What Value things have you tried and liked?

rachbc

i'm happy with value for some stuff but not others. Oats, golden syrup, flour - basic stuff that hasn't be fiddled with. I always use good pasta - garafarlo or de cecco or similar and tend not to buy processed stuff anyway. Tinned toms I have found aldi passatta is cheaper and much better than value chopped toms

dizzypink

I buy most of my shopping now as own brand or basic range. I think I have tried most of it, some good some awful.

Beans,spagetti, chopped tomotos always buy basic from Mr T, Mr A or Mr S. Actually found the beans much nicer than heinz!
Dried pasta, very good from any of the basic ranges.
Cereals, always own brand, We didnt get on with any of the basic ranges but they are fine for baking eg cornflake cakes.
Toothpaste, basic working fine and youngest daughter prefers it as not too minty.
Washing powder, was alright at a push but not if the clothing was very stained. My 2 boys really proved that.
Lady products, better than I thought they would be, again if short one month they will get you through.
There are loads more but dont want to bore everyone.

I would always say try it, the money invested wont break the bank if it turns out horrid and as originol poster said sometimes the basic ranges are way better than you think.

Dizzy

freyasmum

meritaten wrote: »

I'm an Aldi shopper and find most of their products just as good (if not better) than the branded. I can get almost everything I need or want and only need to do a small top-up Tresco shop about once every two/three months and only spend about £25 - mainly on things like oxo cubes and those items Aldi just doesnt stock.

Thing is, both Lidl and Aldi are German supermarkets and the German's don't tolerate rubbish so of course they're gonna be decent.

It's just that a lot of people who point blank refuse are snobby - and that's their own dumb luck. My exes parents, for example: his dad point blank refused to even have a walk around Lidl far less buy his beer there (which was exactly the same brand, but half the price) in case they'd done something to it to make it cheaper!? :rotfl:


Perhaps it will change with the Aldi/Lidl scenario. Afterall, didn't people used to look down on those who shopped in Tesco not THAT long ago?

I tend to be a sainsbury shopper but if I'm passing Lidl or Aldi, I'll wander in for a look - it's a bit too far to be a regular shop for me now.

There are some things that are perfectly fine as own brand - tinned tomatoes come to mind. The cirio tomatoes that I had last were almost like tomato puree and, while they're lovely and tasty, I had to use three tins rather than two of basics - which are a LOT thinner. I know that other people prefer brands specifically for that reason though.

By now, I've pretty much worked out what I like that is basics and what I don't - washing up liquid (fairy), toilet paper (rather like Nicky), tinned sweetcorn (I buy green giant on offer!) so I pick and choose.

The best value digestives used to be from Somerfield btw

meritaten

its not just the products - tho they are important of course. I actually LIKE not having to work out which brand/size/offer is more MSE! I also like their wide aisles and the fact that you go through the checkout at the speed of light! I am fortunate that the store I go to has very friendly helpful staff - am on first name terms with most of them now! Its also a VERY well run store - I have worked in retail myself off and on for over forty years now - and I can tell a well run store from one with hopeless managers/staff.
I have to say that I find that Aldi products are usually on a par or better than the branded. as for comparing them to 'Value' in most cases (especially with Adsa) they are far superior.
My SIL is a complete snob about shopping - nothing short of M&S or if she is slumming it Sainsbobs! and her food bills are DOUBLE mine! even though we tend to cook the same way and similar type meals!

MATH

Has anyone else noticed that more 'premium style' products are now available in value ranges. Tesco have always done value marg, but I noticed today value utterly butterly type spread too. A sign that the middle classes are now feeling the squeeze?

I'm seeing many more people buying value than previously and over Christmas value lines sold out and the finest stuff still sat there.

I've bought value for so long that when I won a tin of Heinz beans in a raffle (boy how we celebrated!) I had to water them down with some milk. All that quality was sticking to the back of our throats and felt to sticky lol

lil_me

IMO Aldi canned tomatoes are the nicest

EstherH

I agree about the Smartprice chocholate mousse. I bought some when there weren't any yogurts on special offer that we like and was really surprised atjust how nice they were. Esther x

sp1987

I find it really is product dependent. I cannot possibly drink cheap apple juice, it makes me heave and tastes how I would expect urine to taste (have not tried as the apple juice was bad enough :rotfl:). However tesco value orange juice is the one I like above pretty much most orange juice.

Same as tesco value trifles, love these, hate the expensive ones. However I cannot have even mid range corner style yoghurts, they have to be muller ones.

Tomato sauce, can manage a mid range supermarket brand (but only if OH buys it).I only buy Heinz now and would just use less if money was that great an issue on ketchup. Could never do value, would rather have none. Baked beans, either tesco value or heinz, cannot do branston or other mid range stuff. Both taste the same to me though, odd.

Some things you can get something better in a value range and some things you can taste that it is cheaper so much so you would rather not have any as per ketchup. Trial and error really and everyone is different (do not know anyone else who enjoys value orange juice).

Willow92

Value oats are brilliant, they make great flapjack Value UHT milk is pretty good too, it keeps really well.

mummyjane

I have started shopping more in Aldi and have been really impressed with lots of their own brand products. I love their free range chickens, half the price of Mr A and really tasty. I also love their gold coffee, I actually prefer it to Nescafe gold and find it much better than Mr A's own gold one. The only thing stopping me shopping their more often is the absence of delivery and the fact that it is in the next town and traffic there can take an hour each way sometimes. There are a few things I always buy basic/smartprice/value in:

Tomato Ketchup (kids very fussy but never seem to mind the cheap versions of this)
Chocolate mousse (as other people have said they are usually really chocolatey)
Kitchen paper - thinner but does the jobs I need it to do for half the price
biscuits - I swear they are often the same as the branded ones
kitchen sponges - so much cheaper it's ridiculous
mozzarella - for kids pizzas, they haven't noticed the difference between this and the expensive italian ones!

The list goes on...