Have we had an "items where own brand is better" Thread?

[Kermit power]

We all know that there are plenty of utterly dreadful supermarket own brand products which are a pale imitation of the original branded item, but there are also some out there which are at least as good, if not better!

Given that the branded items are always cheaper as well, it wouldn't hurt to have somewhere for people to suggest some?

Assuming we've not done this before, I'll get the ball rolling with Sainsburys Salted Peanuts. Not much more than half the price of KP peanuts, but actually (to my palate) nicer!

This is a rare find, as every other brand of peanuts I've tried (whether branded or supermarket) has been extremely disappointing.

[Kermit power]

bigandclever said:

Kermit power said:

I'll get the ball rolling with Sainsburys Salted Peanuts.

If you mean the ones in the blue bags, I fully agree. The really cheap ones in the orange and white bags are revolting though.

Yes, definitely the ones in the blue bags.

[Kermit power]

Some Gump said:

That'll be zhit then. Want coke? Accept sugar. Want a diet? Water. There is no fun in sorbitol or aspartame.

I've seen this sort of statement made many times, but I'm not sure why?

If you look a little further into it, it seems that there were a couple of lab tests in the 60s and 70s that linked some artificial sweeteners to possibly elevated levels of cancer in lab rats, but one was subsequently shown to only cause bladder cancer in the rats in conjunction with a bodily process in rats that humans do not have, and the other was later dismissed as being completely flawed in its procedural approach, and utterly useless as a result.

This seems to have just become one of those urban myths that persists, but has absolutely no truth to it.

[Kermit power]

paulwirral said:

Vaud said:

It's owned by Mizkan who just make foods.

It's ultimately owned by Mitsubishi, my Mrs works for them .

From what I can see, they're a privately owned company with a Chairman and CEO who is a direct descendent (or possibly just by coincidence has the same surname!) of the original founder?

If you google just Mitsubishi and Mizkan together, you get no results at all with any mention of the two in the same article, so I suspect your beloved has been winding you up!

[Kermit power]

Mobile Chicane said:

Tesco own brand frozen mashed potato is the shizzle. Really buttery and nicer than the Waitrose version.

I was genuinely staggered to find this but it's absolutely true.

Good Lord!!! You're one of the last people I'd expect to be buying such a thing!

[Kermit power]

Some Gump said:

Erm.. wrong end of the stick? Sugar tastes nice. Sweetner tastes like ass. I can't think of any "sugar free" or "low sugar" version of full fat that doesn't taste naff!

Also eating too many sugar free sweets gives you the sts. This is the label from sugar free polos. Can't be right!

Whereas excessive consumption of sugar is a huge (literally!) barrel of laughs, isn't it? If it comes down to it, I'd rather a quick bout of the sts warned me I'd consumed too much than Type 2 Diabetes!

I can't stand the taste of tea or coffee, get bored with plain water after a while, and the last thing I need is to be taking in empty sugar calories through drinking sugary drinks.

Strangely no-added-sugar squashes and the like have so far completely failed to make the world fall out of my arse!

Getting back on topic, Sainsbury's own brand Blackcurrant & Apple no-added-sugar squash is much nicer than Robinsons at less than half the price.

[Kermit power]

Eddie Strohacker said:

Kermit power said:

Getting back on topic, Sainsbury's own brand Blackcurrant & Apple no-added-sugar squash is much nicer than Robinsons at less than half the price.

For any palette over the age of 12, that's effectively choosing your favourite between flu and dysentery. Squash is a grim product in any iteration.

It beats coffee, but then again, almost anything beats coffee!! I really don't understand how people can even tolerate the smell of the foul stuff, let alone the taste!

When we bought our first house, some annoying Channel 4 programme had just told their audience they could increase the value of offers made on their houses by having the smell of freshly brewed coffee wafting through them.

Cue one house after another stinking of stewed coffee over the course of a fortnight, and at one point I was trying to persuade my wife to buy a really crap, over-priced house, just because it stank of wet Alsatians rather than bloody coffee!

I'll stick with water, sugar-free squash and beer, thanks.

ETA - Based on your reaction to it, I'd just suggest diluting it further, as yes, too strong and it's vile.

[Kermit power]

Ted2 said:

What a load of cock! If your coffee smells like wet Alsatians then you're doing it (very) wrong. The smell of quality coffee beans and freshly brewed coffee is one of the best smells to ever hit your nostrils.

No it's not. It's absolutely fking hideous. I don't care where you are, and who is making it, coffee is one of the most unpleasant, noxious smells on the face of the planet. At least when it's actually being made fresh it's only extremely unpleasant. When it has been stewing for a while, it should probably be classified as a chemical weapon, and the breath of people who've been drinking the stuff absolutely is!

Coffee doesn't smell like wet Alsatians. It just makes the smell of wet Alsatians seem positively floral in comparison!

If you go and google it, you'll see I'm far from unusual in this respect.