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

robrymond

Cornucopia wrote: »

Today, dishevelled display of crisps.



This is now the price in Aldi, too.

- Also, 2 Litre Double Concentrate Squash is back at Aldi - same price and packaging as before (85p). :T

- 4 pack Greek Style yogurt now has a new pack style (4x separate round pots) and is now "No Added Sugar/0% Fat" - in both Lidl & Aldi.

The squash never disappeared from ours, we just had the Irish one in a circular bottle.

minimalist_baker

Just started shopping at Aldi and surprised at how cheap and good certain items are. Although I hate the checkout experience!!

What are you favourite or essential items from Aldi that you always get and highly rate?

Mine are...

Ginger Nuts 25p - What a bargain and taste superb
Lacura Moisture Plus Shower Gel 85p 500ml - Smells lovely, about 40% cheaper than most branded shower gels even when on offer
Green Tea - Box of 40 around 80p. Again about 50% cheaper than Tesco or Morrisons
Bramwells BBQ Sauce 79p - Nice sweet taste
Castellore Pinot Grigio Puglia £3.99 - Up from £3.69 but surpirsingly good for the price

Cornucopia

I really like:-

- 5 pack of Lentil/Hummus/Quinoa bites. These are more expensive than the products they replaced, but are much better quality.

- French Brie (200g/85p) - I prefer the current Aldi product to the similar Lidl one.

- Felafel - 9 for £1.29 (much cheaper than other stores, including Lidl).

- Everyday Essentials Dark Chocolate (30p for 100g). It's not "posh chocolate", but it is very nice.

A._Badger

Really too numerous to mention these days - Aldi gets most of my grocery shopping.

I do agree about the BBQ sauce - one of the best and absurdly cheap compared with branded types.

Without having sat and thought about it in depth the best buys that spring to mind would include:

Own brand baked beans (always been a strictly Heinz-or-nothing type in the past!)
Tomato puree
Light Olive oil
Chocolate (especially the hazelnut and almond varieties)
Frozen peas (yes, really. Very good, Very cheap, British grown)
Non-bio washing powder & dishwasher tabs
Aberdeen Angus sirloin steaks
Fresh limes & lemons
Vodka!

I'm saving money on all the above and getting excellent quality. There are some 'meh' Aldi products for me (their peanut M&M clones should be banned) but they are few.

Sewsosew

Loads of things

Baking powder
Butter
Jams
Gin, great selection
Washing liquid
Washing up liquid
Dishwasher tablets
Red lentils
Cooking oils
Ground coffee, half the price of others
Toro Loco red wine

candygirl

Pollycat wrote: »

Me too (although it was only a TV mag so once a week).
Cans of pop in the space now in our store.

Same here, TV Choice :rotfl:

VfM4meplse

Breaking news...Aldi pesto is now[STRIKE] 65p [/STRIKE]59p. Unless its changed radically, its just as good as Lidl's own brand. Handy to add some interest to sandwiches.

A._Badger

VfM4meplse wrote: »

I have mixed feeling about these, because you need a lot of brambles to get a little fruit in return. On reflection I am glad the ones I bought from Poundland (same brand as was sold in Lidl at a few pence less) didn't take.

Actually, one of the great advantages of the Tayberry is the considerable amount of fruit it carries. If you buy a 'stick in a a bag' (which is what most of the supermarkets sell), grow it on in a pot for a year and then plant it in soil. It will romp away and produce a lot of fruit in a couple of years. As Aldi et al sel them you will have to wait a few years - but they are amazingly cheap.

Tayberries, incidentally make possibly the best jam of any berry fruit I know but it's almost impossible to buy from commercial sources. The only one I've found is, believe it or not, Fortnum's who charge an obscene price for it.

Lifes_Grand_Plan

Does anyone here buy the Ham Offcuts from Aldi (or Lidl if they do it?) The meat quality seems to vary but sometimes looks as good as the deli counter stuff I get from Morrisons. We can spend £4 - £5 on Deli Ham in Morrisons some weeks so tempted to try the Aldi off cuts.

Only concen I have is its a big pack and it says you should eat it within 24 hours of openning. Unless you're feeding a family of 15 or catering for a party, I can't see how anyone could reasonably do that.

So looking for feedback if people do stick to the 24h thing or not. And why it would even be such a short life once openned?

Doc_N

Lifes_Grand_Plan wrote: »

Does anyone here buy the Ham Offcuts from Aldi (or Lidl if they do it?) The meat quality seems to vary but sometimes looks as good as the deli counter stuff I get from Morrisons. We can spend £4 - £5 on Deli Ham in Morrisons some weeks so tempted to try the Aldi off cuts.

Only concen I have is its a big pack and it says you should eat it within 24 hours of openning. Unless you're feeding a family of 15 or catering for a party, I can't see how anyone could reasonably do that.

So looking for feedback if people do stick to the 24h thing or not. And why it would even be such a short life once openned?

I’ve tried it and although the packs vary as to contents, pick the right one and it’s excellent quality.

I’d probably stick to the use by date, because use by means exactly what it says, but plenty of people take a chance (I have!) and have no problems. Depends how risk averse you are.

The reason? These are offcuts and presumably rather more prone to deteriorate.