Sainsbury's economy products: review

Austin_Allegro_2

Here's a review of Sainsbury's economy products I've used.

Economy orange juice. 39p a litre. Not bad, about the same as most of the cheaper concentrates.

Economy apple juice, 45p a litre. Quite good - tastes much the same as more expensive apple juices but has a slightly sweeter taste.

Economy scones. 36p for ten. Absolutely lovely, plenty of currants and a nice taste of bicarb.

Economy white bread. 19p for 800g loaf. OK for toast bu not particularly nice raw - a bit doughy and grey but if you're strapped for cash it would be ok.

Peach slices in syrup. Excellent value. Massive 822 gram tin for 36p. As far as I can tell, tastes exactly the same as the more expensive brands.

Black refuse sacks. 77p for 30. Rather too thin for heavy duty use but fine for light rubbish.

Economy toilet paper. 9 rolls for 95p. Again excellent value and a bathroom staple in my flat! It isn't quite as soft as the luxury ones but is perfectly adequate.

Soft spread, 29p 1/2 kilo. Not very nice, has a distinctly whey like chemical taste. A few years ago this used to be as good as expensive margarines, but seems to have gone downhill.

Back bacon rashers, 97p for 300g. A bit fatty, but the lean parts are tasty and overall its good value I think.

Will post others as I remember them!

crana9

cheddar is fine
potatoes are okay if quite a lot to use in one go..
fruit juices as you said are fine

16011996

economy ginger biscuits are lovely, rich tea are pants. vlonglife milk is good if you don't mind uht skimmed.

Austin_Allegro_2

Here's some more:

Muesli, 85p a kilo. Mostly oats with a few raisins, but perfectly edible and very filling.

Rice, 54p a kilo. As far as I can tell, exactly the same as any other white rice.

Pasta, 19p/500g. OK, but the quick cook variety is not much more expensive and comes in different shapes, so I prefer that.

Spaghetti, 16p/500g. As far as I can tell exactly the same as more expensive brands.

Teabags. 31p for 80. Not sure about these. I did a 'pepsi challenge' on these with a PG tips bag. The PG tips did seem to have a richer taste, but a passable flavour can be had with the economy bags by steeping for a bit longer. However, the relatively low cost of the 'normal' own brand Sainsbury's tea bags would lead me to use these, unless I was really skint.

Mixed fruit jam. 31p/454g. Not very nice on toast or sandwiches - sweet but mostly glycerin and not much fruit. Reminds me of school/army catering corps jam. Would be fine for rice pudding, cake making etc.

Rice pudding/custard. Much the same as any 'normal' brand.

Cornflakes. Something odd about these, a bit cardboard tasting and they seem a bit lighter/smaller than Kellogs.

Sweet pickle. 28p/285g. Not bad. Not as crunchy/tangy as Branstons, but perfectly adequate. Possibly a few more chemical nasties so check the label. Goes well with:

Cheddar. Mild, £3.08/kilo. Strong £4.12/kilo. The traditional 'mousetrap'. Not very exciting on its own, but good with pickle, or melted or grated.

Sausages. £1.29 for 30. Not very good, hardly surprising when even good quality sausages are designed to contain only a small amount of meat.

Pork pies. 79p/400g. Quite good - not such a high meat content as 'normal' ones, somewhat watery jelly but a nice crust. As with sausages however the dodgy stuff that goes into even normal pork pies would lead me to steer clear of these. Bit of a chemical factory as well.

rach

milk choc digestives are fine. smaller than mcvities, but not bad at all. you get a big packet for under 40p i think.

rach

just remembered also: beans & tinned toms are fine too.

my youth group also like the instant mash, as long as milk and / or butter added its fine.

dried milk - much cheaper than marvel. i use it with water in porridge & sauces.

filigree_2

Sainsbury's economy mild cheddar isn't even cheddar, it's some unnamed mild "cheese". The economy full flavour cheddar really is cheddar, and much tastier. It's not too strongly flavoured either.

I once checked the ingredients of the economy jam because I was suspicious of the violent pink colour. It's full of nasty E numbers so probably best avoided, especially if you have kids with ADHD or allergies.

Sainsbury's economy beans are nicer than their healthy choice low sugar beans, which were nasty.

Their sparkling table water is OK but it seems to go flat quickly, Safeway's saver fizzy water is better at keeping its fizz.

Now I've started shopping around more I'm a bit disappointed by Sainsbury's range, there doesn't seem to be such a wide range of choices in economy. Maybe I'm wrong but that's the feeling I get. However, they are pretty good at reducing goods nearing their sell by date and the produce is still edible. Safeway/Morrisons don't reduce stock till the last minute, and the reductions aren't so generous.

percyflatcap

I found sainsburys economy range not as good as tescos value
but rice and pasta always taste much the same as any other

crana9

i like asda smartprice range. much better than sainsburys.

Lillibet_2

Unfortuantely Sainsburys in Walton on Thames stocks very very little of the economy range, apparently there is just no demand for it in Surrey ::)! Tried telling them I was demanding it but they looked down their noses at me >:(. Bunch of snobs ;D!!!

16011996

go to there website, and you can email customer services about it. amazing how quick they get things done. ;D