‘There are a lot of beans’: Americans film a trip to a Tesco supermarket on their first visit to the UK

‘Bitter shandy? What does that mean?’

American couple Cara Atwell and Jeremy Davis film their first visit to a Tesco supermarket on their very first visit to the UK. And in the fascinating images we see how some items cause confusion.

The camera rolls as the couple cart their shopping cart around a Tesco store in Honiton, Devon, as Cara wonders aloud as they pass piles of bitter shandy, what exactly they are and if they contain alcohol [the canned varieties are normally around 0.5% alcohol].

Cara is also somewhat baffled in the freezer section by the “frozen lollipops” sign, before realizing it indicates the whereabouts of what are more commonly known as “suckers” or “popsicles” in the US.

The most confusing thing, Cara admitted separately to MailOnline Travel, was seeing eggs on a shelf instead of in the refrigerated section.

Cara and Jeremy visit a Tesco in Honiton in Devon (above)

In America, eggs are pre-washed, which means that their natural protective layer is lost. So in supermarkets they are kept refrigerated for safety.

Cara said, “After our whole life seeing them in the fridge and then coming to the UK and seeing them in an aisle in the middle of the store was a big shock.”

Brands and dishes new to the couple include Lucozade, cheese twists and Pot Noodles, with the Pot Noodle Bombay Bad Boy being particularly enticing. “Eighty pence, you can’t go wrong,” says Cara.

The couple also jumps at the chance to buy a Fray Bentos cheese and onion pie. “Meat pies are much less common in the US,” Cara revealed, “and seeing Fray Bentos and being able to try one was quite exciting for us.”

The most confusing thing, Cara admitted to MailOnline Travel, was seeing eggs on a shelf instead of in the refrigerated section.

Cara and Jeremy describe the store’s offerings as ‘overwhelming’

THE VERDICT ON FRAY BENTOS AND POT NOODLE

In a follow-up video to the Honiton Tesco clip, Cara and Jeremy give their verdict on two of their purchases: a Fray Bentos pie and a Pot Noodle Bombay Bad Boy.

FRAY BENTOS – CHEESE AND ONION

Cara and Jeremy state that Fray Bentos’ cheese and onion pie is “really good.” “And at £2 it’s a good deal,” they add

The couple first wonders if they should eat the pie straight from the tin or try to take it out.

They go for the out-of-the-tin option and declare, “These are big. When it came out of the can it didn’t look very appetizing but it smells and looks good now. And it’s really tasty. It’s really good for something opened and cooked in the oven. And at £2 it’s a pretty good deal. ‘

Cara tries a Pot Noodle Bombay Bad Boy

POT NOODLES – BOMBAY BAD BOY

The couple says, “We don’t have Pot Noodle in the US. Looks good. We chose this by name alone. It looks more impressive than the American one. The noodles are thicker and have a curry flavour. It’s got some kick. It’s pretty good. It’s a bit fancier than the American one.’

They also like Tesco’s own-brand ‘fancy’ ice cream – ‘it looks great’ – and flavors from well-known brands they had never seen in the US, such as twisted Strawberry Diet Coke.

They also marvel at the amount of beans on sale and the sheer variety of Cadbury products. “If there’s a product that can have chocolate in it, Cadbury has done it,” says Cara, adding: “We had tried several Cadbury items before coming to the UK, but when we saw the sheer quantity of them in the supermarket we saw that there were all kinds of other Cadbury products, such as cornflake cluster bites and brownie bites, which surprised us. We had no idea Cadbury made so many things!’

In general, the offer in the store is “overwhelming,” they say on the video.

At the end of the clip, we see their selection in the cart, which they admit are “not healthy most of the time.” They include Walkers chips, the Fray Bentos pie, the Pot Noodle Bombay Bad Boy, biscuits and the Cadbury cornflake cluster bites.

What were the biggest surprises of the visit?

Cara said, “One thing that really surprised us was the selection of prepared products and ready meals. Something as simple as a ready made sandwich I probably wouldn’t buy in the US as it wouldn’t be very good quality but at Tesco there were so many options for ready made sandwich and the ones we tried were really good .’

Cara is very pleased with the look of Tesco’s own brand of ice cream – ‘it looks fantastic’

Cara has never heard of a ‘bitter shandy’ and wonders if it contains alcohol

“It’s weird to be somewhere like a supermarket that seems so familiar and yet so many products and aisles are unrecognizable,” said Cara. Above you will find the final selection

Was the experience better or worse than they expected?

Cara told MailOnline Travel, “When we first came in, the store was at the end of a quiet hour, which I don’t think we have in the US. I like the idea of ​​a quiet hour, but it immediately made us realize how different this experience would be from a grocery store in the US

“We didn’t feel out of place, but it’s strange to be somewhere like a supermarket that seems so familiar and yet so many products and aisles are unrecognizable.

‘I’m not sure what we expected, but we had a nice experience. Many of the items were cheaper than what they would cost in the US and it gave us lots of ideas about foods we wanted to try in the future.

“I think Tesco could give other Americans a good idea of ​​the range of products available in UK supermarkets.”

Cara and Jeremy post on social media as The Magic Geekdom. They can be found at www.instagram.com/themagicgeekdom; twitter.com/magicgeekdom; www.tiktok.com/@themagicgeekdom; And www.facebook.com/themagicgeekdom.