Which Supermarket?

tr3mor

SusanCarter wrote:

Quite a few things were equal in Lidl, Sainsbury's and Tesco and overall I found Sainsury's is the best price. The difference seems to me to be just that Lidl only has one range which is Basics/Value whereas the main supermarkets have loads of other stuff too.

The quality of Lidl's produce does not compare to the lack of quality of Sainsbury's Basics. Everything I've bought in Lidl has impressed me immensely, have a look in MSE Old Style for threads about what's good value in Lidl/Aldi.

SusanCarter

tr3mor wrote:

The quality of Lidl's produce does not compare to the lack of quality of Sainsbury's Basics. Everything I've bought in Lidl has impressed me immensely, have a look in MSE Old Style for threads about what's good value in Lidl/Aldi.

You may well have a point there although I haven't done an extensive study. Will have to check out the OS boards at some point.

I do tend to be careful about which Basics things I buy as some things can be worse quality but for some things (e.g. onions, flour, fish, mushrooms, peppers) I can't see any difference in quality with the basics. With the veg the difference seems to be that they are all different sizes instead of being within fixed limits. Interestingly I compared the Sainsbury's Basics cheese with the standard stuff and the nutritional information was identical. I therefore concluded that it's just the packaging that's different.

flea72

although lidl food is priced similar to the value brands in places like sainsburys/tesco, the quality is much more in line with their finest ranges.

for eg. lidl sell jam for 69p a jar, but the fruit content is similar to something you would pay £1.20 for in the supermarkets. Also the fruit juices, dont tend to be made from concentrate, but are priced the same as concentrated ones in the supermarkets. Ham, has less water content, salamis have a higher meat content, etc.

i know the lidl stuff looks cheap, but you tend to find that the ingredients used, are more in line with the higher end of the market.

ethically though, i dont know where lidl stand. i know their free-range eggs are cheaper than the supermarkets, but other than that, ive no idea on where the produce comes from

Flea

QueenB.

We don't have a local waitrose or co-op so we tend to shop at morrisons for most of our shop and then get a few other bits from local shops which are cheaper. We do buy the odd bit from tescos but not that often.

I am hoping to find an organic box scheme locally.

I think for us we tend to shop at the supermarkets because being a family of vegetarians on a strict budget it can be difficult to find what we need for a good price whereas the supermarkets have a wide range and for good prices.

Personally whatever the Asda adverts say our local one is not that much cheaper than the supermarkets and the ranges in our local one are also quite poor so can't say i have ever really shopped there.

tr3mor

flea72 wrote:

ethically though, i dont know where lidl stand. i know their free-range eggs are cheaper than the supermarkets, but other than that, ive no idea on where the produce comes from

Most of their fresh meat is sourced from Britain/Ireland as far as I can tell.

Eg. Their frozen quarter pounders - 100% Irish Beef, 8 for £1.29 (Their "All frozen Half Price!" offer is on at my lidl). They're some of the nicest burgers I have tasted.

Their jams are especially good, as are the cereals and chocolates (all German I think).

Their yoghurts are fab too!

Fruit and veg has ups and downs, depends on the store and deliveries.

EDIT: Forgot to mention the cold meats - fabulous, mostly with no added water!

rackstar

We get all our fruit and veg delivered from Riverford (https://www.riverford.co.uk). They provide mostly British organic produce straight from the farm. The boxes are then collected the following week to be used again.

I can't speak highly enough of them. It has changed our eating habits having this committment to get through a whole box of seasonal produce. We've learnt to cook better and more inventively, and understand nature a bit better too. Every week the box comes with a newsletter giving you news from the farm and ideas and obstacles from their journey towards ethical farming. It's a good read.

We pay £11.50 for a medium-sized veg box which does us (two people) for a fortnight, about £4 for a fruit bag (also fortnightly), and £7.50 for a fruit box (on alternate weeks). It took us a while to work out what amount we wanted to order and when, but Riverford is very flexible and they let you change your order online or by e-mail if you want to.

The fruit is obviously more expensive that the ordinary stuff from the supermarket, but it is far nicer and fresher so it lasts longer. The veg is amazing! I don't know how it compares for price (about the same I think), but it lasts ages because most of it is picked the day before it is delivered and it tastes wonderful.

But the best thing we have found is that getting the box has changed the way we eat and shop. With that much veg in the kitchen we tend to eat less processed food, saving money on the weekly shop. We now wander or cycle down to our local Waitrose to do the rest of the shopping. Our shopping list is now really simple because we eat mostly organic veg!

I think Waitrose is the most ethical supermarket (and we don't have a Co-op in walking distance) and they reduce the fresh meats and breads after 6pm! If you buy their cheapest brands you get better quality that the Tesco Value range without paying much extra. Things like recycled loo roll come from Savers. We use EcoBalls in the washing machine so that saves weight of washing powder on the walk home.

I have a problem with Lidl etc because I think they build horrible buildings in areas that should be improved and they try to cut staff costs as much as possible. I don't think that is ethical. People should be a priority. And also, a lot of their food is really processed and contains things my husband is allergic to (dairy products and MSG).

I think part of the reason people believe they need supermarkets is because they can't imagine how to feed themselves without packaged food. I know it is almost impossible to live without it now, but how much of it do we need? We don't even have a freezer (not for ethical reasons - the landlord just didn't provide one) and can't have ready-made meals anymore because of the aforementioned allergy, but we've found food to be so much more fun and enjoyable since we became obssessed with our veg boxes!

Aliktren

Ditto, I cannot recommend Riverford enough, and without doubt for us it saves us money, and I'll tell you why:

1) The portions are huge, take purple sprouting broccoli, you get a weany portion of non organic PSB in a big chain that well over a pound, with Riverford you get a HUGE bag that lasts 2-3 meals on its own, and it's organic!!.

2) You never waste anything, it's not only so gorgeous you dont want to waste it, but there is an inherent guilt (at least for us) it not eating everything as it's been so lovingly grown, as the previous poster has says, it will make you a better cook, and more healthy in the process

3) It takes ages to go off, so it's extremely rare anything goes bad in the fridge and has to be ditched, unlike tescos, etc.

Taste is a subjective thing, for us, there is simply no doubt that the food tastes better, so all round it's a complete win-win, the packaging it arrives in is minimal, and the box is recyclable, the people who deliver it are friendly and helpful, for us it's a perfect product.

In terms of "what supermarket", thats the wrong question, the question is "what do you buy" - buying organic apples in Sainsburys from South America makes no sense when British orchards are being ripped up (to me anyway).

Personally we use Sainsburys for everything, they have a good Organic range (the tinned tomatoes are awesome), meaning since we pledged to go organic, I can now buy almost everything direct from Sainsburys (except fresh Veg!), and for us they are our closest supermarket, minimising the amount of time and fuel we burn getting to the supermarket. However, it's important to check the labels, make sure you are buying British where possible. Since last year Sainsburys price-wise are quite a bit closer to Tescos than they once where.

Our aim over this year is to move almost entirely to both organic, non supermarket purchased food, no exactly "moneysaving", at least in all cases, but definatly greener and healthier (and better for small businesses trying to fend of the big chains)

John

RichyRich

Lidl's Ethical Policy

tr3mor

rackstar wrote:

I have a problem with Lidl etc because I think they build horrible buildings in areas that should be improved.

How would you suggest we improve these areas? How about building some fantastic architecturally stimulating garden to get filled with gangs of kids, homeless and drug-users?!

rackstar wrote:

they try to cut staff costs as much as possible. I don't think that is ethical. People should be a priority.

They pay their staff more than a lot of places, I think their general staff have a starting wage of around £5.20, which I'm sure is more than most other supermarkets and local businesses.

rackstar wrote:

And also, a lot of their food is really processed and contains things my husband is allergic to (dairy products and MSG).

Sorry, that's just not the case.

Some of their "ready-meal" type things have MSG etc in them, but then so does every other stores, and I wouldn't give a ready meal the time of day in the first place.

Things I buy from lidl - Cold Meats: Much better quality than any equivalently priced supermarket stuff, mostly with no added water. Sausages: Their premium sausages are great, all made in the UK, no MSG. Bacon: No more added water and salt than other supermarkets. Tinned veg: Great, good quality, cheap. Fruit and Veg: Good cheap stuff most of the time, less "perfect" than Tescos!

Me and my girlfriend are both students, not exactly on the breadline, but we can eat healthy home-cooked food for £20-30 every week. Why would I want to go to Waitrose and spend twice the price for the same stuff?

EDIT: In addition, Lidl charge for carrier bags, so most people don't use them. I use an empty cardboard box in the boot of the car for weeks until it falls apart, then I pick up another!

RichyRich wrote:

Lidl's Ethical Policy

Anyone who links to a zealously socialist paper expecting an un-biased fact-based discussion on ethics is either a moron, or the same kind of person who would link to a PETA article to back up a view on animal cruelty, otherwise known as a moron!

Debt_Free_Chick

I used to be a fan of Riverford, but they are rapidly becoming like a supermarket. In particular, they no longer commit to supplying local food, but will happily transport it all over the country.

As with all these things, there's a compromise to be had in being green. Riverford is better than many, but not without its faults.