Sainsbury's Basics good/bad items

Bublin1

The Basics popcorn is fab. £1 for a huge bag and tastes just as good as Butterkist Cinema Sweet.

The huge bag of frozen Chicken Pieces is also great value for money.

Patr100

T2010 wrote: »

Is back! 13p tasty and packed with rice.

It never was away at my local store. But now down to 12p!

I got 3 tins! Bit excessive I know but had one and saved the others for later.

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mal4mac

Patr100 wrote: »

Indeed, The loose bananas are at current prices , better value. Also better than my local street market "pound a bowl" traders.

All the major supermarkets sell loose bananas cheapish (even M&S). I always reckoned they are looked at as a loss leader, a commentator on the news confirmed my suspicions last week.

You must have a really stingy market where you are! I can get several kilos of bananas at mine "pound a bowl", but as they are ripe, being single, I'd throw most of them out... great for big families & gangs of students, though...

I tend to bounce between the market, Sainsbury's & Lidl for fruit. If you like russet apples, Sainsbury's have them at an excellent price in their basics range at the moment, and also some excellent (if small) juicy oranges. Lidl have excellent value on "fun size apples", £1 a kg, given the fun size you get 8 apples. Also onions are insanely cheap!

Anyone having trouble buying Sainsbury's basics shampoo? I've been in twice and the shelf has been empty. The girl said Tuesday was the best time to buy. But shouldn't they be providing enough so that every day is a good day?

I've found this to be a problem with several of the really good basics offers. Makes one wonder if Sainsbury's are limiting the supply of the best of their basics range to get people in the door, and then sell them something much more expensive... I assume this, which makes me angry enough to march down to Lidl

Another example is basics frozen red berries ... none there last time I Looked, with several other options at twice the price ( I went for Sainsburys basics sultanas... again... a great offer that always seems to be in stock... to give them their due...)

Anyone else selling shampoo at 40p a litre?

mal4mac

LoneRifle wrote: »

I tried it a while ago when I was a student. As it says on the box, cleans, no added promises

I run the Back to Sainsbury's Basics blog, but am currently unable to update it till mid-July. If you're interested in contributing content (mostly recipes, browse there for ideas), perhaps relating your experiences with the Basics range through what you cook, send me a private message and we can take it from there!

I wasn't too happy with Sainsbury's own brand tabs. Ariel and Daz came top of the last Which report I read, with Lidl (Formil) getting a honourable mention. I tried Ariel tabs,then Formil, both cleaned well. One problem ... I needed to crush the formil tabs to get them in a state to fully dissolve... hence I went for the (cheaper again) "big box" of powder... just one wash so far but it went very well... powder dissolved... wash was just as clean.

Upsidedown_Bear

mal4mac wrote: »

Anyone else selling shampoo at 40p a litre?

Tescos are:

http://www.tesco.com/groceries/Product/Details/?id=256354822

Asd* sell 500ml for 20p:

http://groceries.asda.com/asda-estore/search/searchcontainer.jsp?trailSize=1&searchString=smartprice+shampoo&domainName=Products&headerVersion=v1&_requestid=254663

polkadot90

The jaffa cakes are nice. The cake part isn't as spongy as the higher priced ones but they still taste good.

MrSaverM

Patr100 wrote: »

Indeed, The loose bananas are at current prices , better value. Also better than my local street market "pound a bowl" traders.

Shopped Sat 16th Feb, Sainsbury's Shrewsbury

Basics Apples, all in one box, pre-pack of 4 small russetts, £1.20, weight 500g.
Shelf above, larger russetts, £1.90 per kg. Equivalent for 500g = £0.95.
Sainsbury's difference +15.8% for the Basics

Bananas Basics Fairtrade pre-packed 8 bananas, £1.15, weight 1.3kg.
Loose fairtrade, choose your own size and condition, £0.79 per kg - equivalent price for 1.3kg would be £1.03
Sainsbury's difference + 11.6% for Basics.

We complained:
"Ah, the Basics Apples don't say russetts on the pack, just Apples, so you can't compare". The fact they were on a shelf immediately below the loose russetts and there were no other russetts pre-packed or otherwise is seemingly irrelevant.
"The Basics bananas are pre-packed so you can't compare to loose ones." So for the priviledge of having someone (or some machine) put 8 bananas of varying shape and size and condition into a plastic bag (which bananas don't need anyway), means I pay 15.7% more than if I choose them myself.

I believe most shoppers think Basics means cheaper.
Draw your own conclusion.
Trading Standards reading this? Misleading labelling??

cara_gleeson

What's the basics frozen meat like? Such as the lamb chops, chicken fillets etc?

dasophster

I can heartily recommend the basics cashews, not so good for just eating but for making a veggie/vegan Parmesan equivalent (most Parmesan isn't even vegetarian as contains rennet). Now the free from parmesan is no longer available. All you do is get the following items

1 bag Sainsbury's basics cashews
1 teaspoon salt (the cashews are salted but not very much)
1-2 teaspoons garlic powder (or you can omit the added salt and add garlic salt instead)
Half a cup measure nutritional yeast (Marigold Engevita is the most widely available) you could add a bit more if you prefer

Bung them all in a food processor and whizz until the nuts are chopped and everything is well mixed don't overdo it though as it will go clumpy. Store in a plastic tub in the fridge it should keep for 2-3 weeks-though it may start to lose flavour after a while. It doesn't taste exactly like Parmesan but does taste cheesy and moreish nonetheless and costs under £2 for about 250g xx

laloola

Good Buys

Baked Beans - subsequently the Beans and Sausages
Jaffa Cakes
Bacon
Fresh Tomatoes
Chocolate Mousse
Natural Yoghurt is good for a curry - not sure on its own
Cream Cheese - Just as nice a Philly
Minced Beef - Can be a bit fatty, but drain off
Chicken Breasts - Very nice for the price
Turkey Breasts - Lovely for the price
Strawberries - If eaten on the day or day after they are nice, but go off quickly
Vodka - goes nicely with some Coke
Seafood Sticks - gorgeous!

Bad Stuff

Apples - Normally all bruised when I go

Can't think of anymore off the top of my head, but i'm sure there are loads.