Good and bad buys from Aldi and Lidl

littlemissbossy

Stompa wrote: »

Yesterday I picked up some Aldi Crunchy Granola Bars (Maple Syrup). They're clearly a copy of the Nature Valley bars, but much much better - seriously yummy!

I tried these the other day, they were good but they were that hard I had to check I still had all my teeth afterwards :eek:

Stompa

littlemissbossy wrote: »

I tried these the other day, they were good but they were that hard I had to check I still had all my teeth afterwards :eek:

Yes, when they say 'crunchy' they really mean it!

Stompa

pattycake wrote: »

I have not tried the malted bloomer but bread is one thing we never buy at our local Aldi. Whichever loaf of any type we have got in the past has invariably been stale. Don't know if it is how they store them or what but they are a waste of money.

I'm not sure I've ever had stale bread from them, but IMO bread does seem to be their weak point. It's a pretty dismal selection.

mcculloch29

littlemissbossy wrote: »

I tried these the other day, they were good but they were that hard I had to check I still had all my teeth afterwards :eek:

Indeed... but they are nice, as stated! I came across a good method of doing a variation these on the Net so going to try it, using Aldi ingredients, of course.
All the bags of nut and fruit mixes are good, though the walnuts that were in with the shelled brazils and almonds have disappeared. They are over in a different bag in the baking section, for a higher price, c'est la vie.
I made a few really good pizzas using Aldi tortillas as the base, following a You Tube video. All toppings sourced from Aldi, fresh sausages, tomato puree, fresh spinach, sundried tomatoes in oil, grated cheese, tinned anchovies, sliced fresh mushrooms, capers (were a Specialbuy, bought reduced).

Worth a try, especially if you are yeast - sensitive, as tortillas are yeast - free or, if like me, you like your pizza bases very thin.

Cornucopia

Lidl is the place for Nuts. They are about the same price as the big supermarkets, but for about twice the quantity.

And they have slightly exotic variations like Pecans and Unsalted Pistachios.

Cornucopia

Stompa wrote: »

I'm not sure I've ever had stale bread from them, but IMO bread does seem to be their weak point. It's a pretty dismal selection.

If they're not selling much branded bread, and they don't have an in-store bakery then I guess there isn't that much else they can do.

The Tiger Bread is nice (and can be eaten with or without browning it in the oven). A Brown version of that would be good.

maman

pambler wrote: »

We've been getting the Malted Bloomer in our Aldi for ages - I love it, but you have to go at the right time, because they tend to fly of the shelves straight away.

I buy the soft wholemeal and its perfectly acceptable. I used to waste money in Sainsbury's on Hovis Seed Sensations but got fed up of it going mouldy within a week. I find the turnover is so good that the Aldi loaf always lasts the week which is about as long as it takes us to eat it.

pattycake

maman wrote: »

I buy the soft wholemeal and its perfectly acceptable. I used to waste money in Sainsbury's on Hovis Seed Sensations but got fed up of it going mouldy within a week. I find the turnover is so good that the Aldi loaf always lasts the week which is about as long as it takes us to eat it.

Clearly our local Aldi do something to their stock of bread because I can honestly say we have never had a nice loaf from there. They are next door to Home Bargains so I get the Kingsmill wholemeal from there at £1.

VfM4meplse

maman wrote: »

I buy the soft wholemeal and its perfectly acceptable. I used to waste money in Sainsbury's on Hovis Seed Sensations but got fed up of it going mouldy within a week. I find the turnover is so good that the Aldi loaf always lasts the week which is about as long as it takes us to eat it.

Honestly, with Sainsbos it's always best to buy the bread for pennies (YS) and then freeze in portions. Works for me!

Has no-one tried the sauvignon?

mcculloch29

Scritti wrote: »

It's usually by the ready meals (shepherd's pie etc). About 89p.

It's not the best but it's better than Smash. But if you can get Smash for a quid, maybe best to stick with that as you'll get more out of it. The Aldi one is "fresh" though, not freeze-dried.

Ahh.. that explains it. I think I had seen this stuff, I don't think I've ever tried it, from any freezer. Just one of those things that it doesn't occur to me to buy. Thank you. At least I know I wasn't going daft when I couldn't find it freeze - dried!