Tesco Value Experiment

michaelvintner

Hi Jackieb, just saw your post and had to mention that the custard creams are fantastic. 5/5.
Never buy them because I would eat the whole pack in about 5 mins.

jackieb

I agree about the custard creams. My son also like the bourbon creams, but I don't like them as much as Tesco's own - the value one's seem to be drier. We prefer the jaffa cakes to the McVitie's ones though. I prefer the biscuits(cakes?) harder.
My nephew can't get enough of the strawberry yogurts or the orange juice.

shed_head_2

We had tesco value "Bone in pork leg" for tea. It was very delicious!

JoJoB

Tesco value salad potatoes for tea last night - no difference to branded stuff whatsoever. 5/5

Hubby is not overly keen on the value cornflakes though.

cwp500

for a really healthy and satisfying meal check out the dried goods you can get in any of the main supermarkets.

Morrisons do really cheap pack of mixed dried beans; these need to be soaked overnight and boiled but are worth the effort and can be used in curries, soups, casseroles, and chiles.

Sainsburys dried butter beans are cheaper than tinned and last forever. likewise split yellow peas, red lentils and dried barley. Fabulous for soup mixes, casseroles and butter beans can even be used to make a humus substitute for dips.

The dried pulses are full of vitamins, protein and essential roughage

Learn how to make a really basic soup base mix and you will always have something hot to fall back on.

scotrae

My latest TV discovery is the 'malt loaf' @ around 20p. It's not as dark and intense as the brand leader but is very tasty and moist all the same. Suffice to say I've bought it twice now telling my son we're going to try it instead of his favourite - and eaten it all myself before he got to try any!

Sarahsaver

If you slow cook the value sausages in a can of value lager, a chopped onion and a chopped apple the flavours will surprise you, goes down well with mashed potato.
I am glad students still cook the same sort of stuff I used to in the early 90s as a student. The media leads us to believe students are all materialistic and lazy, clearly not the case. Pasta with tinned toms and garlic was one of my faves, or red lentils mixed with rice

smartie1976

The only thing I can see that's not going to be cost effective is something like chicken, where they're injected lets of water.

Check the water content before buying to see actually how much meat content there is. It'll prob surprise you once you've worked it out.

If you can buy (for example) TV 4 breasts at £4, but the water content is 25%, you're effectively getting 3 breasts for £4. Whereas the other stuff may have less water and be more expensive, but work out similarly priced overall.

Next time I go I'll have a look.

pollyskettle

My favourite recipe ever is my almost-TV cottage-ish pie! I fry 2 or 3 if they're small TV onions til soft, add 500g or so 'normal' mince ( tv mince is not very nice imo), fry til brown, drain off excess fat then add:
1 tin tv chopped tomatoes
1 tin tv baked beans (plus any left in fridge!)
1 tbsp or so tv vinegar (I don't know why it works, but it tastes miles better with it in there - 2 tsps tv pickle does the same but you get pickle lumps )
As much worcestershire sauce as comes out with a darn good shake of the bottle!
ditto tv ketchup (prob about a couple of tbsps, but never measured!)
crumble on oxo cube or 2 (depending on how many I have)

simmer gently for 15 mins (or until you remember you've put it on, but no more than 45 mins!), meanwhile chopping and boiling as many tv potatoes as will fit in my largest saucepan, then add:

1 or 2 tin/s tv sliced carrots (foul on their own, lovely in this!)
1 or 2 tin/s tv peas

simmer for another 5 mins.

Tip about half or 2 thirds into a large lasagne dish and the rest into foil containers for freezing (half fill - I normally manage an extra 3 large portions in these).

Mash boiled tats with a good dollop of tv butter (or any other dairy type spread) and a good splash of milk til lovely and creamy. Chuck on top of mince mix in lasagne dish and foil containers.

Cook lasagne dish full for about 20 mins at whatever oven happens to be on (180-240 ish) til tats go a bit crispy.

Voila, feeds 5 of us (2 adults - one of whom can eat his own body weight in a sitting, 1 9 year old with hollow legs, 1 8 year old and a 5 year old with a healthy appetite) for 1 night with 3 large portions to freeze (defrost before cooking and chuck in oven as above).

If I'm feeling nice and/or rich, I bung some grated cheddar and crushed ready salted crisps on the mash before throwing in oven.

This is very VERY filling!

Costing:

Mince £1.40
Onions £0.14
Worcestershire Sauce about £0.05
Ketchup about £0.02
Carrots £0.12
Peas £0.12
Potatoes about £0.90
Vinegar about £0.01
Baked Beans £0.20
Oxo Cube £0.07
Butter £0.10
Milk £0.05
Total: £3.18 for at least 8 large portions (5 in lasagne dish - although we have leftovers for 1 there too, 3 in foil), more like 10 or 11 normal portions (I find the foil containers too much for one, would do 2 children easily). Obviously using 2 tins of each veg makes it go much further!

ETA This can obviously be made using fresh produce, and sometimes I do, but it's my 'oh !!!!!! no shopping til tomorrow and no fresh stuff left in the house again' recipe for a Thursday!

EATA 2 tins tesco potatoes thrown into tbsps or so Schwartz Bombay spice fried with an onion til soft (onion - not the spices!) with a tin of tv chopped tomatoes and cooked for about 5/10 mins is blooming delicious and much less hassle than peeling, chopping and boiling potatoes when trying to make a curry and all the trimmings! Using 3 tins potatoes means bombay pots for lunch next day too.

blue_monkey_2

On the back of this thread I ordered some TV stuff when shopping. Oh, and I only just worked out what TV was and thought you was all buying from elsewhere, LOL!!

I have justed tried....
TV Fun Fruits Sweets - OK for the kids
TV Digestives - yes, quite good 4/5
TV Rich Tea - OK, not McVitites though!! 3/5
TV Chocolate Digestive - very good 4/5

Oh my, feel sick now!! I got the ketchup to try but generally use the TV flours for cooking, orange and apple juice. I need to get back onto WeightWatchers plan (tomorrow :rotfl: ) as I still have a few pounds to lose from xmas and the spring is coming so I find the TV canned fruits are higher in sugar as they are in syrup rather than juice, I do have the peaches though. I am allergic to a lot of fruits, but can eat it if canned!!

I am sure there is more we use but I can't remember at the moment. i agree on the chicken though and you can usually get some chicken on special for the same price.