What are the best and worst basics/value/smartprice own brand products out there?

lucystardust

Just been cheekily munching a few of the boyfriend's Morrisons Savers Choc Chip cookies. The taste is very similar to Maryland cookies, although they are slightly smaller (not a bad thing for me since it'll save a few calories!)

Middy

For a cheap pudding - check out Sainsburys' Basics Raisin Slab Cake. Its £1 and is huge. The cake has a very similar texture and taste to Madeira cake. It goes down well with jam spread on the sides then covered with custard.

pakokelso93

I'm glad I found this thread! :-) I'm 2nd year student with an even more strapped budget this year of about 50 quid a week, so looking to scale back on the 'dearer brands'.

Value/Smartprice pasta, tinned veg is all good. As is Tesco Value's 800g mince (costs about £2.50) is all beef and superb for splitting into 4 or 5 bags for the freezer to cook later date for bolognese etc.

At the mo with maybe a quarter of my weekly shop is smartprice, but still £25ish a week. I look at a receipt from last Fri most of my stuff was £1-1.50 max but then the odd things that price it up is fizzy juice, Shampoo etc. My experience as working class family kid in 90s etc days of Kwik Saves, Safeway 15p cola being the worst thing ever!!

I'm bit scared to try cheap tomato ketchup or salad cream. too me that screams dreadful. I've not tried in things such as cheap stock cubes, my mother also goes on about 'don't buy cheap things of that etc, it's awful' but you guy's with half a shopping list worth of stuff that is pretty good!


Not bumming up the student stereotype but I go out once a week maybe (all I can afford) for alcohol wise and not too fussy on vodka all the cheapest vodka's are not bad. Can't deal with cheap lager/cider (value anyway) usually but a fantastic tasting cheap lager (which isn't value) is Tesco's Biere special. 8x 250ml bottles is £2.75! Unbelievable!! :-)


Can anyone help with item's that maybe aren't value / smart price but are dirtcheap in say Aldi/Lidls but very good?

I do know in Lidl's their baked beans are the best bar none. Also another alcohol one, they sell 40% vodka for about 9 quid for 70cl lol

Clowance

pakokelso93 wrote: »

I'm bit scared to try cheap tomato ketchup or salad cream.

don't be afraid of value ketchup, been having the tesco one for years and its fine, although slightly runnier.

Chris25

pakokelso93 wrote: »

I'm bit scared to try cheap tomato ketchup or salad cream. too me that screams dreadful.

Clowance wrote: »

don't be afraid of value ketchup, been having the tesco one for years and its fine, although slightly runnier.

We recently tried Morrison's M Savers ketchup & I was pleasantly surprised - a little bit runnier than the brand leader but a nice colour and taste. I think it was about 22p a bottle.

wekslap

I don't know if this helps you, but Sainsburys tomato ketchup, ( the next one up from the no-frills one) was recently voted best ketchup in a blind tasting by Which, and that included Heinz and other famous brands!

wekslap

Sainburys Red label tea bags are great and I'm really fussy about my tea!

pakokelso93

I can chalk of tesco value cheap shampoo/conditioner. was awful on my hair!

skivenov

Morrisons value Battermix (or Bettabuy Batter if you find an old packet) - makes lovely pancakes

johnnyleeds

Certain things, regardless of how cheap it might be, cant really be anything but ok. I mean Tomato ketchup...? Its not rocket science is it, its a table sauce made from tomatoes / vinegar and sugar, so how bad could it be?

I've tried Asda / Sainsbury's / Tesco and Morrisons 'value' versions of tomato ketchup and they are all fine, most salad cream is ok too. Paying silly money for something just cos it says Heinz on it is lunacy. I wouldnt buy it even if I'd won the lottery cos the laugh of it is - it doesnt necessarily taste any better!

Asda's 'Smart Price' beans and sausages at £0.28p per tin are lovely, they are CHEAPER than baked beans! Plus things like tinned tomatoes / kidney beans etc show virtually ZERO difference between value ranges and brand leaders.

Things like stock cubes in the value range I've found to be perfectly ok. Other things like value 'cuppa soups' are rancid, but I wouldnt recommend any 'cuppa soups' or 'pot noodles', these things arent even fit for animal consumption!

Places like Aldi and Lidl are ok if they are the only thing on your doorstep. I used to shop at Aldi quite a lot and I can highly recommend the quality of their own brand products, but I dont shop there anymore as their range is limited and I can get more stuff for cheaper at my local Asda / Morrisons.

I know its a bit off-topic, but supermarkets are robbing people blind on the price of fresh fruit and veg, so much so that millions of children have never even seen the stuff, if you want fresh fruit and veg at reasonable prices then get to your local market where you'll find fruit and veg sellers with a much wider range of produce at a fraction of the price you'd pay in the supermarket. Infact if you go late in the afternoon you can pick up some incredible bargains, same goes for meat and fish.

Sadly I think the supermarket and the availability of processed foods / tv dinners has scared people away from cooking their own food from scratch. I can remember when I got 2 fresh seabass for £1 - YES £1 at Leeds Kirkgate market my wife was horrified cos they still had the heads and tails on... Of course when I served it up with garlic sauce / crushed Jersey new potatoes and baby vegetables she didnt complain!