Aldi anything to avoid?

[SweetPeaPods]

DH and I are having to make serious cut backs. One area we (or I) spend too much is on food shopping. So I’m going to start meal planning, taking a list, and start using Aldi and Lidl more. I’ve popped in to the local ones before but more for 1 or 2 things rather than a weekly shop. So hit me with your items to avoid please or anything I should really try. Anything that is the same as supermarkets or branded but repackaged would be much appreciated too! TIA

Meant to add there is me, DH and 2dc but we are out of the nappies stage.

All of it is the same as supermarkets, it's just food

Their ketchup is awful

I love aldi. But never buy fresh fruit/veg unless it is to be consumed the same day as purchased. It never keeps more than a day or two.

We also don't buy their:

• ketchup
• salad cream

It also constantly annoys me that they do aldi-version yellow and green "tampax", but not orange which is my colour.

To be fair we love Aldi and are really impressed but the bacon crisps are a bit hit and miss with the flavour the dry roasted peanuts are like bullets the frozen chicken breasts go like rubber (the fresh ones are fine) and their own brand bread is a bit doughy but other than that it’s all lovely

The only things I don't buy in aldi are gravy and ketchup but everything else is great. I love their tomato and chorizo soup! The washing and cleaning products are fab too.

The cheapest bread is really dry and horrible, go mid range at least on this. Things like ketchup, pickled beetroot seem to have a really sweet horrible taste - too much sugar/sweeteners I think.
Everything else is pretty good

I can’t think of a particular item that makes me go ‘urgh’ but you may just get a few days for meat and fresh fruit before they start to go a bit rank. If you’re meal planning it’s easier as you won’t waste as much food but we always eat the mince first as it can go iffy.
Their decaff coffee has a weird taste.
But otherwise they’re great.

The more processed stuff, so cereals, biscuits, sauces, frozen pizza, ice cream etc are not as good as branded or Sainsburys etc. Fruit and veg (choose carefully, avoid soft fruit unless eating that day), cheese, milk, cooked meat, basics such as flour snd sugar, washing powder, deodorant are all good. Beware the really cheap loo roll, its very flimsy.

Their gravy and their brick chicken noodles.

They save their money on store setup/ counter staff/non brand packaging.

I think it’s great. 30% cheaper, everything tastes the same.

Oh yes, i forgot their own brand meat crisps (mega pack).
Looks like they put all the Walkers rejects in the packets. Flavours are good, but you have to check before you eat. There's a smorgasbord of black bits, green bits.

Lidl is much better than Aldi IMO. Never had a problem with their fruit and veg either like some people are saying about Aldi. They also do amazing parsnip crisps 😍

Their pickle is grim. If you want to save on that try Morrisons own brand instead.

They have similar products to most of the main things you buy, my advice just try everything with an open mind, most items we loved such as the frozen pizzas/crisps/pots of choc which are exactly like the Cadbury’s ones in the chilled isles. Fresh fruit and veg has been great in ours may depend on what day you go. We use Aldi for everyday week items then maybe if we fancy it have the money for something more fancy from m and s at the weekend.

The soft loo roll is ok. ( One up from the cheapest)

Aldi gets their fruit and veg from the same warehouse that supplies Tesco, ASDA and Sainsbury’s so they’re all the same. Only difference is the turnover of stock, your bigger supermarkets have higher footfall so food is sold quicker but all supermarkets have regulations to remove fresh stock after a certain amount of time on the shelves. I have bought mouldy Strawberries from Tesco!

I believe the fresh bread is great but you have to time it in the morning when it’s all freshly baked, but no different to any other supermarket! My mum switched from Tesco to Aldi and the cost of her shopping has dropped by half! Sadly it’s a 30 minute drive to my nearest one.

We have had and liked:
Bourbon biscuits
Fake Jaffa's
Party rings
Chocolate chip cookies
Chocolate digestives but they do not taste like mcvities
Wheat crackers
Wheat biscs
Salt and vinegar and ready salted crisps, though not the same as walkers.
Cottage cheese and pineapple
Quark
Vinegar
Chopped tomatoes
Orange, pineapple and apple juice
Washing detergent
Soft and softest loo roll.

The meat. it goes rancid days before the use by date.

Their decaf instant coffee is reasonable.

The only thing I've found that I don't like (so far) is the crumpets.

Everything else I've been impressed with. ESPECIALLY the savings compared to Tesco!!!!!!

I have to say that the fresh fruit and veg at our local Aldi (South East) is absolutely fine. I shop there weekly for 2 adults & 2 dc.

I think you take a bit of a chance anyway when you buy fresh stuff from any supermarket. Our local Morissons and Co-op are worse for stuff going off quickly.

We regularly buy and are happy with:

• fruit, salad and veg
• staples like bread, rolls, pasta, rice, cous cous, quinoa.
• breakfast cereals
• nuts and dried fruit for snacks
• crackers oatcakes, rice cakes and corn cakes
• blocks of Cheddar cheese
• fruit juice
• ice cream & sorbet (the raspberry sorbet is divine)
• frozen Quorn products
• Houmus, fresh olives and dips
• Frozen pizza
• tins of baked beans, chick peas, canellini beans, kidney beans, tomatoes, etc.
• natural yoghurt
• pesto & fresh herbs
• cleaning products, bin bags, laundry liquid, etc
• chocolate
• crisps (their own brand Pringles-type tubes are lovely and gluten-free)

We avoid:

• instant coffee
• soups
• Fish (tinned, fresh and frozen) - apart from Fish fingers (which have actually not been available for the last few weeks...)
• frozen chips (strange taste to many of them, perhaps the oil used?)
• frozen vegetables
• the cheaper toilet rolls/kitchen rolls
• toiletries like shampoo, shower gel, etc.

We don't eat meat but I don't think we would buy it from there if we did tbh due to quality /welfare concerns.

I do a top-up shop at Tesco or Morissons once or twice a month for the things we can't get from Aldi but we do save a lot of money.

Good luck with your belt-tightening OP.

the aisle of doom. just too much temptation.
other stuff is good quality, edpecially the german chocolate, but it's up to your taste.

You'll never get a definitive answer. The only way to tell is to go and try everything and make up your own mind.

We've come across things where we prefer other supermarket versions but have never come across anything awful.

Oh yes! Beware the middle aisles of random tat!