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

Brie

And isn't it the Aldi mince pies that always come first in the taste comparisions??

Rosa_Damascena

Brie said:

And isn't it the Aldi mince pies that always come first in the taste comparisions??

Those are the ones! They tasted different last year though, as if the brandy had been spared. So naturally I topped up.

pumpkin89

I really wouldn't bother with the Specially Selected mince pies - unfortunately I didn't get to try them in the year they won the tasting, but this year they are dreadful.

Rosa_Damascena

pumpkin89 said:

I really wouldn't bother with the Specially Selected mince pies - unfortunately I didn't get to try them in the year they won the tasting, but this year they are dreadful.

I think Iceland's premium were better in 2019, can't remember much about Christmas last year.

GH 2021 taste test winners are listed here, the list includes Iceland, Lidl and Aldi - all premium - which is just as well because they are the most reasonable. I can't believe I'm seriously thinking about mince pies in October 

Elisheba

briskbeats said:

Back to the subject. I was in Lidl this morning and one of the super weekend offers is black bin sacks. There’s a limit of 6 per customer.

A man tried to buy about 20 packs. The cashier said it’s only 6. Man had none of it and manager had to throw him out.

Oh for goodness sake!  Imagine getting chucked out of Lidl over bin bags.  What a muppet 

Doc_N

Rosa_Damascena said:

pumpkin89 said:

I really wouldn't bother with the Specially Selected mince pies - unfortunately I didn't get to try them in the year they won the tasting, but this year they are dreadful.

I think Iceland's premium were better in 2019, can't remember much about Christmas last year.

GH 2021 taste test winners are listed here, the list includes Iceland, Lidl and Aldi - all premium - which is just as well because they are the most reasonable. I can't believe I'm seriously thinking about mince pies in October 

Every year I read those GH reviews, and the ones that appear in Which?, and all the other ones that are done. Every year they all reach different conclusions, and every year I try the different recommendations and regret wasting my money on them.

Like sausages, mince pies are a very personal thing, and recommendations count for very little, because we all have different tastes.

This year it’s home made all the way - I’ve yet to find any manufactured product that comes anywhere near them.

Rosa_Damascena

Doc_N said:

Rosa_Damascena said:

pumpkin89 said:

I really wouldn't bother with the Specially Selected mince pies - unfortunately I didn't get to try them in the year they won the tasting, but this year they are dreadful.

I think Iceland's premium were better in 2019, can't remember much about Christmas last year.

GH 2021 taste test winners are listed here, the list includes Iceland, Lidl and Aldi - all premium - which is just as well because they are the most reasonable. I can't believe I'm seriously thinking about mince pies in October 

Every year I read those GH reviews, and the ones that appear in Which?, and all the other ones that are done. Every year they all reach different conclusions, and every year I try the different recommendations and regret wasting my money on them.

Like sausages, mince pies are a very personal thing, and recommendations count for very little, because we all have different tastes.

This year it’s home made all the way - I’ve yet to find any manufactured product that comes anywhere near them.

Strangely I have more reverence for a luxury item when I have played no part in the manufacturing process. My own mince pies look good in theory but in practice are never as nice as shop bought, so I'll let the experts get on with it. I won't let a skills gap here interfere with my festive enjoyment.

mikb

Rosa_Damascena said:

pumpkin89 said:

I really wouldn't bother with the Specially Selected mince pies - unfortunately I didn't get to try them in the year they won the tasting, but this year they are dreadful.

  I can't believe I'm seriously thinking about mince pies in October 

Yes, it's shocking to be thinking about them. You should, of course, be eating them!

briskbeats

Myself I find too many commercial mince pies - pastry is too sweet for me.

If you don’t want overly sweet pastry. I like Sainsbury’s instore bakery £1 for 4. Plus freezable 

Rosa_Damascena

I went a bit mad on the spends at Aldi earlier. They now have 1.5kg bags of (wonky) carrots for 45p, plus plenty of Specialbuys homewares I needed.

What I can't recommend is the kitchen touch dustbin, it seemed a good but at c£15 but isn't, because the lid springs up without provocation.