Sainsbury's Basics good/bad items

staceysteve

Hi, Great thread!

For me good items are:
Ham - surprising I have found no difference
Frozen mixed veg - needs a bit more cooking than it says on the pack but ends up good
Apples - really nice, small but perfect for my son
Cheese (full flavour) - bit waxy but good when there aren't any good offers on
Diced Pork shoulder - I was dubious, say it in one of their recipes and tried it in a casserole, was lovely!
Chicken Breasts (not frozen) - I see no difference with normal Sainsbury's chicken.
Salsa
Batter mix - makes great pancakes!
Eggs - can be small sometimes but otherwise good!
Toilet Paper - I begrudge paying money to flush it down the toilet quite literally! so I am glad this is good.
Tinned Chopped tomatoes - no difference
Bagged Sweet Popcorn - get as a treat for us when we wana watch a movie instead of spending over £3 at the cinema!
Frozen prawns - really titchy but I used them in a curry and they were lovely.
Stir fry veg - again I saw it in one of their recipes tried it and I saw no difference - although there isn't a major price difference think its only 10p
Garlic bread baguette - again no difference
Neapolitan Ice Cream - no difference

Bad items: not that many that I tried so far but:
Mint Sauce - very watery and sour
Vanilla Ice Cream - I put this here but I'm not sure - it is white and not as good but my son eats it and likes it

Overall I think Sainsbury's Basics is better than Tesco Value - much better selection and I will continue trying more of it also.

harttss3

The Sainsbury's Basics shortbread fingers are a steal at 12p per pack - kids love them! I also find the all-purpose cleaner (not sure of current price, used to be around 30p) very versatile and effective for use around the house!:j;)

TravellingAbuela

Basics fresh minced beef is much nicer than the Basics frozen minced beef.

DFWJane

Digestives - nothing wrong with the taste but put them up against other basics digestives and they are smaller!

mike_paterson

sh1305 wrote: »

Is it just me, or is the prok shoulder rather chewy?

You need to remove the packaging and then cook it

lizzy1950

Decided a long time ago to try the basics. At those prices it really doesn't matter if you decide you don't like it, and have gradually been swapping most items. Basics vegetables are usually great, and in casseroles, stews and soups save a lot of money. Fruit is usually good too. Doesn't matter if they are odd shapes and sizes. Have used the basics flour for everything except bread, as it is not a strong flour. The only real dissapointment is the bullet like baked beans, that are two-thirds juice, so I avoid those. Basics yoghurt is ok for use in cooking. As a vegetarian I haven't tried meat myself, but have used some for dogs, who don't notice the difference. My advice is gradually work your way through, and that way you won't mind the few pence for any dislikes. You'll be amazed at the quality.

FaloolaChong

Been using a few things for a while now but they seem to be getting a few new things in the range since christmas.

Tried the diced pork this week- it was excellent, not a bit of fat on it and casseroled a treat!

And the blueberries appear to be new and are a steal at a £1...gorgeous

adele31

Basics Fruit
Apples, oranges, bananas, pears, aubergine, onions, carrots, courgette, baby potatoes, sweet potatoes, brocolli (if you can find it) strawberries in summer - all lovely

Basics Tinned
Kidney beans, tomatoes chopped or not, peaches, madarin orange segments

Cold meats - Sliced chicken breast excellent - a bit of a whif comes from the packet when you open it but great for sandwiches

Fridge - petit filou - lovely and only 45p! NAtuaral Youghurt - a bit runny but lovely

Baking - Basics white flour - excellent

Treats - all of the chocolate, fruit chews, apple pie (a bit thin but hey!) swiss roll

Biscuits - digestives and choc, jaffa cakes (lovely) caramel wafers

Bread - muffins, tea cakes, pancakes all good

Cleaning - bleach is ok don't use any washing powder

Freezer - white fish fillets - (lovely baked in oven with ginger, tomatoes, grated carrot and courgette) peas (great for making soup)

Sauces - mint sauce is lovely!

Toiletries - baby wipes - ok for the car/ handbag

We buy all of these regularly would recommend switching on all these products

Angie_T_2

Bad - Garlic Bread - think someone forgot to put the garlic butter in here as I could nto taste any. Big disappointment, Guess you get what you pay for!

rcpbiggles

Angie_T wrote: »

Bad - Garlic Bread - think someone forgot to put the garlic butter in here as I could nto taste any. Big disappointment, Guess you get what you pay for!

That's a shame - I wonder if you got a dodgy one? I cooked one yesterday and it was great!