Your favourite food items at Aldi?

[Bookaholic73]

I’m trying to cut my food bill in half.
We are a family of 4 (3 adults and a 16 year old) and at the moment we spend £500-£600 a month on food.

I’ve been advised to shop at Aldi, so what would you recommend, and what would you stay away from?

[quote confusednortherner]@ineedanotherholiday I'd forgotten the imitation Barefoot, that's really good! [/quote]
Beachfront! The Shiraz is lovely
Ribeye steaks
Lightly smoked salmon steaks
Cheese
Ham
Extra tasty chickens
Extra special jam
Salted crackers
Nappies and wipes if you use them
Tonic
Crisps
Red wine - Portuguese one, Beachfront, hardys are all good
Gin - their pink gin is lovely
Tropical pop in cans is like lilt but very cheap
Gravy granules
Mayonnaise

We really like their chicken dippers with the sweet and sour stir fry sauce
Problem eater DD also loves the fresh cottage pie and the fresh lasagne is actually quite good if you add cheese to the top before baking.
The thinly sliced treacle glazed ham is nice.
Mature cheddar is fine.
They have some nice salty butter.
The hazelnut chocolate is my new favourite chocolate!
The blue topaz gin and ‘posh’ tonic is good.
Also if you can get their chicken burgers and make them into balls and cook them in a tikka masala sauce with peppers and onions, DC love too, poppadums and garlic naans are good, don’t like the microwaveable rice in packets but the ones in the dishes are good and still cheap.
They have some lovely porridge too, it’s in a green paper bag like flour comes in.
The aloe Vera or cocoa butter toilet rolls are good.
Dishwasher tablets are fine.
I usually get washing detergent elsewhere if I can but their fake bold 2in1 stuff is fine.
The biodegradable wet wipes are great.
The custard tarts are passable but not as good as they were, pastry has gone a bit spongey (why?)
You used to be able to get frozen croissants at are local one which were fab but they’ve disappeared, might be in others though. The jam with the black lid is nice and the peanut butter.
You can also get fake marmite now.
I don’t rate the pet food.

LOVE Aldi!!

Steak, dark chocolate, pizzas, filled pasta, veg crisps - some of our favs.

We buy everything from Aldi, don't find we need to go anywhere else.

And it definitely saves us money, about 30% I'd say.

Happy shopping!

Salt and pepper belly pork.

Utterly utterly divine, especially if you grill it for too.long so the salt and pepper seems to turn to a crust. Not always in so stick up.if you see it!

norpack butter the same as lurpack .
Cauliflower cheese
Chicken nuggets
Steaks
Beef mince
stock pots
Soups
Most tinned food
Bread
Cereals
Alcohol ( there own version of vodka is like skye vodka)

To be fair 99% of items are great . Only thing personally im not fussed on is there beetroot in a jar. Heartburn on a plate. But thats just me being picky .

Their washing liquid and dishwasher tablets always come top in Which? magazine tests.
Their meat and fish is always good. I like their marinated cheap steaks, which are always really tender.

The Moser Roth chocolate is as good as any I've had. I love that the ones I've had to far have been made up of smaller individually wrapped bars, even though the box doesn't give that away.

We love their Chilean Cabernet Sauvignon, at something like £6.50 and it's delicious.

Also their frozen pepperoni pizzas - used to buy them from Waitrose but Aldi's have loads more pepperoni on them.

Another vote for Moser Roth chocolate.

Their pre-packed seabass/basa is good, as are their chicken chipolatas, and sausages in general (but avoid the really cheap ones which don't taste nice and look really cheap).

Other staples we buy:

Jars of pesto
Jam
Basmati rice
Tinned chopped tomatoes
Orange juice packs
Tinned fish eg mackerel, sardines, tuna
Love their big Greek olives
Bacon
Gammon
1kg pack of lean beef mince
Frozen veg
Watermelon ice creams (in the summer)

I don't tend to buy fruit and veg there except the odd melon or sometimes the ones that are on offer.

...and the wine! Never had a duff one, yet their prices are so low.

The cheeses and... oh my stars.... the Christmas fudge and gluten free iced fruit cake. Happy sigh.

Great thread! Which magazine rated their dishwasher tablets very highly, in fact they are a Best Buy! Products well rated by them are
Magnum Dishwashing liquid
Magnum original dishwasher tabs (best tested)
Almat bio laundry powder & liquid
Activ energy batteries
Megos spotlight

I can also highly recommend their vodka and in fact all of their spirits (their spiced rum is fantastic). Most of the wines are good and their gingerbread 'baileys' is to die for. Their tonics are perfectly acceptable.

I dont like their red meat but their chicken is good. Some of their cheese isn't great but most is good. I've heard good things about their patisserie but it's always sold out by the time I get there!

Chocolate is not bad they do fantastic Easter eggs!

we love fajitas and used to make them as a treat meal as it would take so much prep. Low and behold we found aldi frozen fajita mix (chicken in salsa with peppers). Low calorie and cooked from frozen to plate in 10 mins. Just add wraps and you’re good to go. Amazing!!

Also love most things but particularly their chocolate especially their fruit and nut, Nutella, chia seeds (so expensive else where), crunchie bites (in the bakery aisle) and their rocky road bites. They are in a plastic tub and a copy of m&s but taste sooo much better. I’m addicted.

I tried the vegan forest fruits magnum copies this week , really lovely and pineapple soft cheese with almonds , every time I open the fridge I'm dipping my finger in it 😀

Big Scottish rump steaks are brilliant as are the crisps. Never buy fruit as it always goes off after a day or two. Everything else is doable

Things I always buy from Aldi: jam, cheeses inc baking Camembert, skin on fries are lush, sweet potato fries, chicken poppers, pasta sauces are fine, tortilla chips. After all the recommendations so far, gonna try the fish cakes next

Specially selected caramelised red onion chutney. I've tried all brands and this is the best... Harrison's gin. All types of cheese, Norpack butter, not from concentrate fresh orange juice, loads really.

Hot smoked salmon

Really good

I love this thread. Chia seeds!! Baking Camembert! Salmon!

OP in case you haven't guessed yet Aldi is the middle class secret. Everyone goes there .. though it can get busy sadly.

Lidl is much the same. I've not bought much there apart from their exact copy of Grey Goose vodka. I can not tell the difference. Same kind of bottle too. About £12 I think.

Ready to cook meal packs - chicken tikka/fajita, beef teriyaki, pork stir fry - brilliant! I'm veggie but DH and two teenage boys aren't and it's great for them . I usually cook and I don't have to prep these ( no cutting meat!)

Fresh mince /chicken - good as long as eaten within couple of days

Cooked meats - marinated chicken popular in our house

Yogurts - we love the farmhouse jar ones!

Fake dominos pizza garlic bread

Tempura chicken - good for wraps

Jive bars, take away, Mosher Roth chocolate

Stir in pasta jars

Curry jars with spices in the lid

Cheap bbq/burger sauces

Crisps - teddy faces and premium brand cheese and onion

Salad - lettuce, cucumber, mini peppers, cherry tomatoes all good

Bread - tiger bread, brioche burger/hot dog buns , wraps, flat breads, croissants

Eggs - I like the golden yolk ones

Frozen - pizzas ( so cheap!), skin on fries, halloumi burgers, ice cream

Cleaning - dishwasher tabs, foil

We tend not to buy -

Cereals
Cakes
Tinned foods
Dog stuff

We save a fortune at Aldi- probably £30 a week. It's by far the best value shop for us based on what we like to eat

I love Aldi
I dnt really think i dislike anything to be honest

Their bake beans are as good as Heinz
Fruit and veg good
Bread
Fresh meat
Yogurts all good
I also use their cleaning products
I sometime walk out of their with a Full trolley and spend almost half what I would've spent at other supermarkets

Give it a try let us know what you think

Wow, thank you everyone for the replies, keep them coming!

We get a fruit and veg delivery box, so aren’t too worried about the fruit and veg. It’s more the other stuff I was asking about, so it’s a relief to hear it’s mostly rated.

Gutted about their rubbish decaf coffee though, as I only drink decaf.
Melt in the middle fish cakes sound yummy!

Do they do fresh fish, and if so, is it nice? I love smoked haddock, so wondering if it compares to Morrison’s fish counter?

Do they do much dairy free stuff?

The frozen sausage rolls and steak bakes are just like Greggs.

The whole nut peanut butter is amazing at £1.09

Wensleydale and other cheeses, fish sticks, and vegan yoghurt. So cheap, and so good.

The chocolate filled crepes, sliced bread, and sourdough are great.

All the Christmas puddings, biscuits, mince pies.

Nespresso coffee pod dupes, batteries, and juice cartons... All great.

i dont like their tinned tuna but eat most other things, their cider is good value for money.

Oh, the vegan sausage rolls are amazing, can't tell them apart from Greggs.

The vegan steakbbakes are horrible. Like burnt marmite in pastry.

I spend a similar amount op. I’ve noticed it’s getting more expensive recently. This thread is really useful thanks.

Olives, tinned fish, smoked salmon, smoked trout, parmesan cheese, greek style (not low fat) yogurt.