Lidl - just managed to use them for a full shop

[bitchstewie]

You know as I read the subject I'm cringing a little because it's not as if I've climbed fking Everest here but.. I've always tended to use Waitrose for "nice" stuff and pick up the odd bit and bob at random supermarkets i.e. Lidl for pastries and crisps etc.

I've just managed to do a full shop there for the next few days - maybe it's me but the biggest challenge seems to be simply finding stuff - OK it's familiarity but everything seems to be just thrown around the place in a semi-random order.

Also it's bizarre just how many things you buy based off what the box looks like - and the supermarkets bloody know this.

Lurpak, Coco Pops, Frosties, just about everything looks exactly like the mainstream brands but with a deformed monkey or Tony the.. Jaguar or whatever they do to make it look a little different.

Hoping I'll survive the ready meal curry, meat seems cheap enough, "fresh" (Vitalife) Orange Juice is 99p vs. £3 for a bottle of Innocent, everything seems cheaper enough to make a significant difference there just isn't the choice.

Parking is also easier

[bitchstewie]

The lack of choice is the biggest drawback I can see - you want Naan breads you're having the one type they've got etc.

The breakfast cereals look a little ropey too but again I wonder how much of that is being so used to seeing Tony and Coco the Monkey beaming out at you that you're judging the artwork rather than the product - if that makes sense.

Let me put it this way, there was nothing at all where I thought to myself "Christ that looks ropey I'm not touching that".

If I suddenly stop posting you'll know the chicken breasts did for me

[bitchstewie]

Interestingly the few brand name bits I did buy (Buxton mineral water, Flora Proactive spread) are all more expensive at Lidl than at Waitrose from a quick check online.

Seems you have to be canny with what you buy from where.

[bitchstewie]

HotJambalaya said:

was vaguely planning on popping down to my local one. With stuff like the chicken breasts, where are they from?

I got the "British Free Range" which says "Moy Park" on the packet.

[bitchstewie]

I was curious so:

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/nov/27/where...

Now that's not to say that all the chicken is equal, but I'll admit to also being a little wary with stuff such as meat and poultry.

Of course, read some of the articles linked off that one and you'd probably never eat another chicken again.

[bitchstewie]

LordGrover said:

Lidl's household products though, they're typically a bit 'different' to what I've been used to but they're generally good quality and sensibly priced. For example, Formil washing liquid.

[/mumsnet]

In what way?

I used their W5 washing up liquid last night - I don't seem to have scabs.

[bitchstewie]

LordGrover said:

Maybe I wasn't clear. Those I've used including the W5 you mention have been good, better than the more recognised brands like Persil and Fairy.

Oh yeah it was just the "bit different" comment

Anyone care to comment on the eggs?

I seem to be finding myself doing a lot of Googling to check I'm not buying German eggs, and I don't actually know why as presumably a) if I was they'd be fine and b) the LIDL website suggests British "Lion" eggs fully traceable etc.

[bitchstewie]

mad4amanda said:

Quite honestly it has saved us a fortune .

Tbh I didn't think "must save money" initially - I don't have it to burn but Waitrose has never been an issue, I simply found myself wondering "What am I paying more for?" when it comes to things like eggs, orange juice, rolls/pastries - and as I'm going to find out tonight, the meat.

[bitchstewie]

Just braved one of the refrigerated curry and rice dishes - Chicken Tikka Masala.

£1.49 and 49p for a pack of 2x Naan (hope your wife appreciates that Asterix) vs, around a fiver (depending on 3 for 2's etc.) at M&S or Waitrose.

I didn't pay too much attention to the size but I think it was a bit smaller and certainly with less chicken, but honestly it was bloody nice and from a glance at the back it didn't look full of crap - dutch or thai chicken which kind of has me thinking "Hmmm" but on the other hand if you go down your local takeaway you don't know what you're getting so maybe I'm just being a bit snobby there.

On the taste front if you'd put it in front of me as M&S or Waitrose I wouldn't have been able to say any different - not something you'd want to eat every night but no complaints (yet, early days ).

[bitchstewie]

Survived the Chicken Curry

[bitchstewie]

KFC said:

The quality on a lot of the things they sell is poor. The selection of things they sell is bad (one type of naan bread etc). A lot of things you can get in other supermarkets are simply non existent. No proper steaks, no nice deli counter, no sushi, no proper choice of fresh fruit etc etc

I can honestly say I haven't found that to be the case so far.

The lack of choice, yes I agree in so much that there isn't anything like as much choice, with that but I guess lower prices are a trade off of not needing shelf space for 12 brands of English Mustard etc.

Steaks, haven't looked yet but they seemed to have a ton of meat at a glance?

Deli counter, and sushi fair point if that's your thing, but that comes down to expectations and I didn't go in there expecting a Deli counter or sushi so I'm not going to hold it against them that they don't have one.

Don't get me wrong I'm not trying to claim I never need shop anywhere else, simply that so far I've been very surprised at the quality and the cost of what I have had from there.

[bitchstewie]

dazco said:

I don't think it needs a deli, it has a mass of hams and meats and cheeses of that are pre packed but still only the rice one might pay at the deli counter, and you don't have to eat it within three days.

Maybe I misunderstand how deli's work but I always assumed the stuff you buy there might be less "fresh" than the stuff you get in a packet tbh - as much as I love stuff like game pie I can't imagine Waitrose chuck 7/8ths of one so depending when you buy it might have been sat about for a while?

[bitchstewie]

I happened to stop at M&S on the way home tonight to get some bits.

Absolute fking chaos and reminded me how much I do hate busy supermarkets.

The food is very nice, but even after a week it did highlight something which was simply the sheer amount of choice - and I'm not so sure I mean that in a good way in so much as I found myself simply "roaming" the isles totally unable to make a fking decision on what to buy because there is so much of everything

I shudder to think how much they must throw away.

[bitchstewie]

StuTheGrouch said:

A few years ago I worked on a project looking at food waste, and actually visited a warehouse to obtain samples of waste from M&S. I took a whole roll cage full and back at the workplace we started going through it. Nearly everything was still edible (all still packaged) and largely consisted of breads, meats (I remember multiple whole chickens) and ready meals. Loads of those tubs of chocolate treats too (such as those chocolate-covered cornflake cake things).

It doesn't surprise me in the slightest.

The Waitrose near me generally has appalling use by dates on food, a day or two tops.

I don't know if that's a sign of quality or disorganisation and I don't know if it's just how it is near me but it puts me off buying too much there because you just can't buy a few days worth of meat or certain other products.

M&S is just a bit weird IMO, the food is lovely but it just goes back to my point about waste - I simply can't believe how much of it the (reasonably) fresh stuff there is on the shelves.

That said maybe it sells, the food hall at the large one at Tamworth is a bit like Mos Eisley most days.

[bitchstewie]

StuTheGrouch said:

Makes you wonder, also, how the waste is factored into their profit margins. So maybe we aren't paying for quality after all, we're simply paying higher prices under the illusion of quality but really it's to cover their costs for waste

They must do.

Don't get me wrong I'm not commenting on the quality of their food just the absolute stark comparison in the volume of "stuff" on shelves between walking into Aldi/Lidl vs. walking into an M&S Food Hall.

[bitchstewie]

I think a week or so on I will admit I'd be pushing myself to use them for everything - in fact I couldn't as they just don't sell everything I want (and I include some very ordinary things in that).

Had one of their Chili Con Carne ready meals last night, £1.49 and again not an E number in sight, tasted as nice as M&S or Waitrose but at 1/3rd the price and it even seemed to contain beef

Stuff like cereal and British bacon is a bit of a revelation - makes you realise just how much you pay for Tony the Tiger or whatever you're into as the Lidl equivalents seem basically 1/2 the price..

It's more that you realise how expensive other places are, having gotten used to using Lidl on an almost daily basis I found myself in Waitrose feeling thoroughly pissed off at paying £1.40 for a Danish Pastry and 50p for a freshly baked roll vs. 35p and 29p respectively - that's where you really start to feel the difference.

[bitchstewie]

Does anyone know how much Lidl and Aldi stuff is produced overseas? I don't mean so much things like meat fish and veg but stuff like cereal and biscuits and "sealed" food - there's very little obvious sign of where it's produced.

[bitchstewie]

technodup said:

our average Lidl punter doesn't make 'basic meals' with fresh coriander, curry paste and light coconut milk.

Your average Lidl punter buys the jalfrezi ready meal and fires it in the microwave.

Chicken Tikka Masala last night actually

Tonight it's British chicken breasts with roast potatoes and mediterranean vegetables.

If you want certain things they don't have them, but using spring onions as an example, would I drive across town to spend £17 at Waitrose vs. spending a tenner at Lidl and getting the spring onions elsewhere? I'd spend the tenner.

Honestly, holding my hands up they don't have everything I've wanted, but of everything I've had there's nothing at all I've bought where I've thought "ugh I've really got something cheap and nasty here".

[bitchstewie]

I need to get down Aldi at some point - Lidl keeps me going back for the fresh bakery

I found myself doing the 2-shop thing today - went to the co-op and found myself picking up some bits that I simply couldn't get at Lidl but then found myself in Lidl because New Zealand lamb is cheaper and so is pure orange juice and freshly baked bread.

The lamb will probably be going in a tagine with Waitrose sauce and cous cous - we're spoilt locally for supermarkets and I'm all about equal opportunities

[bitchstewie]

daytona365 said:

Lidl stuff is very good quality and very competitively priced, the only possible drawback is some of the immigrant Clientele you have to rub shoulders with, but take a shower when you get home and everything will be fine.

I'm wary to say too much as I'm not sure if you're serious or trolling a little here, but let's assume you're serious and ignore the slightly odious nature of that comment.

It isn't something that's even occurred to me once in Lidl any more than it has when I'm walking around Waitrose, funny thing is I find Lidl a more pleasant environment simply because it's quieter so I don't feel as rushed (except at the checkouts who throw stuff at you and hopefully it hits the barcode scanner on the way).