Sainsbury's Basics good/bad items

gin

Not sure if mentioned before but the Basics snack rolls (pack of 12 for 35p) are nasty and stale-tasting. I got them for my children's packed lunch but no one would eat them (not even me). I used them to make a bread pudding in the end.

lostinlost2

gin wrote: »

Not sure if mentioned before but the Basics snack rolls (pack of 12 for 35p) are nasty and stale-tasting. I got them for my children's packed lunch but no one would eat them (not even me). I used them to make a bread pudding in the end.

I was going to try these the other day actually as they were all out of 6pk crusty rolls. But won't touch them now:)

seeke

Just want to put in a word for basics instant mash. It's probably the cheapest on the market. 20p odd for 250g, and it's excellent. Really useful for making fishcakes,croquettes &etc and like all dried potato, convenient.

I think the "hard cheese" for pasta, and mozzarella are damn good for the price too.


Edit: Just now read a post by Dunholm who said almost exactly the same as me re the potato. Sorry, didn't mean to be unoriginal!

recovering_spendaholic

seeke wrote: »

Just want to put in a word for basics instant mash. It's probably the cheapest on the market. 20p odd for 250g, and it's excellent. Really useful for making fishcakes,croquettes &etc and like all dried potato, convenient.

I think the "hard cheese" for pasta, and mozzarella are damn good for the price too.


Edit: Just now read a post by Dunholm who said almost exactly the same as me re the potato. Sorry, didn't mean to be unoriginal!

I am another one who thinks that the basics instant mash is great. I am disappointed because it jumped in price from 19p to 29p in a week last week. I always have it in my cupboard and yesterday I made a lovely cheesy mash with it - it didn't taste at all "instanty" IYKWIM - mind you I added loads of butter, cheese salt and pepper. There is some left over and I will make potato cakes with it in the week. When I make mashed carrot and swede I always add a couple of tablespoons of it dry to the mash and it makes it not watery.

carlyh69

After having a good read through this thread I went shopping this morning and filled up my trolley with lots of basics!

Spent 60 pound, but i got a massive trolley full of basics and special offers, salmon fresh filllets 4 pack are half price at £5 at the moment!

mardatha

Yaaaay! stocked up for winter now - just top up what you've used every week now.

Kei

Read back through a few pages and could not see this product mentioned already, apologies if it has been. I am really pleased with the basics yoghurts, and was so surprised when I tried them! They only come in 2 flavours in a pack of 4; peach and strawberry. But they are 35p per pack and taste just like one of the branded versions which retail at about £2 a pack!

Only just moved down to trying basics and have been buying the mini scotch eggs and sausage rolls which OH seems to like. Also bought basic chicken and veg pies yesterday so will ask tonight if they were any good!

Basics mushrooms and other seasonal veg are fine; maybe just a bit odd shapen or a bit more dirt.

Tried basics bin bags once and they were awful; the bags kept splitting and all the cat litter was leaking out........ yuk.

studentbargainhunter

I'm a student and over the past 3 years have been trying out a lot of the basics products. Here are my thoughts:

Chopped tomatoes - excellent, no different to other brands.
Bananas - good but they are not the cheapest you can get per 100g.
Potatoes - fine, sometimes strange shapes/sizes but that is not usually a problem.
Chocolate mousse - lovely and because there is more air in it it is actually lower in calories than most other mousses!
Creme caramel - love these too.
2% fat fruit yoghurts - absolutely fantastic and great value, love both flavours.
Beans and sausages - I really like these but I love the taste of those cheap sausages, may not be to everyones' tastes!
Peppers - good but as with all basics veg, not necessarily the best value per 100g.
Eggs - fantastic value although not free range.
Jaffa cakes - just as good as the originals! Everyone I know agrees
Spaghetti (tinned) - good, similar to other tinned spaghetti.
Mozzarella balls - good.
Red kidney beans - great, rinse them first though.
Curry sauce - horrible, nasty consistency and poor flavour.
Soft cheese - good, tastes like other brands. Pity they don't make a low-fat version too. Good in a cheesecake.
Diet lemonade - I loved it but my friends hated it.
Yorkshire puddings - good, a little small but taste good.
Strawberry jam - not for me but my boyfriend likes it.
Mushy peas - good, not as good as chip shop versions but just as good as other tinned versions I've tried.
Milk/dark/white chocolate - EXCELLENT, I use these to make homemade chocolates/truffles for Christmas presents and for cooking. I don't like the milk chocolate that much but the white chocolate is particularly nice on its own.
All purpose cloths - okay but aren't that thick.
Long grain rice - pieces are a bit broken but good.
Digestive biscuits - okay, great for making a cheesecake base.
Bread (can't remember which ones I've tried but several kinds) - not good, very soft and airy.
Coleslaw - I love it but it is not very creamy, which I prefer.
Sausages - I remember not liking these very much.
2% fat natural yoghurt - perfectly fine. Be careful if you order this online for home delivery because twice I've had it and it has exploded all over the rest of my shopping (and they only refunded the yoghurt although several other things were ruined ) - they have no plastic lid topper things like other yoghurts would do. But the yoghurt itself is fine.
Sweet and sour sauce - not for me but I am half chinese so probably more critical of chinese food.
Diced pork shoulder - I like it but it is quite fatty.
Toilet rolls - not worth it, very thin so not very good value.
Lasagne sheets - perfectly fine, as any other dried lasagne sheets.
Instant noodles - really not for me. I prefer the Nissin brand at about 3x the price, but they have a much better flavour.
Vinegar - vinegar is vinegar!
Seafood sticks - similar to other brands.
Cheese spread - I love this although it tastes very artificial.
Brie - okay. Not the best though.
Strawberries - I'd rather pay a bit extra to get better sized and tasting strawberries. These can be small and tasteless.
Plain flour - as any other plain flour.
Fruit and fibre - good.
Butter - I tried it ages ago and it was odd and split or something and was horrible. But had it again recently and it was fine.
Red wine - very low alcohol content but I actually really enjoyed it. Didn't taste much like wine though. Sweet and very very drinkable.
Vodka - horrible, but then I find most vodka horrible.
Pasta - not a fan but my friends like it.
Italian hard cheese (mine was in a container, think they might have changed this) - nowhere near as nice as parmesan. Not good.
Aubergines - not cheap. I can get far cheaper ones from local grocers. And odd sizes.
Mint sauce - fine.
Trout fillets - good.

Flibsey

16p pot noodles, fricking AMAZING.

jollymummy

Sorry if I'm repeating, so far we like the basics barn eggs at 69p for 6 - bargain. Basics shortbread fingers, chocolate chip cookies and digestives. Basics carton tomatoes and tinned sliced mushrooms are good too.
Also use the Italian hard cheese and mozzerella and the cheese selection packs, all good.