Which supermarkets are good for fruit and veg?

[imbeingtakenoverbythefear]

I find some supermarkets are a lot better than others for the longevity of fresh fruit and veg. What's your best and worst one? I find tesco and morrisons the best, asda and aldi I find the worst. I'm thinking of going further afield to Lidl when I go in the morning but someone in work who shops there regularly said they're not that great. Any other shops I could think about?

I think lidl fruit and veg is great

Not Tesco, the only green veg I will buy from them are their finest fine green beans, and broccoli tips.

Definitely notice a difference between Asda (worse) and Tesco. Sometimes shop in Sainsbury’s and don’t think it’s any better than Tesco although more expensive. Neither is Ocado. So Tesco it is for me. I always lift crates up to get the newer produce though!

It’s really geographically and store dependent. Some areas of the country don’t have as much access to good fruit and veg. And then you have to consider the individual managers who run each store and whether they have good food management policies or not in terms of cooking and purchasing. The managers and staff can really break it.

That said, near to me M & S and Waitrose are good. My Sainsbury’s Local is abysmal for vegetables. It’s a real weird one because I’m used to better quality at other local branches. The main Lidl I visit is pretty good for the items I buy like aubergine, blackberries, and a few other things. Their fruit like peaches and plums don’t look very sweet or ripe.

I have had a few bits of fruit from Lidl's that had gone off really quickly. Also seen some on the shelf where all packets were going mouldy.

Waitrose is always consistently excellent (though expensive) here, as is Sainsbury's mostly.

I've tried valiantly with Aldi but after two days everything just looks a bit tired. We worked out that it cost as much in the long run with fuel etc to shop at Aldi as at Sainsbury's.

I tried not getting my fruit/veg at Waitrose so much but I end up chucking stuff away, or eating less fruit and veg, so it’s a false economy. I can get apples, pears, bananas, grapes and oranges from elsewhere. But everything else is usually better from Waitrose, especially if it’s needed to last more than a day or so. Their ripen at home bags of mangoes are delicious and I’ve not had an iffy one yet, melons are nicer, green veg is fresher and their bagged salads always last far longer. I rarely have to bin produce. I’ve been trying Sainsbury’s delivery recently and turned away kale on the doorstep because it was already yellow, despite being “in date”. Maybe there is an obesity crisis because so much of the fruit and veg sold is terrible?

Waitrose or M&S.

I am ok buying potatoes and carrots at Sainsbury or peppers and beans if I need them on the day or the next. But anything “fragile” like greens and salad items don’t last long.

Waitrose - simply the best.

I run a food bank. We get a lot of excess fruit and veg from all the supermarkets. I’d say m&s and co-op routinely last a week at least past best before, the others are really variable. Lidl usually has at least one squashed tomato/pepper/whatever in every pack we get, but the rest is fine.

M&S & Waitrose. Expensive but excellent quality.

My local Lidl is the best, Asda is the worst, with Aldi and Tesco in the middle. I bloody love that the cheapest is also the best?

I guess that is is store dependent, as others don’t rate their Lidl.

Waitrose was very good when I lived near one. Aldi has been my worst recently though even there they have some nice stuff on occasion.

Thanks all, I'll give Lidl a go in the morning and see how my local ish one is. If it's no good I'll try Waitrose and M&S to see how I find them. If I'm throwing away less then it probably works out the same in the end anyway

Waitrose and M&S, though having said that, my local Asda is perfectly OK for most things except e.g. peaches and nectarines, which are never ripe and don’t ripen properly at home - and for the nicest (we only buy U.K. grown) strawberries.

I usually make special trips during the short summer season to M&S for the luscious English fat black cherries. Not too hopeful for this year. 🙁

I ended up going to Waitrose this morning as I wanted ketjap manis which Waitrose only seem to sell and I only bought kale, bananas and cherry tomatoes. I couldn't believe the price of some of the fruit and veg

I'm a Waitrose fan but I'm actually not that fussed about most of the fruit and veg in our branch other than strawberries, grapes and avocados. Our Morrisons is very good for fruit and veg and much, much cheaper.

Not fruit or veg but I just went to open a new pack of Machego cheese from Aldi which has a month left on the sell by and its covered in mould. Bloody disgusting! Too far to go back to the shop with it, unfortunately.

In my experience, M&S are by far the best quality, but also the most expensive. Waitrose equals M&S on price, but the quality is lower.

The rest are much of a muchness on quality, but Aldi, Asda & Lidl are significantly cheaper than the others.

LIDL veg are awful 😞, they do not last even a week. I am talking about carrots, courgettes, salads. Fruits are fine.

In our area M&S are the best for longevity and taste hands down but very expensive.

Waitrose is pants for soft fruits, never last more than a day or two but their non soft fruit/veg is ok. Not really worth the price though.

Sainsbury’s is pants for soft fruits but decent for everything else. Good veg in general especially the pre prepped stuff. Lasts well.

Tesco is hit and miss for everything but decent price so it’s just a ‘I’ll see how it looks’ kinda fruit and veg shop.

Asda I’ve had really surprisingly good soft fruit from. Raspberries/strawberries/blueberries still going strong after a week! Cheap too which is nice. Veg tends to be a bit worse especially the pre prepped stuff.

I’ve only got a tiny Aldi nearby with very limited fruit/veg and a massive Lidl but only completed during covid and too far away to have tried yet. It’s on my hit list.

no issues with Tesco, been shopping there for 2 decades

Waitrose - I am NOT posh, I go to all supermarkets (we have every one in the town where I live) but I am sick of buying fruit and veg and it going off. I actually took back 2 avocados (oh, perhaps I am posh 😕) to Sainsbury's the other day. They were 'ripe and ready' and I picked them up reduced on the best before date. Three days later they were still like bricks and I'd had enough. When I took them back the guy actually bashed them on the counter they were that hard. Gets right on my tits.

Reading these posts just makes me realise that it is totally dependent on your local shops!

@stillcrazyafterall

Reading these posts just makes me realise that it is totally dependent on your local shops!

It's so surprising how the quality is different all over the country!

I've just tried the Waitrose blueberries and I couldn't deny that they are the best tasting blueberries I've ever had. Although they were reduced to £2.09 from £2.50, I wouldn't have paid full price