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[MSE Jenny]

What's this about?

Super-cheap supermarkets Lidl, Aldi and Netto smack the bottoms of their big name competitors when it comes to price. The problem is that their products can be hit and miss.

This is all about rating their best deals

To beat this, three years ago, we asked MoneySavers to rate the good products from the bad (see the orginal hunt). The results formed the What's Hot and What's Not at Aldi/Lidl/Netto guide.

Now we want to rate the products again and need your help

Three years is a long time, and so we need your help to do it again. Please click reply and put in your recommendations.

The best format is like this

• Supermarket: Detail which you're talking about
• My top things to buy are:
• My top things to avoid are:

Even if someone else has mentioned a product, please include it, as the number of mentions helps us see what's good and what's not.

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[Schamansky]

I'll throw in.

Supermarket: LIDL

My top things to buy are:
Bockwurst, pack of 10, chiller
German potato salad (1kg tub)
Frikadellen
Peas and carrots, canned
Kabanossi sausages
Pork salami (the big one)
Orangeade 2l
Chicken soup, large can
Luxury muesli
Multivitamin juice

My top things to avoid are:
Maccaroni Cheese
Chili con carne, 800g can

[tessie bear]

the fruit and veg in aldi lidl is great ive never found anything nice in netto

[Smashing]

Lidl

Recommend -
Sliced meats
Tortilla wraps
Diet cola
Cup a soups
Barbeque spare ribs
Potato salad
Coleslaw
Iced marble cakes
Malted wheats (shreddies)
Chocolate sandwich bars (orange, mint and plain - imitation penguins basically)
Xmas gingerbread biscuits
Frozen pizzas
Cheese
Own brand version of twix bars/milky ways (whatever they call them)
Instant noodles
Orange juice
Onion rings
Breaded fish
Salmon fillets with herbed crust
Yogurt
Kitchen roll
Mayonniase
Jelly babies
Neopolitan wafer ice creams, sandwich icecreams, imitation cornettos/magnums
Premium vanilla ice cream
Own brand multipacks of crisps
Xmas cake
Jam
Jaffa cakes
Olive oil
Tinned veg

Avoid
800g tins of chilli
Milk in warmer weather - goes off extremely quickly, not so bad in winter but still doesn't seem to last as long as supermarket stuff before going 'off.'
Olive oil
Yeast extract
Baked beans
Frozen peas (like bullets)
Tinned spaghetti


Fruit and veg is generally great and brilliant value, but other times the quality can be lacking, but this is easily judged by appearance. Don't be put off if it seems bad quality now and then as more often than not it is a great buy.

[Bubble16]

ALDI

Recommend: Pesto - 99p a jar and seven different varieties, its great!!! Also coconut milk, when it is in stock which isn't all the time, is MILES cheaper than any of the big supermarkets and just as nice, not watery which is always the risk with the cheaper versions.

[carpy]

lidl sell some great sweets..........the party mix (various individual packets) are great.

orange juice (still yet to find anywhere cheaper @ £0.58)

[Quasar]

I wouldn't touch foodstuffs in Netto, but I find them ok for household cleaning stuff in general, ie bleach, washing up liquid etc.

[learning_to_drive]

I'm working on comparing the vetinary food stamps from major brands against Aldi's own to see which major producers make food for Aldi.

Lidl do a lovely iced coffee for 55p, various flavours.

[candygirl]

Fruit n veg in ALDI is brill, in LIDL it's a bit hit and miss.Bread is dire form both of them, and I can't get hold of red lentils at LIDL at the mo, there's a shortage apparently

[slummymummyof3]

Lidls
Fresh Vale Wafer Thin Cooked Ham 400g (£2.19) - fabulous quality and not at all plasticky like Tesco/Asda ham (and considerably cheaper)
Pre Packed Salami Slices - fantastic taste and price (I think it was £1.49 for 200g)
Lidls version of coco pops £1.19 - kids think these are nicer than coco pops.

[Sheepster]

Aldi and Lidl, a world away, and absolutely not to be confused with Netto, which is just cheap and usually nasty.

Anyway - in Aldi

Recommend

Their varied frozen fish dishes
Muesli
Carlos round frozen pizza - one of the best frozen pizzas IMO - and really reasonable
Frostys luxury ice cream
Clothes washing liquid
The fruit and veg can be varied, but is usually as good as any
Jars of cooking sauce - the Korma is one of the best I've tasted and incredibly cheap.
Chicken breasts - seriously some of the best chicken of it's type, better definately than Tesco and cheaper - though obviously nothing like if you support a local butcher.
Carrot cake - this is the best carrot cake I have ever tasted, and knocks the socks off Marks and Spencer - I'm serious!
German beers - nothing over special, but very palatable, and at just over £3 for 6 bottles you can't go wrong
Their weetabix look-a-like - frankly you won't be able to taste any difference.

Avoid

Cornflakes - you might as well just eat the box it comes in.

[dixie]

Recommend in Aldi
Vitacat in gravy - I have two very fussy cats and they love the cat food in foil packets
Orange juice
flavoured fizzy water
Black bin bags
Instant Coffee
Lager (red and white tin)
Foil (very strong)
Men's Deodorant (blue)
Also if you buy any special offers, eg clothes very good at taking back.
Free parking

Don't like
No baskets - and being told which way to put my trolley at checkout

Definitely a thumbs up

[Yogi1309Cat]

Aldi:

French Cognac at £11+ a bottle - good stuff
Gruyere Cheese/Bread sticks
Neapolitan Ice Cream wafers (10 for about 99p)
Shower Spray
Dishwasher Cleaner (2 bottles for about £1.50)

[aloiseb]

Lidl: Dishwasher stuff- their W5 tablets seemed to be about 1/2 the price of Sainbury's own brand last time I bought (though as I always cut them in half, that's a while ago)
Tissues - little packs x10 or12
Sandwich bags
mini ice cream lollies - excellent value+ yum
juice cartons for packed lunches
Jam- that Stute stuff is gorgeous, so fruity

Dont' get the fish fingers, the breadcrumbs are a very strange red colour + the fish is awful

[richcook]

aldi the toilet roll by saxon the aloe vera one as the right ratio of strength to softness even preferred by the brand conscious younger members of my family

[Debt_Free_Chick]

Lidl

Black Forest Ham (four or five times the quantity for less money, compared with Tesco)

Sausages - 85-90% meat content

[Sami_Bee]

Netto we like:
Cola
Lemonade
Big Juicy BRITISH Strawberries (in summer obv)
Frozen lamb shanks in gravy
White swing bin liners

Don't like
black bin bags - too thin
Sometimes milk has short date (but I just don't buy when this is the case)
Pan au chocolat - Sends hubby all funny/dizzy
Fabric softener the one with a baby on it made me & bubba all ichy

[joeyjimbles]

Lidl - good stuff
70% cocoa chocolate - about half the price of the branded stuff
Dried pasta
Almost any tomato stuff- passatta, tinned plum tomatoes, puree
Dutch cinnamon (spelling?) biscuits at Christmas - loads of them for a tiny price only watch taking them home as they're fragile

Lidl - not so good
Large family size chilled lasagne - the meat is very pale and peculiar


Aldi - good stuff
Conserve - around half the price of the posh french brands and tastes great
Continental meats and salami - all excellent
Dried pasta
Salsas
Frozen snacks/starters - chinese & indian bits, stuffed jalepenos etc
Biscuits
Part-baked ciabattas
Wine (on offer)
Chocolate

Aldi - not so good
Brie/camembert - may just be my luck but they never seem to ripen

[armybike]

One thing I can definitely recommend from Aldi is the wonder that is

"Austin’s - grain liquor with fruit extracts", which costs about £5.99 for a 70cl bottle.

Which is their version of *cough* Pimms, but you'd hardly notice the difference once you've added the lemonade and ice etc!! Another tip is also buy a carton or two of pomegranate juice from Aldi and make yourself some cheapo versions of Pim Pom

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[bzd]

Lidl:

Tiramisu desserts (for 2) in the fridge section. Great value for 79p.
Chorizo sausage (either the sliced one in the fridge section or the whole sausage).
Indian curry sauces (Korma and Rogan Josh).
70% Cocoa dark chocolate -- excellent value for eating or baking!
Big bottles of Hoegaarden when they have it in.
Specials:
The optical specials (telescopes, binoculars) are recurring and good value from a recognised make (usually Bresser).
Steel toe-capped workboots, good value.
Lervia electric floor-sweeper (in occasionally).