ALDI & LIDL Food and Drink Worth Trying?
Discussion
oldbanger said:
mph1977 said:
current best buy status for bread is Farmfoods
3 full sized loaves of Hovis white / brown / half and half in medium or thick sliced for 2 quid and iirc they don't mind mix and match as long as it's three loaves.
a year ago the Hovis loaves were 2 for £1 in Farmfoods :/3 full sized loaves of Hovis white / brown / half and half in medium or thick sliced for 2 quid and iirc they don't mind mix and match as long as it's three loaves.
Toaster Pilot said:
Being a poor student I'm an Aldi regular
Me too.Back when I was about 15 I had my first experience of Lidl and thought it was f
king hilarious frankly. All the shonky knock-offs and occasional foreign words on stuff (eg 'Salt + jod' as one item proudly proclaimed) were brilliant back then. Just realised I still have some pictures from an old phone from the Lidl in Barking! (these were funny at the time, promise):
The presentation is more 'honest' if you like: there's no gloss - leg pillows are leg pillows and fat balls are fat balls. I'm not sure what Experimenting is though...
First time I went to Aldi here was a bit of a culture shock what with the till jockey practically shoving you away so he can get the next customer in. After you've done it once it's fine and packing away from the till makes complete sense. I usually take one of those massive Ikea bags and chuck it all in that, saves faffing around with buying/bringing/sorting into hundreds of smaller bags.
Most of their stuff is pretty good. I don't think the beans are all that great, the cereal tastes incredibly grey (admittedly I'm not a big cereal fan), fruit doesn't seem to last very long but all in all high-quality stuff for noddaloddadollar. Meat is cheap (eg sausages - from memory you get 50% extra sausages and much better quality than for the same cost in Sainsbury's basics), cured meat is bloody brilliant and also cheap. Don't eat a lot of cheese really but it seemed alright. £1 pizzas are good for the money, as are the ready meals.
As a student the booze is obviously very important. I drink their lager (4x500ml cans of Galahad are currently £2.24 (used to be £2.49) - about half the price of name brand stuff and not really any worse) and occasionally wine (seems to be the only place doing bottles around £3 any more). Friends drink Ballycastle (Baileys copy - as mentioned, ruddy cheap and not bad), Oscars (Archers equivalent I believe, also cheap) and Cocobay (Malibu? you guessed it... cheap!) They stock a decent range of 'nicer' stuff too if you don't just want the cheap dregs like me
The clientele are fine. Most people appear to have the same aim - get in, get what you need, get out! Many seem to know the staff and I've never seen any problems.
Wandering around the 'man aisle' area is a bit dangerous. I have no specific need for a welder, but when it's £35 I can hardly resist...
The only thing I find a bit lacking is planty things. Stuff like ginger, chillies, coriander, basil - I usually just go to the Sainsbury's round the corner for those so no real hassle.
All in all, I'm definitely a fan and seem to have got some mates to come round too. Certainly serves my needs well enough and judging by the other comments in this thread does well for PHers in completely different circumstances too.
Apologies for the rambling post, I've been awake for, erm, ever...
Edited by twazzock on Friday 10th February 08:12
remedy said:
Mobile Chicane said:
Bill Carr said:
Lidl's greek yoghurt (1ltr tub) is amazing - really thick and creamy and totally unlike any "greek" yoghurt sold by the bigger supermarkets. Also, the avocado's are terrific - 59p for a large Hass which is usually ripe or nearly ripe. e.g. Asda charge £1.09 for the same thing.
Lidl's crisps (Crusty Croc!) are rubbish, but their pretzels and toffee popcorn are good. Their tea and coffee (both instant and ground) is also very good.
Agree with all of that. Lidl's crisps (Crusty Croc!) are rubbish, but their pretzels and toffee popcorn are good. Their tea and coffee (both instant and ground) is also very good.
I always compare my Lidl shop with Asda online (the prices are the same online as instore). Invariably Lidl is cheaper.
People think Asda offers value for money because they're masters at the big-lurid-sticker 'price per pack' game. Anything to divert attention away from the 'per Kg' price they must state by law.
I was once behind an old couple at the tills who had clearly raided the piggy bank to buy a pack of steak for £6. This was £15.99 per Kg, when they could have had it for £11.99 per Kg at Waitrose.
I hate to see old folk ripped off - the 'per Kg' price was in such faint print they probably couldn't read it.
)The only thing I can't get on with at Lidl is the bread but then I am comparing it with Morrisons fresh, not the pre-bagged stuff like Hovis. So for breakfast I tend to buy the pancakes instead.
MC, or anyone, have you tried the Lidl salmon yet?
The sliced bread is much better than the supermarket/branded equivalents IMHO. Lidl do very nice wholemeal and seeded varieties which are both thick and "bready" - quite often I find supermarket sliced bread quite paste-y IYSWIM. Also I consider their "bake in the oven" baguettes good value - from memory it's 32p for a pack of two. Their baked goods are pretty good as well tbh - waffles, scotch pancakes, wraps etc are all as good as the other supermarkets but cheaper.
It's good to hear positive feedback on their nappies - I'd spotted a "no.1 as voted by Mumsnet" sticker on them but wasn't sure that was as ringing an endorsement as I'd like...
Couple of other products worth trying.
Just used their dishwasher tablets for the first time. Wifey doesn't like using non branded stuff, but even she has agreed that the results look no different, and a hell of a lot cheaper.
Also have just 'baked' the chocolate bread thingy.Just pop an egg and a bit of milk in, quick stir, and after an hour , piping hot choco bread. Superb!
For some reason, I get a feeling of having beaten the system every time I leave Aldi. Gone are the days of Sainsburys for us. Only non Aldi shopping we do is with the local butcher. Agreed the choice at Aldi is not as good as the larger supermarkets, but perhaps that's a good thing, as we seem to buy stuff just because 'it's there'
Just used their dishwasher tablets for the first time. Wifey doesn't like using non branded stuff, but even she has agreed that the results look no different, and a hell of a lot cheaper.
Also have just 'baked' the chocolate bread thingy.Just pop an egg and a bit of milk in, quick stir, and after an hour , piping hot choco bread. Superb!
For some reason, I get a feeling of having beaten the system every time I leave Aldi. Gone are the days of Sainsburys for us. Only non Aldi shopping we do is with the local butcher. Agreed the choice at Aldi is not as good as the larger supermarkets, but perhaps that's a good thing, as we seem to buy stuff just because 'it's there'
Trustmeimadoctor said:
things i couldnt get at aldi
butternut squash
chickpeas
blackbeans
low fat coconut milk(or any tbh)
jerk seasoning
rest of shopping came in at £22 the bits i couldnt get an extra £10 from tesco
you really need to shop at an asian supermarket for those things . you will be paying a premium at tescobutternut squash
chickpeas
blackbeans
low fat coconut milk(or any tbh)
jerk seasoning
rest of shopping came in at £22 the bits i couldnt get an extra £10 from tesco
Inspired by this thread I popped into my local Aldi last week
Two bags of shopping 2 lts of milk, some veg, a selection of cold meats and cheeses and some soda scones.
Didnt really look at the prices but at the checkout the bill came to £11.70
As mentioned above well worth going before visiting the majors
Two bags of shopping 2 lts of milk, some veg, a selection of cold meats and cheeses and some soda scones.
Didnt really look at the prices but at the checkout the bill came to £11.70
As mentioned above well worth going before visiting the majors
just got back again, weekly shop for 2 and a 1/2 people inc all fruit and veg, lamb chops, chicken, beef mince etc... and including a 13.5 tog single duvet £49!!!!!! got some of them dishwasher tabs too, and on the box they're voted top buy at which? mag. can't complain at that. even now i'm astounded that why we always went to sainsbury's and wasted all that money.
just done a quick bit of sums and if i went to Aldi from the start every week from 3 years ago i would of saved on average £17k in 3 years!!! never, ever again! i actually feel quite sick at the thought of it now.
just done a quick bit of sums and if i went to Aldi from the start every week from 3 years ago i would of saved on average £17k in 3 years!!! never, ever again! i actually feel quite sick at the thought of it now.
They do in my local Aldi for a £1. 6 pints is more than £1.50 though which I could never work out!
There is a LIDL opening 2 mins away from me next month so I'll be switching to them though even though it's not quite as good, it's at the other end of a car park from a Waitrose be interesting to see how many people are willing to pay 3 * the price for essentially the same quality of Fruit and Veg!
There is a LIDL opening 2 mins away from me next month so I'll be switching to them though even though it's not quite as good, it's at the other end of a car park from a Waitrose be interesting to see how many people are willing to pay 3 * the price for essentially the same quality of Fruit and Veg!
Bluequay said:
They do in my local Aldi for a £1. 6 pints is more than £1.50 though which I could never work out!
There is a LIDL opening 2 mins away from me next month so I'll be switching to them though even though it's not quite as good, it's at the other end of a car park from a Waitrose be interesting to see how many people are willing to pay 3 * the price for essentially the same quality of Fruit and Veg!
really ! the two ive been ine in last few days only seemed to have the 2 pinters for 79p There is a LIDL opening 2 mins away from me next month so I'll be switching to them though even though it's not quite as good, it's at the other end of a car park from a Waitrose be interesting to see how many people are willing to pay 3 * the price for essentially the same quality of Fruit and Veg!
Apart from agreeing with the previous posters who recommended Avacado, Torchon Ham, Chorizo, Greek Yoghurt & Mature Cheddar, I quite like:
Plain Brioche loaf for making french toast
Ramiro Peppers (stock and size can be a bit patchy though)
Wensleydale with Cranberries & Danish Blue cheeses
Chilli peanuts
My local Aldi has just started stocking rectangular wheat biscuit cereal just like Weet-Bix in Australia and New Zealand, very nice if you've developed a taste for it, 99p for 48 and it feels like I'm back on holiday.
Plain Brioche loaf for making french toast
Ramiro Peppers (stock and size can be a bit patchy though)
Wensleydale with Cranberries & Danish Blue cheeses
Chilli peanuts
My local Aldi has just started stocking rectangular wheat biscuit cereal just like Weet-Bix in Australia and New Zealand, very nice if you've developed a taste for it, 99p for 48 and it feels like I'm back on holiday.
I decided to make a detour to our local Aldi today with a list of recommendations from this thread. Couldn't find some of it - and once again got mis-charged at the till. Fine green beans seemed to have been charged as baby sweetcorn/aparagus tips...only 20p more...but still an irritant.
Wil;l report back after I've tasted a few
Wil;l report back after I've tasted a few
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