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

YoungBlueEyes

Aldi lurpak is good, I buy it. I like the decaff teabags, not sure about the normal ones.  Their "Gianni's triple choc icecream" is worth the money too  

deejaybee

Ta YoungBlueEyes, have to pop over there for a few things, so ill check those out.

YoungBlueEyes

No bother. I was going to write a list of all the things that are good, but honestly I'd be writing it forever. Easier to tell you what I wouldn't spend any money on - the only thing that comes straight to mind is sausages. It was last year so I may be misremembering (they may even have been Lidl ha haa!). Pork with caramelised onion sausages were pretty poor. Skins far too thick and the meat was gristly. It could have been a bad batch but I've not risked any sausages since. The meat is good in general though - bacon/gammon/joints of pork or beef are all fine.

Actually one thing I don't buy is washing up liquid, it's too thin and you need a good big squirt of it to be of any use. I stick to Fairy. 

Brie

deejaybee said:

Just wanted to ask if the Aldi version of Lurpak is ok ?   and what about their own brand T-bags ? ( used to buy the Stockwell T-bags at Tesco, they made a decent cuppa imho.

Is the Red Wine well rated at Aldi ?  we tend to drink Malbec or similar....

I don't buy Aldi tea but do get Lidl Assam which is very nice.  And I don't recommend Aldi coffee pods but the Lidl ones are great.  This is assuming you might have a Lidl as an alternative of course.

I prefer the white wine available at Aldi way over that at Lidl - unless Lidl has Gruner Veltliner.  The Aldi Alsace Cremant was always excellent and they also sell excellent Canadian whites (Niagara region) occasionally.  The reds are also very good at Aldi - admittedly I no longer normally drink reds (tannins!) but will succumb if we're doing a wine infused casserole of some sort.  

YoungBlueEyes

Sorry this is a bit off topic, but I can't drink red wine either Brie. I don't know if it's tannins or sulphites or what it is but it makes me want to flay myself alive   I use Marks' red wine stock pots in my casseroles, I'm fine with them. Maybe an alternative if you have a Marks near you?  

HillStreetBlues

YoungBlueEyes said:

No bother. I was going to write a list of all the things that are good, but honestly I'd be writing it forever. Easier to tell you what I wouldn't spend any money on - the only thing that comes straight to mind is sausages. It was last year so I may be misremembering (they may even have been Lidl ha haa!). Pork with caramelised onion sausages were pretty poor. Skins far too thick and the meat was gristly. It could have been a bad batch but I've not risked any sausages since. The meat is good in general though - bacon/gammon/joints of pork or beef are all fine.

Actually one thing I don't buy is washing up liquid, it's too thin and you need a good big squirt of it to be of any use. I stick to Fairy. 

I tried the pork & apple sausages, as they were 30% off,  they were lovely , so moist will be buying them again even at full price.
The Lidl mayo I found is too runny, making a tuna mayo mix turned into a bit of a slop. I need a thicker one, as I add a touch of lime juice and some sweet chilli sauce.

Pollycat

HillStreetBlues said:

YoungBlueEyes said:

No bother. I was going to write a list of all the things that are good, but honestly I'd be writing it forever. Easier to tell you what I wouldn't spend any money on - the only thing that comes straight to mind is sausages. It was last year so I may be misremembering (they may even have been Lidl ha haa!). Pork with caramelised onion sausages were pretty poor. Skins far too thick and the meat was gristly. It could have been a bad batch but I've not risked any sausages since. The meat is good in general though - bacon/gammon/joints of pork or beef are all fine.

Actually one thing I don't buy is washing up liquid, it's too thin and you need a good big squirt of it to be of any use. I stick to Fairy. 

I tried the pork & apple sausages, as they were 30% off,  they were lovely , so moist will be buying them again even at full price.
The Lidl mayo I found is too runny, making a tuna mayo mix turned into a bit of a slop. I need a thicker one, as I add a touch of lime juice and some sweet chilli sauce.

I've tried a range of different Aldi 'best' sausages.
All the skins were very tough and too peppery (odd as we like seasoning) so we've gone back to Tesco Finest.

deejaybee

Only a small top up shop today at Aldi - got the Norpak, and the madagascan vanilla ice cream, plus a few other bits and bobs.

Was gonna get the cheap decaf tea, but i drink so much "normal" tea that i worried about going cold turkey from no caffeine haha ( would prob sleep better though.. )  So i got the English breakfast tea 50 for £1.09, deffo not a bargain but tea is a big part of my life   which i cant compromise on - a decent cuppa to be fair.

Ta for the feedback everyone - will be sticking to Aldi from now on as the other big store in town is Waitrose.

Apart from when Uber eats send me - spend £25 and get £15 off deals...which i use for a local Coop.

Rosa_Damascena

Brie said:

deejaybee said:

Just wanted to ask if the Aldi version of Lurpak is ok ?   and what about their own brand T-bags ? ( used to buy the Stockwell T-bags at Tesco, they made a decent cuppa imho.

Is the Red Wine well rated at Aldi ?  we tend to drink Malbec or similar....

I don't buy Aldi tea but do get Lidl Assam which is very nice.  And I don't recommend Aldi coffee pods but the Lidl ones are great.  This is assuming you might have a Lidl as an alternative of course.

I prefer the white wine available at Aldi way over that at Lidl - unless Lidl has Gruner Veltliner.  The Aldi Alsace Cremant was always excellent and they also sell excellent Canadian whites (Niagara region) occasionally.  The reds are also very good at Aldi - admittedly I no longer normally drink reds (tannins!) but will succumb if we're doing a wine infused casserole of some sort.  

I have already a learned to avoid "foxy" wines thanks to you @Brie !   

What Canadian white do you recommend? Am heading for the east coast shortly. (Obvs no Aldi here, I'll sample from the source).

maman

While we all have different preferences, I like the Aldi skinny sausages and, for a vegetarian option, the frozen Plant rosemary and red onion are every bit as good as Linda Mccartney but massively cheaper.

The Magnum washing up liquid is Good Housekeeping recommended and as good as Fairy. I expect it's the larger, cheaper washing up liquid that is thin and less effective.