Aldi or Lidl?

jimbo_the_jetset

Had issues with Aldi veg before, doesn't seem to stay fresh very long, i.e. not very fresh in the first place. Some other good buys are Olive Oil, rice, pasta, tinned toms are great, beans ok, tuna, biscuits good, non brand cereal same as branded stuff and of course the non brand booze which is often essentially the same stuff

meanmarie

Both Aldi and Lidl are in my local town and for some reason which I cannot define I prefer Lidl.

Paying for bags is not an issue here as all plastic bags are taxed at €.22c

Find that fruit and veg are good quality and quite a bit cheaper than Tesco

Flour is cheaper although not as much as it used to be...went from €.49c to €.89c in a couple of weeks.

Fruit juice is excellent, quality and price wise, as are herbs, ketchups and tinned tuna, sardines and mackerel.

Pasta is cheap, so is beer and wine, frozen pollock is good value at €6.99kilo.

I haven't been able to get white vinegar, dried pulses or strong bread flour, but regularly use their mozarella at €.69c for 125g...their parmesan and pecorino was around €10 kilo at Christmas, which is less than half what I could pay for it in other shops.

I do most of my shopping in Lidl now, with perhaps a monthly trip to Tesco or Dunnes to get cat food ( he won't eat anything from L or A) , or breakfast cereals we like.

You won't recognise many of the brands, but they are worth trying (in keeping with MSE spirit)

Sorry for ramble....

Marie

noonesperfect

I wonder if there are regional difference which make some of the stores more disappointing than others.
It's further away than any other supermarket for me but I usually go about every 6 weeks.
I will only buy Aldi's marmalade, it's exactly how I like it.

egon

I prefer Lidl to Aldi. (Goes the same for Germany!)

There is definately a regional difference for all the shops (I haven't seen the kilts-was on BBC news a few days ago- on sale in Worcestershire Lidl's):rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl: )

I actually do a monthly online shop in Tesco (Monthly meal planning) and then top up for fresh stuff in Lidls twice a week. This seem to work fine for us.

Pennylane

I go to Lidl more often than Aldi. I LOVE Lidl! They are getting more brand names in - a couple of years ago it was all foreign names - now I can buy proper Marmite, Heinz Baked Beans and Hovis Best of Both Bread.

The fruit and veg is great - like any supermarket, sometimes you have to pick the best - and I don't think it can be beaten on price.

I love their potato salad, their natural yoghourt with choc flakes in, their Pecan & Oat brekkie cereal and I used to love their tinned grapefruit but have not seen that stocked for months.

I spend about half my weekly shopping bill in there and the rest in our local village shops - butcher, baker and family supermarket. I also spend quite a bit at local egg (free range) & veg stalls. I do think it is important to support your local shops.

deebee

I agree, Lidl and Aldi both do some nice items, but being on a budget at the moment as I am not working I stick to Mr T - not because it's cheaper, but because you can use money off coupons without buying the item, this way, I tend to get a £15 spend down to around £5, and if you go for their two 4 ones and 1/2 price items at the moment, it keeps your spend in check! have a look on the online and offline vouchers forum

HTH

oliveoyl

I've recently started going to both Aldi and Lidl and am really pleased with both places. Is Netto meant to be the same? I went in one of them a bit ago and thought it really scruffy and disorganised - it was in a really rough area though so might have been an exception to the rule.

maman

I'm really fortunate as I have Aldi, Lidl and Netto quite close to me. Agree with the poster that said they sell lots of 'stuff' rather than just food items. I haven't been to Netto for a while but when I did it seemed best to stock up on branded goods that were on offer and some of fruit and veg seemed good value. Aldi I go to for their excellent dishwasher tabs and moisturiser at (I think) £1.89 a jar. As a treat I buy OH 'tear and share brioche' which he tells me is wonderful and cheaper than Waitrose. While I'm there I notice that lots of things are same price or more expensive than Mr A or Farmfoods where I usually shop. Things like herbs/spices, pesto and antipasti also quite good value in Aldi. Lidl I like for cooked meats and frankfurters. Posters say they have reasonable priced pasta. In general, I think these stores (for me) are OK for specific items but if they're not close to home and if you need one stop shopping then major supermarkets might prove cheaper in the long run.

What do you think??

oliveoyl

I think it's strange that they have all these 'bins' full of non-grocery items... personally I can't be bothered to look in them now (I did have a shufti the first couple of times I went in but didn't get anything), it's just like going in a pound shop or the like, but less organised.

So far I'm pleased with the Lidl yoghurt (joghurt), jam, pulpy orange juice, antipasti and tortellini, and Aldi cereals and cheese, and both have a good, cheap selection of fruit and veg.

mardatha

Is it possible to get a full week's shop in Lidl or Aldi ? I have always used them just for odds and ends that were cheap or that I forgot to get in Asda. Things are getting ridiculous lately..:mad: