark for the word “Iceland". I know, right? This has enabled the company to take legal action against Icelandic companies which dare to use the word "Iceland" in their trading names. 

Although the Icelandic government has tried to find a solution to this niggling issue, negotiations have been so far unsuccessful. 

5. It’s sold some horribly named food

Beef Garland, anyone? Loaded Prawn Ring? During the Noughties, Iceland became infamous for giving its party food random, faintly rude-sounding names. The supermarket served up a surreal buffet of Duck Boats, Bubble Bobble Prawns, Dome Gateaus, Savoury Cones and Pastry Cushions.

This was memorably parodied by Vic Reeves and Bob Mortimer in their spoof Shooting Stars ad for “Coldland”, where delights include Spoon Meat, Potato Pistols, Chicken Lengths, Carbonated Dipping Jam, Part-Baked Sticky Discs and Skewered Fish Coils.

Conspiracy theorists have suggested Iceland does it on purpose, to get talked-about and gain traction on social media. Nice idea but we doubt it. Pass the meaty necklace. 

6. It’s run by a real-life Alan Partridge

Colourful character Sir Malcolm Walker, 71 and knighted last year, remains in charge, despite a tendency for his straight-taking northern bluster to cause controversy. He has no time for “snobs” and “lefties”, refers to his own products as “Chinese tat” and food intolerances as “all in their imaginations”.

During the 2013 horse meat scandal, Panorama asked why him products had passed British tests but failed the Irish ones. Walker replied: "Well, that's the Irish, isn't it?"

He was ousted by his own board for a couple of years in the Noughties after being accused of improper share dealing, a period which Iceland’s company website cheerfully refers to as “the Dark Ages”. 

Walker’s autobiography is titled Best Served Cold, by the way. And his chauffeured Bentley has “ICE” as its number plate.

7. It got its own TV docusoap

Five years ago, its stores were the setting for a surprisingly watchable three-parter on BBC Two called Iceland Foods: Life In The Freezer Cabinet.

Malcolm Walker proved to be a David Brent-esque TV natural and the series climaxed with a couple serving an Iceland buffet at their wedding. Aww. 

8. Its online shopping experience eclipses bigger rivals

An Iceland van pulling up outside your house might not have the curtain-twitching cachet of an Ocado vehicle but it’s gradually getting there. Recent years have seen a huge surge in Iceland’s home-delivery service and this is now one of the firm’s main focuses.

When a shopper spends £20 or more in-store, they have the option of free same-day or next-day delivery from available time slots. Alternatively, customers can shop online and get free home delivery by spending £35.

Iceland has duly been named the UK’s best online supermarket by Which? for two years running, ahead of far larger chains such as Sainsbury’s, Tesco and Asda. That’s partly down to value for money but the 7000 shoppers polled also praised its fresh products, spot-on substitutions and helpful drivers. So chew on that, nosy neighbours. 

9. It was notorious for naff ads 

Iceland’s iffy image hasn’t been helped over the decades by its distinctly dodgy advertising campaigns. Un-PC slogans included “Mums love it!” and "That's why mums go to Iceland!” There was also "Food you can trust”, "Feel the deal” and current catchphrase “The power of frozen”. 

It was the main sponsor of ITV’s insect-scoffing jungle reality show I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here! for nine series, which led to years of celeb-fronted ads. These initially starred walking soap opera Kerry Katona until she was dropped after tabloid pics of her allegedly taking cocaine. Awkward.

Coleen Nolan, Stacey Solomon and Jason Donovan picked up the C-list frozen baton. The brand’s current classy face is, ahem, Peter Andre.

10. It’s doing an ingenious Pancake Day deal 

Shrove Tuesday falls on 13 February this year and Iceland is already running a canny promotion. The supermarket is selling a pancake pan for £5 - and it comes bundled with free pancake mix, Frylight cooking spray, lemon juice and maple syrup. 

That’s £4.50 worth of groceries plus a shiny new pan for a fiver. Flipping perfect for when Pancake Day suddenly crêpes up on you #sorrynotsorry.