Good and Bad Buying at Lidl and Aldi (***Please don't expire***)

Pollycat

Thumbs up for Aldi Ultimate burgers.

I usually make my own burgers but thought I'd try these and they cook up very moist - maybe because of the addition of bone marrow.

Not cheap at £2.69 for 2 but they are 6oz each.

maman

od244051 said:

Opened Aldi’s Alcafe Barista Moments Americano (Aldi’s version of Nescafé Azera) earlier this week. The lid is of poor quality as can see the white lines where I have opened the tin. I can see it break in the next few times of opening. 

I think they're trying all ways to cut costs. I buy cottage cheese regularly and they stopped putting the replaceable plastic lid on top. So, unless you want to eat the whole tub in one go then once the foil lid is peeled off it's not resealable. Fortunately I got wise to it early on and have kept some spares. I'm sure they'd offer a 'Greenwash' explanation if asked. 

harz99

maman said:

od244051 said:

Opened Aldi’s Alcafe Barista Moments Americano (Aldi’s version of Nescafé Azera) earlier this week. The lid is of poor quality as can see the white lines where I have opened the tin. I can see it break in the next few times of opening. 

I think they're trying all ways to cut costs. I buy cottage cheese regularly and they stopped putting the replaceable plastic lid on top. So, unless you want to eat the whole tub in one go then once the foil lid is peeled off it's not resealable. Fortunately I got wise to it early on and have kept some spares. I'm sure they'd offer a 'Greenwash' explanation if asked. 

Same as the 6 pack lo-fat yoghurt, they've scrapped the cardboard sleeve so you have to be careful when handling the pack that one doesn't come open at a corner.

od244051

I understand the plastic lids on cottage cheese and big pots of yoghurt as other supermarkets have got rid of these. The cardboard sleeve in multipack of yoghurts is a silly idea to get rid of as it’s more likely to be recycled than the lids. As some councils don’t recycle any plastic unless it’s bottles (milk, soft drinks).

What about investing in some silicon food covers or transferring contents into a tuppaware or similar style pot? 

203846930

Lidl have scrapped the plastic tray that held the cherry toms, now they are just in a bag and last time I bought them, 4 toms were damaged.

od244051

duncanthedog said:

Lidl have scrapped the plastic tray that held the cherry toms, now they are just in a bag and last time I bought them, 4 toms were damaged.

I have kept several of the small punnets and larger ones (plums) to keep things like tomatoes etc in them

Cornucopia

duncanthedog said:

Lidl have scrapped the plastic tray that held the cherry toms, now they are just in a bag and last time I bought them, 4 toms were damaged.

I saw that a couple of weeks ago, but then they came back.   Maybe they are supplier dependent?

I've seen a number of price reductions around Aldi recently (the ones with the red price labels).   In particular, the Slimming World-style frozen ready meals are now £1.79 - which is a big saving over £2-3 for the real thing at Iceland.

In a comprehensive winter test of L&A cup soups, I rate Aldi Minestrone as best overall (and exceptional VFM at 35p for 4 sachets).   

I also discovered Aldi Salmon Paste courtesy of one of James May's food videos.   Not only highly nostalgic, but 70% salmon for 25p.  

mikb

I'm not sure how ALDI are managing it -- over the last couple of months a number of items that were already cheaper than equivalents at Morrisons have dropped further in price, while Morrisons are quietly popping prices up!

Cornucopia

There are a few creeping-up prices in L & A, but mostly only 10p here and there, and some things have now been the same (low) price for as long as I can remember - for example the 79p Brie Cheese (both L&A).   

Some things are occasionally repackaged to provide "different" value.   For example, the "Value" Cheddar Slices in Lidl have been re-packaged at least 2 or 3 times in the past couple of years.   They are now 12 really thick slices for £1.49.

I imagine that some of it is down to having close relationships with suppliers, such that seasonal or other market price reductions can be passed on easily to L & A.  

Rosa_Damascena

Cornucopia said:

duncanthedog said:

Lidl have scrapped the plastic tray that held the cherry toms, now they are just in a bag and last time I bought them, 4 toms were damaged.

I saw that a couple of weeks ago, but then they came back.   Maybe they are supplier dependent?

I've seen a number of price reductions around Aldi recently (the ones with the red price labels).   In particular, the Slimming World-style frozen ready meals are now £1.79 - which is a big saving over £2-3 for the real thing at Iceland.

In a comprehensive winter test of L&A cup soups, I rate Aldi Minestrone as best overall (and exceptional VFM at 35p for 4 sachets).   

I also discovered Aldi Salmon Paste courtesy of one of James May's food videos.   Not only highly nostalgic, but 70% salmon for 25p.  

Interestingly I much prefer the Lidl version - same price. Aldi's tastes bland in comparison.