Iceland Mexicana Pulled Chicken Pibil Empanada

Meal variants include Pulled Chicken Pibil Empanada

Iceland has ventured further into street food with the launch of a 12-strong Mexican range.

The Mexicana Street Co ready meals, which range from Pulled Chicken Mole to Chipotle Chilli Cauliflower Cheese, aim to cater for “the UK’s obsession with street food”.

The new lineup comes eight months after Iceland unveiled its first street food inspired range, Mumbai Street Co, with small plates such as Gunpowder Chicken and Tandoori Shashlik.

The Mexicana range similarly includes small, tapas-style plates designed for sharing, all priced at £1.50.

Featuring ingredients such as guajillo, chipotle chillies, tomatillos and Mexican oregano, the dishes claim to offer “the authentic taste of Central America with a modern twist”.

The Chicken Tinga, a dish served on a tostada and accompanied by a layer of refried beans, won the title of Best Ready Meal in The Grocer Supermeat & Fish Awards 2018.

Iceland head chef Neil Nugent said the retailer wanted to expand on its street food range after the “successful” launch of its Mumbai lineup in January. It chose Mexican as the second cuisine after seeing the success of restaurants such as Wahaca, El Pastor and Breddos.

“Britain’s growing obsession with all things Mexican has been made obvious with more street food vendors and the restaurants that capture the essence of this great cuisine,” said Nugent.