Good and bad buys from Aldi and Lidl

Charliezoo

Middy wrote: »

Has anyone tried Aldi's Appleby Chicken Breasts stuffed with caramelised red onion and mozzarella wrapped in black forest ham? They have ones with spinach and ricotta as well.

Yes I bought them yesterday, really nice! I just ate one cold with salad and it was delicious but I bet they're lovely warmed up. They're brilliant for £2.99 for a pack of 2 when you compare it to the cost of buying the chicken breasts, ham, etc. I'm going to buy more later for tomorrow's dinner!

They didn't have the spinach and ricotta ones in my store but I'll look out for them.

Wood.Justin

We converted to ALDI from ASDA in Feb and haven't looked back. We buy everything from there now and haven't really had a bad experience! The savings are great and I love how quiet the stores are.

I love finding the 50% off stickers on freezable items, perfect opportunity to go "mad" and stock up!

My fave items include:

Curly Fries are great
Wedges are also great
Snackrite 30 pack of crisps are nice
Instant noodles are better than leading brands imho
Soupreme oxtail soup is yummy
Diet coke we actually prefer this now vs. the branded ones

The list could go on and on as we buy everything from there, absolutely love it!

Thrifty-Maya

I used to shop in all major supermarkets, depending on their current deals. We've got two young children so things like nappies or baby wipes used to be a deciding factor.

Since new Aldi opened near us I started shopping there and surprise, surprise I managed to save almost 50% on our weekly food bill. This phenomenon is mainly due to the fact that I also changed how I shop. There is no BOGOF deals or anything like that, which usually makes you buy more than you need. I don't buy their ready made food as I try to cook from scratch anyway.

Vegetables and fruit are fresh and really good quality. I even started buying Aldi's own products such as ketchup, mango chutney and baked beans. There is really hardly any difference in taste when you compare it with leading brands!

Nappies are great too and quite cheap in comparison to pampers.
However, I still like going for an occasional treat to Waitrose! But now I can as we save so much on a regular shop.

Lugh_Chronain

Lidl's W5 stuff is probably as good as their equivalent in the supermarkets. Don't really do my main shop in either Lidl or Aldi though have found a lot of stuff much cheaper than what you get in the big supermarkets.

You might also find the following helpful as well:

Great What/What Not to Buy at Lidl, Aldi and Netto Hunt

Supermarket Own Brand Guide

mySupermarket - if comparing prices in other stores, make sure to jot down the prices on a piece of paper, or whatever, before visiting any stores as they can get quite stropy if you're seen comparing in store. I was confronted by a security man in Aldi's once.

mySupermarket also has an Add Price Alert option as well. Click on any image, click on Add Price Alert, they should then send you an email once the product price drops. You'll also see a graph under the item image you've chosen, this will show when it was last at it's lowest price.

HotUKDeals - consider searching from time to time.

Supermarket Special Offers UK-Deals - not sure about this one as I've only just discovered it.

Ellejmorgan

I don't agree op nappies are cheapest in Tescos or Asda..

PLRFD

I agree own brands can be good but veg is poor at times at Aldi's in Sheffield.

Edwardia

Used to buy Formil from Lidl which was a Which? recommendation. However, bought some Ecover on offer at Sainsbos and it worked better.

Don't recommend the fresh organic semi-skimmed milk in Lidl it tastes really really watery. The Heirloom organic tomatoes are nice though.

PenguinOfDeath

We've recently started doing our main shopping at aldi/lidl instead of asda, still a master of trial and error at the moment! Some observations so far:
Aldi Aberdeen Angus rib eye steaks, gorgeous :-)
Aldi sesame seed bagels were a bit solid, I did freeze these then defrost on a warm day, not sure if this would affect it at all
Aldi a version of Cheerios I did not rate at all, tastes too 'corny', like those kelloggs corn pops, yuk!
Love the frikadellen you can get in both, good as burgers or meatballs with pasta
Just about to try above bagel with lidls Milton gate smoked bacon, will report back!

showmethemoneyuk

I do alot more shopping in aldi than lidl (partly because one is bigger than the other) but I have started to use these stores far more than my usual (tesco) when it comes to the basics. I like the fact that these stores sell a fair amount of local food too (meat and dairy), and of course as a result the prices tend to be far lower-often less than major supermarkets own branded items. Sometimes I wonder if so many of us turn our noses up at cheaper items simply because of an embedded belief that more expensive or well known brand names will always mean 'better', when thats not always true. Some believe the cheaper cereals dont taste as good, but then, that may well be due to less sugar, salt, or artificial flavourings, so may even be healthier.. but thats not a quote, always check the packet if youre concerned, lol.

I have found nothing wrong with their good selection of meat, bread, fresh fruit, fresh vegetables, oven chips, and bathroom items such as toilet roll, but as with any store, cheaper tinned produce can be a bit hit or miss (higher in salt, thinner sauces).

I love the fact that they are able to copy the graphic design of many major brands items almost exactly (arguably most obvious when it comes to items such as their own cereal boxes in comparison to kelloggs) to give the public a cheaper alternative Id doubt if the 'original' brands are likely to be too happy, and am surprised no action has ever been considered-but then, if these stores sell some of their items in aldi or lidl also, that may just be the most obvious reason why. The fact that aldi or lidl are usually the cheapest place to get some big brand products (usually as one off special buys, alcohol etc), is a nice plus too. I agree, shop carefully, no store is perfect, so when it comes to saving money or getting the most for your money, one 'major' store with either aldi or lidl is a great choice for your shopping.

The only thing im not so keen on in these stores-those tiny trolleys

recovering_spendaholic

Charliezoo wrote: »

Yes I bought them yesterday, really nice! I just ate one cold with salad and it was delicious but I bet they're lovely warmed up. They're brilliant for £2.99 for a pack of 2 when you compare it to the cost of buying the chicken breasts, ham, etc. I'm going to buy more later for tomorrow's dinner!

They didn't have the spinach and ricotta ones in my store but I'll look out for them.

i have never seen these in my local aldi - are they frozen? One thing I worry about when buying the frozen chicken dishes in aldi is whether or not they are British chicken - do you know if these are?