What to buy in Tesco Value Range

indiechickuk

I find that as a rule, the things with the fewest ingredients are fine, so vegetables, pasta, rice, tinned things etc... Meat is generally ok, as long as you're ok with using different cuts.
I wouldn't bother getting value ready meals - you might as well make your own, it's usually cheaper and you can cook in bulk.
As far as bread goes, the value stuff is identical to their standard range, it just doesn't last quite as long. (I have a friend who used to be a packer in the factory!)
A lot of things are ok once you've added something, e.g. beans - add worcestershire sauce and a squeeze of tomato puree, value mayo - add a tsp of olive oil for every tbsp of mayo.

recovering_spendaholic

I have tried pretty much everything in the value range and have to say that I don't like any of it, however I find the Sainsburys Basics quite good for alot of stuff. I get:
Madeira cake (the nicest I've ever had)
crumpets
pitta bread
tortilla chips (25p for a big bag and lovely)
orange juice and apple juice
tinned tomatoes
butter
muffins (not cake ones - the sort you toast0
washing up liquid

I was in Tescos earlier and their value middle rind on bacon is dearer than Morrison's middle bacon which is gorgeous and you get 100g more for the price!

Pink.

Hi HomeJames,

We have a thread on the same topic, so I have merged your thread with it as it helps other Old Style readers to find all the suggestions in one thread. As always posts are listed in date order, so you'll need to read from the beginning to see all the replies.

Pink

garret1

Tesco value fresh orange juice which i always bought because the bottles are recyclelable was 57p but has jumped overnight to 72p!!! this makes it dearer than the "good" tesco stuff at 3 for £1.90:mad:
I buy loads of the value range but am finding these "cons" increasingly common.

Pink.

garret1 wrote:

Tesco value fresh orange juice which i always bought because the bottles are recyclelable was 57p but has jumped overnight to 72p!!! this makes it dearer than the "good" tesco stuff at 3 for £1.90:mad:
I buy loads of the value range but am finding these "cons" increasingly common.

Hi garret,

This thread might interest you: Watch out for Tesco's Value

Pink

CrazyChemist_2

Their Plain chocolate (25p) is something to die for :drool:

freyasmum

My tuppence worth...

I would and did buy anything from the value ranges, though I do find quite a few things cheaper in Lidls/Aldis (great example, sweetcorn), and I do prefer to make my own if I can.
I don't even mind the teabags - and they were lovely when I made chilled, lemon tea and my OH liked the coffee. To be perfectly honest, I check to see which is cheapest - I can usually be spotted which my calculator. If I don't happen to like to cheapest, which is unusal and I actually can't think of one right now, then I'll buy the next up.

calleyw wrote:

Also believe it or not tescos do a value selection chocolate box 99p and it was at least 10 pieces in the box. As long as you did not show anyone the lid. Makes a nice little treat.

My sister and her boyfriend (who works in Tesco) are quite 'sniffy' and would be embarrased to shop just the value range - I am completely different and when I had my flat (currently in between, with my mum and dad, since having my daughter) everything that was put into my trolley was either one of the economy ranges (tesco, asda, etc) or reduced.

One day my mum (who is like me, loves a good bargain) bought the value chocolates and put some on a plate and offered my sis's boyfriend one. When asked what he thought he said 'they were very rich and very nice' - he thought they were from an expensive box. In fact the exact place he mentioned was Thorntons!

Just goes to show that there mustn't be any/much difference.

mirry

Im about to make another online shop with tescos tommorow so would love to know what people buy from them to make cheap/healthy/filling meals ?

We used to buy tescos value beans but recently have changed to their healthy range ones cos they taste nicer.

Also I was told that the value flour has a bleach used in it, is this true ?

Jayar

Not sure about Tesco value flour, but I also read that bleach is used in the processing of white flour (couldn't swear to it though )
On the subject of beans, yes their value ones have a pretty nasty sauce, but I always drain them and add my own bits and pieces anyway, tomato puree and some cheese or a bit of butter and some pepper or cheese and a pinch of mustard powder - you get the idea. Much better than even the most expensive beans.

Seakay

The flour advisory service site says:

Is flour still bleached?
Flour is no longer bleached in the UK. The bleaching of flour with benzoyl peroxide was permitted until 1997.

But the BBC site http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/h2g2/A2198586 says:
Unless the packaging says it is unbleached the flour will have gone through a bleaching process, inspired by a desire for whiter-than-white bread in the 19th Century. Unbleached white flour is a pale cream colour.

I have bought flour that was stated to be unbleached, and it was a creamy colour, so I have always assumed that all other white flour was bleached, otherwise why would there be a reason to state if a flour was unbleached?
eg on the Allinsons site

: Are any of the Allinson flours bleached?
A: None of the flours produced by Allinson are bleached

and on the Dove site:

Organic Strong White Flour 1.5Kg Free from bleaching agents, this creamy white flour is high in gluten and protein. Made from quality hard wheats, it is ideal for bread making, puff, flaky, choux and filo pastry.
Organic Self-Raising White Flour 1kg Fine white flour with added raising agents but without bleach or chlorination treatment. Ideal in cake making.
Organic Plain White Flour 1kg Soft wheats are milled for this fine unbleached flour. Ideal for short crusts and hand raised pastry, biscuits, sauces and general use.