Great What/What Not to Buy at Lidl, Aldi and Nett...

[MSE Martin]

Update 14 Febuary

This thread has now been turned into an updated article. Click here to read the What's hot and what's not at Aldi/Lidl/Netto article.


These three supermarkets are massively cheaper than mainstream supermarkets, yet there's a snobbery about using them. To help others save this hunt is for both 'what' and 'what not to' buy at Lidl, Aldi and Netto.

Obviously if you're skint then you may need to buy all things there, but this is more about compiling views on what to use them for and what not to.

Format for answers

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

[comicmankev]

Buy baked beans from Netto - better than heinz

Don't buy baked beans from Lidl - They are the worst thing on this earth!

[Rikki]

LIDL'S


Don't buy black pudding - yuk!

Do buy
scotcheggs
Chocolate milkshake
fruitand veg
orange juice
lemonade
jams
yogurt
gammon steaks

[Marchocias]

Lidl's meat products are generally excellent. They also have some nice fruit juices - their red grape juice is particularly good.

As stated above, don't touch their baked beans with a bargepole. They have a very odd taste to them.

[newnhak]

LIDL's

BUY - Parmesan cheese

This is much cheaper than anywhere else and as it keeps for ages you can buy in bulk.

[Magentasue]

Dunno about Netto but for Aldo/Lidl

butter
olive oil
crunchy granola type cereal
parmesan
chocolate
orange juice
jaffa cakes
gingernut biscuits
pesto


Lidl:
fruit and veg much cheaper
cherry jam

[Dingdangdoforme]

From Netto - a christmas favourite is the mulled wine, has been less then £2 a bottle in previous years- marvellous warmed up on a cold day. There stollen bread's not bad either.

[alictait]

LIDL

Buy the tiramisu's (individuals) - they are great
Also get their Museli.
Their fresh and frozen Pizzas are also great as if their Chicken kievs.


Don't get their veg - if you are planning on keeping it a few days - only really good for instant use

[LayZ]

Aldi

The Shreddies knock offs - I am sure these are the real thing.
The swiss almond chocloate - amazingly good
Meatballs
Carlos Stone Baked Pizzas - 99p and as good as £4 ones in M&S
Saint Etienne Lager - Disguised Stella, and not that muck they brew in the UK
Wholegrain yoghurts - huge and cheap
Norpak Butter - like the hard to find slightly salted clover but much cheaper

Don't buy
Again i've found the veg not much cop. Fruit is usually good in season though.
Baked Beans - too sweet

[emr]

Lidl - BUY
pasta
noodles
ice-cream
frozen potato items
minced beef
cartons of fruit juice
bottled water
paper products (tissues, toilet roll, kitchen roll, paper napkins)
"feminine hygiene" products
most varieties of tinned soup-esp mushroom (a tin for lunch - esp handy with the ringpull)

Lidl - DON'T BUY
tins of veg soup (i didn't fancy it)
definitely don't buy baked beans

But try anything once - it is so cheap that to try once is not really a waste!

[emr]

Lidl - anything CHOCOLATE!
Choc santas and choc bunnies (at Easter) are fab

[Rikki]

We have a Netto opened up near us, closer than lidl's. Can any one give me a clue about what they sell. Its not a bulk buying type place is it?

[Jay-Jay]

Lidl: Do Buy

Chocolate biscuits (rectangular ones)
Cherry Jam (the nicest jam I've ever tasted with LOADS of cherries)
Chicken burgers (frozen, in a green box) ...if your kids like McDs chicken burgers then they'll like these
Coffee chocolate (large bar in a blue box, bottom layer dark choc, top layer white choc)

In fact....all chocolate from Lidl is pretty excellent.
Apparently (according to my Dad) the fresh whole chickens are excellent too.

[Addy]

Aldi

BUY
Pasta, pasta, pasta. In particular their taggliatelle. It's fab - made in Italy and better than any other dried pasta in this country according to the OH (who was born in Rome and is a chef so should know).

Stollen cake - lurvely too.

Flowers - usually a lot cheaper than elsewhere.

DON'T BUY
veg - their fresh tomatoes tasted very weird!!

[Poing]

Netto

See here for their website:
http://www.netto.co.uk/internet/nettog/menu/main.nsf
Very much like Aldi/Lidl, most of their stuff is non-branded, though they do sell some brands - Heinz beans etc when on special offer, and Muller yogurts etc.

Buy:
Great for friut & veg, much cheaper than Morrisons, even more so when they have offers on - just use your common sense and don't buy it if it looks past it best! They also don't replace stock as quickly as major supermakets, so don't be surprised if there's no fresh food left at 7pm especially on offer days (best to go early for fresh food).
Tortilla wraps, naan bread, do some Hovis loafs.
Tinned toms, chopped or plum
Tinned Pilchards, tuna,
Tinned chicken in white sauce (~80p and v. nice with sweetcorn & rice - feeds 2 hungry adults).
Kidney beans.
Tinned beans & spaghetti - but it's personal taste in the end.
Fizzy water.
Malt loaf.
Various biccies - bourbons etc, but so cheap who cares if you dont like em.
Frozen green beans.
Frozen chicken breasts when they have them.
Yogurts - single ones & multipacks - own brand, and Muller ones.
Plain natural yogurt.
Feta cheese - same price as Tesco, but keeps longer I have found.
Milk.
Smoked mackerel and kippers.
3Litres orange or blackcurrant juice to dilute for 99p.
KP cashew nuts.
Crisps - branded or own brand wotsits rip off, mmmm.
Often have offers on alcohol - Lindemanns, Stowells etc, and good beer offers too - Stella, Kronenberg, Carling and usually have one guest bottled ale.
Keep an eye out on the special offers - Monday & Thursday - this is usually when the branded goods - jars of pasta sauce etc are out, and they do homeware stuff - we got our Freeview box there 2 years ago, and usually seasonal stuff too - selection boxes, pumpkin (was 49p this year!!!) etc, and often branded alcohol spirits - Baileys, Smirnoff - cheaper than other supermarkets.
Phew, should be enough there to keep you going.

Aldi
Only just started going here, seems a bit more organised than Netto , with more regular stock, but more expensive for fruit & veg, but anyway heres what I would recommend
Buy
Someones mentioned earlier the wholegrain yogs -like mullerlights but nicer and big pot, and the creamy individual yogs too.
Also big 500g pots of fruit yogs are yummy.
Pasta - both the vacuum packed ones & gnocchi too only 55p a packet compared to 2 for £2.50ish in other places - Gnocchi with pesto & parmesan is luuuverly, and the posh fresh ones in the fridge - gorganzola & walnut are amazing - just been to Italy and they are as nice as what we had there!
I've heard the olives are good too.

HTHs, best get back to me work, didn't think it would take so long to write this

[Poing]

Can anyone recommend any coffee from Aldi? - I like Kenco Rapport and try & get it when on offer in Netto. Definately prefer strong coffee - none of that mellow stuff that tastes like tea, yuk
Thanks

[JenniO]

ALDI:

Definitely buy:
Continental Meats
Mixed Nuts
Nibbles like Meditterean Mix and Bombay Mix
Tortilla Wraps
Chicken and Leek Pie
12 piece Indian and Oriental Bites (orange boxes in freezer) - fantastic!

Don't buy:
Frozen Tikka Marsala Ready Meal - yuk!

[mountainman]

ALDI must buy
italian ham, half the price of proccutto(sp)?
parmesan cheese, again half price per kg to tesco etc

[alyssa_mae]

What about electricals from Aldi. portable dvd for instant. is it worth buying?

[jaymac]

Aldi Christmas cake and frozen turkey crown were both very nice last yeaar.