Supermarket value ranges - what's hot and what's not?!

I'm_With_Stupid

From my student days. Most supermarket brand cola or lemonade is pretty good (not the value stuff, just the own brand for about 40-50p for 2 litres) but the diet version usually let's it down.

Anything where you're using it in cooking rather than actually something that you eat should be fine.

Any of those standard biscuits like digestives, rich teas, custard creams, nice, bourbons etc. And I always find the choc chip cookies nice. Exactly how much chocolate they have in is another matter.

Tinned vegetables and fish are pretty good in my experience (somerfield new potatoes in particular).

If you're only using it in mixers, cheap vodka, white rum, gin, peach schnapps and coconut rum instead of paying extra for Smirnoff, Bacardi, Gordons, Archers and Malibu. Anything that is branded, yet still only 37.5% rather than the usual 40% isn't worth the extra money. There's no difference in taste (which doesn't stop people insisting on having the "proper stuff" referring to Smirnoff when I offer them a choice between Smirnoff and some of our premium vodka when I'm behind the bar at work - much to my amusement). I don't know what the value stuff is like, but you can save a couple of quid if you go for the cheaper brand, with no difference in taste.

Any none-food product obviously. I got a Tesco Value sponge for my car for 29p and a set of 4 glasses for 99p.

Oh and in tesco, never touch the value flapjack. One bite, and all of the moisture will be instantly sucked from your mouth.

And I disagree with the person that said that this thread is useless. Sure there are plenty of examples where the own brand stuff is pretty much the same product in different packaging (spaghetti, beans etc). However, I don't think the value ranges are ever the same stuff that Heinz put in their tins. And of course it's all opinions, but that's what the OP asked for.

shirefairy

Would recommend Sainsburys Basic:

rice cereal - taste more like cheerios than rice krispies but tasty
salmon fillets - RSPCA Freedom food scheme as well!
trout fillets
Long grain white rice
Mild cheddar
Orange juice - counts towards 5 a day & less sugar than regular
Breakfast juice - counts towards 5 a day
Tortilla chips
tinned plum tomatoes
digestive biscuits
custard creams
bananas - £1 for 8 and fairtrade as standard
Tinned kidney beans
Loo rolls
kitchen rolls

Also noticed that some of the basic things have less sugar and salt than the named brands.

TheBex

I only really do tesco, so here's my tuppence worth:

Brilliant:
Kidney beans
chopped tomatoes
dark chocolate digestives (the best money can buy in my opinion)
butter
chocolate (but use it for cooking)
brocolli (but the stem is my best bit)
juice
vodka for punch
pasta and spaghetti
flour
batter mix (cheaper than making it!)

never, ever
any bread based product, esp frozen pizza erg.
lager. Hahaha!
ice cream
cheese
loo roll
eggs - disagree with battery eggs

TheBex

oh yeah and rating the tortilla chips too!