What products do you prefer the cheap version of?

[Fink]

I went to Fortnum and Mason this week (part of our exercise cycling around London) and treated myself to their hot chocolate powder. To my disappointment, at £20 a packet it's nowhere near as nice as my usual brand (Options), which is around £6 for an equivalent amount (and not because it tastes more like actual hot chocolate rather than powder, because I occasionally make real hot chocolate at home and it's nothing like that). My Dad prefers Sainsbury's own brand, which is even cheaper.

Is there anything you get where you think the cheaper brand is actually nicer?

I always buy bio d washing liquid, lover my eco stuff, better than ecover made in the uk, and hasn’t an overpowering smell.

@copycopypaste aldi gold teabags are lovely I prefer them to Yorkshire tea

Co-op 99 Blend teabags far superior to any branded ones. Sainsburys beans we find tastier than any other.
However i have never found a sub i like for Heinz Tomato Ketchup, HP brown sauce or Hellmans Mayonnaise. Some things are just worth paying more for imo.

Love the sainsburys brand nappies, used to buy them all the time for DS and now using asda brand for DD which also work just as well as Pampers.
I find the asda brand teabags (in the red box) similar to PG, and at least £3 cheaper!
My current obsession is the asda brand dairy fudge

Tesco own brand Fruit and fibre cereal. Much more to it than the posh one.

Tesco basic range bubble baths smell lovely.

Aldi premium washing up liquid is hands down better than Fairy washing up liquid. A little goes a long way. I can say the same for their cleaning products too. Their antibacterial and kitchen cleaner lasts ages compared to dettol/flash.

I prefer aldi crinkle chips to mccains

Asda Smart Price dishwasher tablets.... they smell amazing

Aldi rhubarb soap at 75p is nicer than the Molton brown £18 one

Sainsbury's Pitchers summer cup punch, about half the price of Pimm's, I can't taste any difference.

Aldi Teddy Faces are much nicer than Pom Bears.

Garnier micellar is better than Bioderma

Tesco/Sainsbury/Asda chocolate digestives... way better than Mcvities
Always Heinz for soups.. the Covent Garden ones are yuk
Own brand white breads are often nicer than Hovis etc
Agree with the “Nicky” loo rolls being good
Morrison’s own brand washing liquid smells divine, especially the pink one (pomegranate?)
I always buy own brand pizza, one of the worst I’ve ever had was a ‘Pizza Express’ one... it was vile, tomato was excessive and so acidic, cheese was scant and the base like a cream cracker😳 it went in the bin!
Labels and names are not always a guarantee of quality! Cadbury’s, I’m looking at you...

Oooh - forgot to say ... Branston baked beans every time!!

Essence lash princess mascara
Wet n wild highlighter
CYO lifeproof foundation
All brilliant products

The Pizza Express pizzas in Tesco used to be lovely... They’re shite now. Looking for a nice shop-pizza?

Tesco Chocolate Digestives
Tesco version Choco Leibnitz
Tesco Cream Crackers
Tesco Fruit’n’Fibre
Tesco Salsa Jars

Aldi Fruit & Nut Muesli
M&S Swiss Mountain Bar (far superior to Toblerone)
Centra Tortilla Chips
Centra Rich Tea
Centra Twix / Mars copies

Asda Green Olives in a jar are 54p and delicious to pick at. I will never spend £3 on fresh again.

Yes Aldi ketchup tastes much more grown up then Heinz - richer and more complex and is almost indistinguishable from the fancy one in a glass bottle I used to treat myself to in Waitrose.

In fact it's so good that I'm considering an Aldi trip to get it when I go to an actual supermarket again

Any own brand biscuit is better than the dross Mcvities produce these days, they have recently changed the recipe to most of their biscuits, (see attached photo) hob nobs and plain digestives taste like cardboard now.

I always preferred butterkiss popcorn too (only like salted here too) but actually Morrison’s own brand was so much better..at 50p a bag too!

@RingaRosie

Own brand pizzas take a bit of trial and error... Asda usually pretty good tho

Aldi and Lidl’s milk chocolate with hazelnuts is better than any other.

Also Aldi and lidl Jaffa cakes are the best! Can’t eat mcvities ones anymore

Supermarket own brand posh crisps are much nicer than Kettle and half the price.

Value pickle is around 1/3 of the price of Branston and is nicer and spreads on sandwiches better.

Asda own brand sanitary towels are around 1/3 of the price of Always and have won awards for how good they are. As a bonus they don't add perfume to them that make you itch like Always have done recently.

Great thread