Can you do a full shop in Lidl?

[birkenstocks4ever]

During lockdown I've been getting Waitrose click and collect because it's quick and the only supermarket I can get a slot for but its costing us a fortune! I'm usually an Aldi/Sainsbury's person depending on how I feel but queues there are massive. We're a family of 4, kids are 11 and 12, are good eaters and I mostly cook from scratch. Can I get a whole typical weeks shopping at Lidl?

@birkenstocks4ever
Under normal circumstances I struggle to get a full shop from any one supermarket. However, I could do weekly lidl shops with a 4-6 weekly top up elsewhere.

What I will say is that I'm using asda as only online available and it's astronomical. But I gather they've all gone up so the difference may no longer be as noticeable financially?

I can do a week's shopping in Lidl/ Aldi, but need another supermarket every couple of weeks for things like Oat Milk and full-sugar squash.

Unfortunately I'm also wfh so v limited about the times I can go. Both Sainsburys and Aldi seem to have queues that wrap around the car park regardless of the time of day

I struggle to get my full shop in Lidl, but I meal plan so when I go down my list and something isn't there it's frustrating. Often haven't got the spice I've run out of for example. Last week I needed a tub of quark and they only had vanilla flavour rather than plain (no good to make a savoury sauce!), also often don't have specific veg I need for the recipe I want to do. Because of this I don't do my 'big' shop there. I only pop in for basics when needed as it's the closest supermarket to me.

No, I often need spices or specialty things they don't have. Other stuff we use regularly they might only have on theme weeks but I can get the bulk from there

Yes of course you can. I do it every week.

Well I am a Lidl convert! Got everything i needed (except garam masala which I expected). Thoroughly pleasant experience. Picked up some lovely fresh bread, some nice wine and a ton of branded stuff. Bought some strawberries which are decidedly unfurry. I'm a happy shopper

We used to get Tesco deliveries pre-covid but now we go to the Lidl up the road. If you buy fresh stuff and aren't bothered about name brands or lots of choice then it's fine - things can be there one week but not the next so if you see it, buy it there and then. They don't do oat milk, have to make do with soy until I can get to a supermarket, my husband doesn't like the muesli, so he buys granola instead. It's not life and death, you just get on with it.

I've not had the bad experiences with fruit and veg that some of you have had though and I love the bakery stuff and the middle aisles. It's saved us loads of money. £30 a week on groceries when it used to be at least £50 at Tesco for the two of us.

No, I can't.

I don't buy brands, but there are some things I can't get there.
It is one reason that I don't shop there or Aldi regularly, as I can't be bothered to go to two shops.
I've used our Lidl a lot in lockdown though, as it has had flour, pasta and eggs all the time when the huge asda next door hasn't.

I can't get -
unusual veg eg for stir fry
'world food' items (like tofu mentioned above, prawn crackers etc)
some bakery items eg packets of choc chips
large cheap block of cheese
cheap ham for school sandwiches. Their ham is lovely, just deli quality and price.
organic milk - we drink so much, it is the only thing I do get organic

not sure what else.
But there are some lovely bits, I grabbed a pack of steaks for a BBQ the other week, and they were so tasty that I might go back and fill the freezer!

What I will say is that I'm using asda as only online available and it's astronomical

asda is still the cheapest of the big 4 (asda, tesco, sainsbury morrison). But Aldi and Lidl are cheaper.

I have been a regular asda shopper due to price, and I am still getting a regular click and collect, but going to the actual shop is horrific, just an unpleasant experience at the moment

I do an almost full shop at Aldi's every week- only things I can't get are GoGo cheese (Iceland), tinned water chestnuts and giant couscous (Sainsburys)

Apart from digestive biscuits

I can, but there's things I get for my son with ARFID they don't do (though they did have low-sugar/salt ketchup last time I went), and stuff I get from Sainsburys because I can.

I tend to shop at Lidl once a month and stock up on loo roll, dishwasher tablets, laundry stuff, fish fingers, chips, frozen veg, oats and muesli, sliced meat and cheese, and then lots of fresh fruit and veg that I mostly cook immediately. When the queues go down I'll go back to nipping in occasionally for produce and household items.

And chocolate. Lidl chocolate is fantastic - they do milk chocolate like Dairy Milk used to be.

No. I pop to Sainsburys for Hovis granary, NYBC wholemeal bagels, Sacla fiery chilli pesto and various frozen items. Everything else is Lidl.

Enjoy shopping at Lidl. As some others have said fruit and veg seem to go off quickly otherwise great value. Due to speed of check out I pack at car as I cant keep up at till

No, contraversially I don't find their fresh fruit, veg and meat very nice. It doesn't seem to last particularly long, and can get it for a similar price in the greengrocers for much better quality. I tend to go to the shop by the GG to save driving about.

I can’t as I dislike supermarket meat. So I buy that from my butchers.

I also find their fruit and veg has a short shelf life.

We do our weekly shop at Lidl and then maybe once a month we go to another supermarket for specific items Lidl doesn’t sell. Overall so much cheaper and I like that it’s fast to get round as there’s not much choice. There’s literally one or 2 items that my family turned their noses up and prefer the branded version, and they are almost all store cupboard items so I just stock up monthly.

I also love a good browse down the random middle aisle of crap too

I was there today and yes I could.

There are products of baked brands that I have a preference for, bur if I was willing to switch to Lidl's brands - it would be fine.

The wine is exceptional. A 2015 Barolo for £8.49!!!!!

I use a lot of herbs and spices and the range just isn't there

Also have to have Heinz beans lol

Luckily I get toiletries and washing liquid from my staff shop (work for a well known manufacturer)

Nope. It is OK for basics but not got a good enough range of foods we like - my son has an allergy and its rubbish for vegan / dairy free alternatives

Cereal limited and I always give in and buy their fruit and veg, it never lasts long and is often ruined within a couple of days. Other than that it's good!

It's great but no we can't do a full shop there. My kids have severe allergies so we can't get he range of free from foods g tv at Sainsbury's or Tesco's do.

Also other things like Worcestershire sauce, types of flour etc etc

I can't, but maybe that's due to fussy kids. (for example) Lidl's bagels are awful. Long shelf life stale horrible. In contrast, their fruit & veg is famous for very short life, and they are more likely to be closely seasonal. I don't like their tortilla crisps. They don't sell a nice tomato soup. (etc)

Right now DH especially loathes Lidl's socdist measures so refuses to set foot in there.