Sainsbury's Basics good/bad items

nelsen · 4 March 2008 at 1:46PM

Hi,

After reading http://www.moneysavingexpert.com/shopping/cheap-supermarket-shopping#downshift I thought it might be useful to list the Sainsbury's Basics items that are/aren't worth trying. Apologies if this exists already, I had a good search before posting! Here are the items I've already tried:

Good items:

Monkey nuts (500g for £1.19)
Sweet peppers (500g for about £1)
Carrots (2kg for 99p)
Potatoes (5kg for £1.76)
Canned chopped tomatoes (21p per can)
Canned kidney beans (14p per can)
Oranges (68p for a kilo, really sweet and juicy)

Bad items:

Bananas (they had a weird petrol-like smell, may have just been a bad batch)

Feel free to add to these. Kudos to anyone who dares test the basics curry sauce...

John

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Patr100 · 4 March 2008 at 4:41PM

Basics Chocolate Ok .

Basics Lasagna - Avoid - Awful - nothing like the picture or a normal lasagna - all runny.

falady · 4 March 2008 at 5:20PM

basics low fat natural yohurt is good. about 39p for a 500g tub last time i went in (a month or two ago)

calleyw · 4 March 2008 at 6:31PM

I like:

Chocolate mouse
Creme carmel (sp?)husband eats them not me as they are gross to me
Jaffa Cakes
Bacon

Think that is it at the moment

Yours

Calley

coupon_collector · 4 March 2008 at 8:18PM

I used to eat Basic white 100g chocolate bar that was lush almost as good as a milky bar but now its awful. I am guessing because the manufacturer has changed as it used to be made in Israel but now its made in the UK.

Recently I have been getting basic bags of fruit chews (200g) for 59p to take to those freebie preview films. That is nice but can be a chewy comed to starburst or chewits. They come in strawberry, orange, lemon and lime flavours. My gf tried the fruit foams at 39p but didnt really like them.

My mum buys basic bio washing powder which works just as well as any other brand, think thats £1.49?

Basics sliced loaf at 37p is ok.

Basics blackcurrant and apple squash at about 19p a ltr concentrate bottle is good and the orange flavour is very nice too.

Basics chocolate digestives(around 25-40p) are yummy and so too are their custard creams.

Basics chilled orange juice and longlife orange juice are drinkable but not as good as their dearer rivals, they do not taste as sweet.

Depending on the variety I find basics apples are nice, same with potatoes.

Basics sugar free cola- absolutely vile! The lemonade version is ok for mixers etc but I wouldnt drink it on its own a bit too bitter for me and gassy.

Basics ready salted crisps- taste like ready salted crisps!

Basics chocolate wafer bars- about 39p for 6 they taste lovely just like the nestle version! There is also a caramel version-yuk! but may be to others taste?

Basics 2ltr vanila ice-cream- not very nice at all

Basics ice lollies come in a pack of 10 in lemon,strawberry and orange about 40p and are absolutely delicious. I have also tried the Tesco Value version and they are disgusting.

Any chance of a Asda smart price thread too if one is not already up or if it is could someone kindly post the link up to save me looking thanks.

P.S. great thread lets keep it going
P.P.S. Asda Smart Price BBQ marinade at 66p is to die for, make a good caserol dish

secretsaver · 4 March 2008 at 11:09PM

Great idea! These are my regulars - basically because they are such good value - ie a bargain but without impaired quality. With things like the mouthwash I thought it was a bit mild first time, but soon got used to it - especially when some brands are TEN times the price!!

Basics Tomatoes, 450g - 53p Quality: Great!

6 Basic Breakfast Muffins - 57p Quality: Good.

Basic Baked Beans - 20p Quality: Good
(AND LOWER CALORIE, LOWER SALT AND LOWER SUGAR THAN HEINZ)

Basics UHT Skimmed Milk - 44p Quality: Great!

Basics Mouthwash 500ml - 49p Quality: Good

Basics Shampoo 1000ml - 27p Quality: Reasonable

Jon Freda is £17.80 for the same quantity - SIXTY-SIX TIMES AS MUCH :eek: - Surely has to be worth a try - even if not for every wash?!

richt71 · 4 March 2008 at 11:29PM

I treated myself to a bag of basics cashew nuts the other week. Smallish bag but filled up..lots of bits and peices but tasted just as nice. 99p special the other week.

earthmother · 4 March 2008 at 11:34PM

Only have one to add to the list -

Basics soft cheese (Philadelphia style) 47p for 200g - ok as a base with other foods (I mix it with tuna to make sandwich filling as no-one here likes mayo), but not enough flavour or texture to eat on it's own.

By weight, the next Sainsburys label up the scale is much nicer for not much more.

auntymabel · 4 March 2008 at 11:41PM

Basics beetroot slices in vinegar not so vinegary as other brands which is a plus for me. I've had a jar of Basics curry sauce in the cupboard for a few months now but haven't bitten the bullet and tried it yet. One of the assistants said it's really nice and you can just put it straight onto food on the plate like you would use ketchup.

ka7e · 5 March 2008 at 1:54AM

Good -
Basics Tomato Ketchup, DS is avid Heinz fan and can't tell the difference.
Onions, tend to be on the small side but taste just the same as the large ones!
Tasty cheddar cheese, good medium-strength flavour.
Tinned tomatoes, fine for cooking in sauces etc.
Tinned fruit, great for trifles and kid's puds.
Bio washing powder, great - use it all the time. Not highly scented and dissolves easily in the drawer.

Bad -
Mild cheese, too bland (but my kids liked it when they were younger).
Tinned sponge puddings (though I may be mixing this up with an Asda basic one) was one of the most disgusting things I've tasted in a long while!
Washing up liquid, looks nice and thick but is totally rubbish at getting rid of grease. You end up using 4 times as much as the normal stuff so it's not economical either.

Patr100 · 6 March 2008 at 1:28PM

The bacon isn't bad - I don't mind their basics mild cheese but then I'm not one for strong cheese flavours usually anyway -

Also try their tuna, I had a tin a while back and thought it was OK with mayonnaise -just got another tin - it's just that the size of the tins of the more expensive stuff is smaller and convenient for a sandwich.

Sainsbury's Basics good/bad items

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