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Lidl/Aldi brands v names brands

Name Changed

Does anyone have any good/bad experiences of Lidl or Aldi brands v named brands?

I was just in Lidl and but a load of stuff for next to nothing. However, I usually go to Tesco and get the named brands.

I presume stuff like fruit and veg would be the same quality in Lidl/Aldi as it is in other supermarkets. If anything, I find the fruit and veg better in Lidl/Aldi.

I am enquiring more into products that Lidl/Aldi sell such as their tomato puree, cartons of tomato paste, pasta, cooking sauces, this kind of stuff.

For example, I just bought these products for next to nothing in comparison to Tesco:

Golden Sun jasmine rice
Nostia sieved tomatoes (carton)
Glensallagh smoked bacon joint
Fresh meadow Organic pasta

Has anyone ever tried these brands and how do they compare to big name brands?

When buying sauces, I usually go for Uncle Bens, probably because of the name. I am thinking of trying the Lidl sauces but I'm a bit fussy and always ending up sticking to what I know. Do the Lidl ones compare in quality?

Milk is another thing I'm wondering about. I drink a lot of milk and only drink Avonmore, but it is particularly expensive.

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Name Changed

spurious wrote: »

LIDL are starting fresh bread - at least in their Fonthill shop - don't know if others are doing the same. Lovely pumpkin bread among others. Nyom nyom.

I got bread there during the week and it was as good as any I have ever had.

I got some cheap bread in Aldi on the Fonthill last week. It was barrel bread, I can't remember the brand. It was gorgeous. 99cent as far as I recall.

shinikins

S.R.F.C. wrote: »

So what you're saying is there's no difference between Lyons, McGraths, Barry's etc?

Ah no, you can't beat Barry's Gold Blend! There might be no difference in the quality but there is definitely a difference in the blend! A lot of the taste of tea depends on where the tea comes from, Barry's tea is mostly from India, and Lyon's from Kenya, major taste difference in the two.

guideanna

i alwas shop in lidl, never in aldi though just coz its not as local to me.
Love lidl, come out with bags of shopping where i'd only have 2 bags for same money in tesco.
Just go to tesco every other week now to get particular items we like that can't be got in lidl.
Lidl great for loo roll and other cleaning items, wipes, bleach, washing liquid.
Fruit and veg, cheaper than tesco and just as good.
Frozen wedges, we go through these by the bag load in our house and they're something like 70c a bag compared to about 2-3euro in tesco!!!

TBH would be lost without lidl the last few months things have been tight and we're trying to watch the pennies wherever we can!

Solair

Name Changed wrote: »

I'm a Lyons tea man myself. I must try these McGrats tea-bags. Heard good things about them.

Remember Lyons tea is made by Unilever, the makers of Persil, Comfort, Domestos, Flora, Helmmens Mayo and HB ice cream... hopefully not all in the same factory lol

ALDI washing powders and conditioners are made by Reckett Benkenser, same people who make Vanish, Finish, Cillit bang and lots of other household nanes. I've found them to be excellent.

rubadub

UK site here, but has lidl/aldi/tesco/M&S

http://www.supermarketownbrandguide.co.uk/

jill_valentine

Re: washing machine capsules, maybe it's just my imagination, but lately I think the Aldi/Lidl ones are very hard on clothes. I've started uh, splashing out, on name brands.

snubbleste

Aldi & Lidl Mayonnaise come top in a taste test in UK
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2132366/Food-thought-Budget-mayo-beats-pricey-brands-taste-test.html#comments

I've also found Aldi ketchup to be the nicest with a more tomatoey flavour than other ketchups.

mike65

Not food but....

Things like toiletries, liquid hand soaps, gels etc are grand and soooo much cheaper than the likes of Superquinn etc even their half price deals are often more expensive than a Lidl standard price.

leahyl

I find aldi dairy products great - cheese, yogurts, milk. In fact recently I got this app on my iPhone which allows you to scan barcodes to get the nutritional value of foods - so I was having great fun with this and decided to scan the yogurts I get in aldi (4 pack raspberry yogurts in an apple green packaging - can't think of name) and the description of what they are comes up on the screen also and lo and behold it said Danone Activia yogurts :-O!! They were half the price of danone activia!!

curly from cork

whats the app called please ?

Sergeant

curly from cork wrote: »

whats the app called please ?

If may be the myfitnesspal app which has loads of information on Irish products in its database. It shows that the Aldi Braeburn apples that retail for €0.69 are the exact same ones that retails for €2.49 in Superquinn. Aldi Specially Selected angus burgers are the same as the Superquinn gourmet burgers, and many of the diary products are the same as branded equivalents.

curly from cork

thank you:)

leahyl

Sorry for late reply, yes it's the myfitnesspal app - very handy:D

rubadub

2 items having the same nutritional value does not necessarily mean they are identical. I imagine apple producers might go by guideline figures as they are allowed be within a certain % of quoted values. So you could feasibly have granny smiths & pink ladies with the same info. Milk & cheese & meat could easily match other brands. Foods with mulitple ingredients are less likely to be a perfect match. You can also compare packets side by side and see if the ingredients are listed in the same order.

I worked loading trucks one summer and saw branded stuff coming out of the shamrock factory, for different supermarkets. A real give away is the tin shape, they are usually identical. Even then the quality might not be the same, they might use a lower grade of beans in one tin (not necessarily the supermarket brand). Or I hear some biscuit makers might bake them faster.

Name Changed

Anyone tried the Aldi/Lidl cooking sauces? Currys, etc? I tried the Lidl chilli con carne sauce and it was alright, as good as Uncle Bens in my opinion, and about 40% of the price.

fasttalkerchat

Lidl chicken fillets are better than all other supermarkets IMO. LIDL french fries are great, bacon, jam, chocolate, F&V.
The pasta and rice are spot on. Sweet and sour sauce is better than uncle ben's but the other sauces are average. LIDL shampoo is great value too.

Sergeant

fasttalkerchat wrote: »

Lidl chicken fillets are better than all other supermarkets IMO. LIDL french fries are great, bacon, jam, chocolate, F&V.
The pasta and rice are spot on. Sweet and sour sauce is better than uncle ben's but the other sauces are average. LIDL shampoo is great value too.

I like the free range chickens from Aldi. More expensive than battery chickens, but they actually taste like chicken, rather than a lump of tasteless protein with water added.

fasttalkerchat

Sergeant wrote: »

I like the free range chickens from Aldi. More expensive than battery chickens, but they actually taste like chicken, rather than a lump of tasteless protein with water added.

I haven't tried Aldi's free range chicken. M&S used to sell the same chicken as LIDL but then they switched, now its dearer and worse quality!

oceanclub

I was going to do a bit of drinks shopping for cocktails; does anyone if Lidl/Aldi have inhouse tequila and triple sec by any chance?

P.

xzanti

I love the bags of frozen chicken breasts from Aldi, great value.. I never bother buying fresh fillets these days.. I just defrost as I need them.

Aldi cheddar cheese, €1.69 a pack, can't go wrong and it's lovely cheese, same with the ham, same quality as you'd get in Supervalue etc and so much cheaper..

I do most of my shopping in Aldi these days, the only things I buy in other supermarkets would be my cosmetics, baby formula and nappies.

rubadub

xzanti wrote: »

I love the bags of frozen chicken breasts from Aldi, great value.

Do you know the weight & price of these?

I like semi defrosted fillets as you can chop them up really thinly very easily.

Zascar

I've been shopping in Adli a lot now as there is a new one near me. Pretty happy overall, some stuff is just lower quality, the pizzas and celeral come to mind, but the rest is generally good and many stuff is simply amazing value.

A few months ago there was a great deal on for 2x massive sealed angus fillet steaks for €10 - normally €14 I think. Great deal - and they were some of the nicestg steaks I'd ever had! Last week I got a savage deal on a massive sirloin for €5 so big it easily did two of us - and tasted really good as well! Here Is my half: https://www.dropbox.com/s/xvzaaee0h9l8bji/1335647013.jpg

However, yesterday I went to the new Lidl in Stillorgan, really big and great selection etc - but I bought the same €5 sirloin type deal - brought it home and cooked it exactly the same way, but it was like boot leather! Didn't taste great either. So disappointed. I have another one in the fridge so I'll give it a shot I suppose but I don't think it was my cooking. Temped to bring it back but really I don't want another if it's going to be the same, I want the one Aldi one really!

DM-BM

rubadub wrote: »

Do you know the weight & price of these?

I like semi defrosted fillets as you can chop them up really thinly very easily.

700g for €4.99

tSubh Dearg

I love Lidl's tins of plum tomatoes. Dirt cheap and excellent quality.

My other favourite is their cheap olive oil which I use for cooking, not great quality for using in a salad put perfect for chucking in a pasta dish.

Talliesin is always laughing at me for stocking up on loads of their chocolate for cooking with, but it's perfect for making chocolate brownies and other quick chocolate treats with.

The Hill Billy

o/ @ tSubh Dearg

Long time no see.

tSubh Dearg

Loha! I have come out of long term lurkage to post about Lidl and Aldi's amazing bargains

rubadub

DM-BM wrote: »

700g for €4.99

Very good, thats €7.13 per kilo if anybody wants to compare. Thats comparable to my butchers 10 for 10 deal, which usually are 1.35kg so €7.40 per kilo. Tesco value fillets are usually ~€9.50 per kilo

Tesco do frozen fillets too but they are full of soy protein & water to bulk them out.

olaola

Sergeant wrote: »

I like the free range chickens from Aldi. More expensive than battery chickens, but they actually taste like chicken, rather than a lump of tasteless protein with water added.

I've tried the free range chicken on a few occassions in Aldi (just in case there was something wrong with one batch) and I found them ALL incredibly tough! I've bought the whole chicken, the pieces etc. All the same, this is probably the only thing that I would not buy again in Aldi.

Gloomtastic!

olaola wrote: »

I've tried the free range chicken on a few occassions in Aldi (just in case there was something wrong with one batch) and I found them ALL incredibly tough! I've bought the whole chicken, the pieces etc. All the same, this is probably the only thing that I would not buy again in Aldi.

We've been buying the free range whole chickens for a few years now, no problems, but a couple of months ago they did seem tough. Thankfully all back to normal now....:D

My wife has BST (Brand Snob Tendencies). :rolleyes: So I have to refill branded containers of say instant coffee or fabric conditioner with Aldi or Lidl alternatives.

[Deleted User]

I find that with Aldi the best of their range is their frozen fish, their range of cheeses and prepared meats like salami, etc, eggs, waters and juices, and their range of breads, which is particularly good. Also their chocolates and confectionery and in particular their own brand knockoff stuff (like "roar" bars instead of "lion" bars etc) are often indistinguishable from the real thing. Some of their fresh meat is good, but i am very picky when it comes to meat, frozen, fatty or additive ridden just won't do, and my meat would be the last thing i would switch stores on for cost reasons. I'm happy to take a hit on price for quality i can trust in that department.

What's bad about Aldi on the other hand, i constantly find that their fresh fruit and vegetables have absolutely no shelf life, as if they had been left on the shelf for longer or sourced from farther away, presumably for cost reasons. They spoil very quickly by comparison with the likes of Tesco, who source a lot of their fresh fruit and veg from Keelings, a local growers based in north Dublin. I can never seem to find any best before or use by dates on any Aldi fruit and veg, which is not only concerning for food safety, but as far as i know, illegal under food sale regulations.

I would generally mix my grocery shopping between Aldi and one of the better brand name shops (usually Dunnes, occasionally Superquinn). I find Lidl very good for fresh bread. Some of their larger stores have dedicated bakeries which are generally excellent, but out of habit i don't shop there for much else in the way of groceries.

I would generally pick up brand staples like tea, milk, cereals, etc (where a particular brand is all that will do) in the more established store and get the rest in the low cost option. It's a bit more trouble to go to two shops, if the difference was negligible i probably wouldn't bother, but it consistently works out considerably cheaper to get a lot of the unbranded stuff in Aldi, and the quality is just as good, if not better in some cases. I generally try to buy one or two new items every time in Aldi too. It's a good way to try their range and see where there are options to cut down my spend in the more expensive outlets without sacrificing quality.

Also, you never know when you might be in need of a cheap satellite system or infra-red night vision goggles to go with your french bread and German cheese