Mexican Food!

So, we are moving to Newcastle in a month and I am scared I will not be able to find any honest to God Mexican food ingredients (I am not expecting decent restaurants- I cant even find those in Illinois).
My husband is Mexican American and I grew up eating copious amounts of tamales and enchiladas in Southern California.
Will I be able to get my hands on Cholula, tortillas, masa, skirt steak, enchilada sauce,  jalapenos (fresh or canned), cilantro, black or pinto beans...?
I am seriously considering devoting one of our moving boxes to shelf stable mexican foods. (yikes! would that be a problem with customs?)
Suggestions?

You can get everything you listed in a decently sized grocery store except for masa and corn tortillas. There are a few mail order places where you can get these things, go a google search and you'll find them easily.

Will I be able to get my hands on Cholula, tortillas, masa, skirt steak, enchilada sauce,  jalapenos (fresh or canned), cilantro, black or pinto beans...?
I am seriously considering devoting one of our moving boxes to shelf stable mexican foods. (yikes! would that be a problem with customs?)
Suggestions?

Bring as much as you possibly can with you!
You might find some of it in supermarkets here, but it will not taste the same... i'm thinking here of things like enchilada sauce and taco seasoning packets (i have to make my own).  We do have Cholula, cilantro is called coriander, and black/pinto beans are easy enough to find.  Tinned jalapenos will almost always be pickled in this awful sweet-ish juice, but fresh green chillies won't be a problem (I don't know if they are technically 'jalapenos' but I use them as if they are and it always comes out fine.)

Luckily, being in Newcastle, you won't be ridiculously far away from Edinburgh, where there is a shop called Lupe Pintos where you can buy masa and corn tortillas, and who often have the Mexican staples you're after, like hot sauces, enchilada sauce, tinned, dried and fresh chillies... different varieties like Ancho, New Mexico, Anaheim, chipotle, etc.   I've got one of these where I live in Glasgow too, and I'd probably have given up on Mexican food without it... although yeah, you can always order stuff online from Lupe Pintos, Mex Grocer, etc.

I don't know if it is just the Blackburn area, but a most of what I have tried is more 'tex mex' than Mexican. Other than Old El Paso, all the brands I have tried seem to lean more toward a chili taste.

With the others saying you will have better luck in your area, I am feeling a bit optimistic for you.

Wow!  Thank you everyone (especially Tracey).   

It looks like it shouldn't be too hard to find enough to make a decent Mexican meal on occasion.  I am bummed about the rarity of corn tortillas tho - its going to be a big adjustment to no longer eat them daily.

LOL a friend of mine who studied at Bristol informed me that there is a restaurant in London that advertises to be "Mexcellent"!

If you want to eat corn tortillas daily, you'd better bring a press and a big bag of masa and make them yourself. 
I could be a wee bit rusty on the prices, but I have some Lupe Pinto corn tortillas in the freezer, and I think I paid £2 for 10 tortillas.  A small bag of masa from Cool Chile Co was also pretty expensive at something like £3.95 for 500g (or less... it was maybe only a 300g bag... can't remember now.)

Others on this forum have said in the past that after a while they got over their Mexican food cravings by falling in love with curry.  That's kind of what's happened to me... I probably only eat Mexican about once a month now, and always make my own as I've found the restaurants to be pretty poor.  Although we do have a takeaway burrito place in Glasgow now called Taco Mazama which is not too bad.  I also wonder if maybe it's been so long since I had REAL Mex or Tex-Mex that I don't actually remember what it tastes like!  (7 years since I last visited the USA!)

Mexican burrito places and restaurants are popping up all over the country now. Even my outer London town centre has two 'Mexican' style restaurants. Just don't expect what you used to get in California, although every now and then you will be pleasantly surprised.

Leeds is probably a bit far for you to go, but if you're ever in town I recommend Pinche Pinche.  I think it's authentic, it's run (and owned?) by Mexicans.

www.pinchepinche.com

Leeds is probably a bit far for you to go, but if you're ever in town I recommend Pinche Pinche.  I think it's authentic, it's run (and owned?) by Mexicans.

www.pinchepinche.com

So good - just tried there last night after reading about it! 

The best Mexican I have had since leaving North America! I like it more than the London chain, Wahaca. I think because everything in London always seems so pricey! 

http://www.wahaca.co.uk/

I had some luck finding good chilies and sauces at mexgrocer.co.uk.

For me personally I rather dislike the British take on Mexican or Tex-Mex, just doesn't seem to cut it. But, Chipotle has two locations in London now, and I must say they are just like back in the States, and not to pricey.

newcomer link: http://www.chipotle.com/en-US/find/find.aspx?loc=london [nonactive]