A question for Le Creuset lovers

[BiminiBonGoulash]

I’ve got a friend who has been dreaming about owning a Le Creuset casserole dish for months. She’s had an absolutely shit year and it’s her birthday coming up so I’d love to buy her one and cheer her up. We usually spend about £15 on presents, so it would be a bit much than usual!
On the Le Creuset website, there’s this 18cm one for £185 www.lecreuset.co.uk/en_GB/p/cast-iron-round-casserole/CI1177.html

I was a bit shocked by the price as I’m not a Le Creuset user myself so I naturally had a quick look around the internet to see if I could get one any cheaper. Only thing I came up with was this Le Creuset dish on TKMaxx for £29.99 www.tkmaxx.com/uk/en/home/kitchen+dining/baking+ovenware/27x22cm-orange-stoneware-casserole-oven-dish/p/78135989
Although I can visually see that the handles and the lid knob look different - are they otherwise very similar?! £29.99 seems too good to be true compared to the £185 one - is it a not as good version?! Because there’s no point in buying her a slightly shit version of her dream, I’d rather fork out for the dream. But I’d also rather save 100 quid if they are basically the same! So could any Le Creuset users help me out please?
And i know there are knock offs out there that are just as good, but her dream is Le Creuset so it’ll have to be a Le Creuset one. Thank you!

The first one is iron the 2nd is stone

They will be made of different material
The expensive one will be made of cast iron and go on direct heat and in the oven. The cheaper one will be ceramic and can only go in the oven. Shop around for cheaper cast iron pots by different manufacturers?

TK Maxx do a lot of the brand. I've bought items there myself. It'll be fine, it's not knock off

if your near bicester, there’s an outlet shop there.

Sorry I didn't read the question properly. Let me try again!

They are completely different products, hence the price difference!

Would it be worth checking somehow (stealth mission in her kitchen!) what she already has so you don't end up doubling up, if you are set on getting her a proper one?

They are completely different products and hence the price points. Le cruset looks love, is stupid heavy, particularly when you have a full casserole for example and burns on the bottom. I gave my stacking set to charity.

The stoneware dishes you can get at TK Maxx are not the same thing at all, they are good (I have several) but not the same thing as one of the cast iron casserole dishes.

You can often get deals on le creuset though, there are also outlet shops if you live near an outlet centre check if they have one, I know they have one at Bicester village and I think at Swindon.

Do you know what colour she wants? If she's collecting a particular colour or has her heart set on a particular colour then that's quite important (I am v keen on a v rare colour they only do in America - I look longingly at it sometimes - just read that back - I need to get a life )

Do you know what size she wants? 18cm is quite small - it would be a casserole size for 2 people max.

Could you club together with other people to get it? Or get her a voucher towards it?

She’ll have her eye on the cast iron, so although the ceramic range is much cheaper, your lovely gesture may not thrill her the same way if that makes sense.

Thanks everyone! Like I said, I didn’t know anything about Le Creuset so I had no idea that they were completely different products! She definitely wants the one where you can put it in the oven and on the hob, so that’s definitely not the tkmaxx one so thank you everyone. I’ll get her the cast iron one. Not sure about the whole too small thing- she lives alone so I’m sure that most days a smaller one would do fine, but I guess it’s possible she might want a bigger one if she was cooking for others? But gosh that would be so expensive for me! No, no one to split it with. Is there 18cm one really tiny or might it be okay?

I’ve already thought about colour- she doesn’t have any Le Creuset already so nothing to match, and she once mentioned a few months ago about wanting one of the ‘classic’ Le creuset colours, so the other day I asked her ‘which of the le creuset colours do you think is the most classic’ and she said something like ‘why would anyone care?! Just imagine owning one’. So i was thinking of the red one as that seems pretty classic to me?? Any thoughts??

I think orange is the classic LC colour but I'm sure she'd love the red.

What a lovely friend you sound.

There's a Le Creuset Outlet shop in Swindon. I got mine there half price.

30 years ago and still going strong, so good value in the end.

They key is looking for cast iron; that's the material used for LC. I have a matalan version, and it's amazing. It is solid and used every week.
Aldi actually have cast iron cookware in at the moment, both the standard and shallow casserole dish. Not in the bright colour though!
Lidl also have a cast iron saucepan in at the mo. It's red, so definitely looks more the part. Obviously neither have the LC brand on them, but they're cast iron, solid, heavy and may fit the bill!
ps you sound like a lovely friend :)

Le Creuset also has an outlet in Derbyshire, near J28 of the M1.
I have a couple of the cast iron ones - the older is 35 years old and still going strong! 23cm is plenty big enough for 2-3 servings and Volcanic is the classic orange colour. How about this? www.ecookshop.co.uk/ecookshop/product.asp?pid=211782309

Also a LC outlet shop in Ashford, Kent.

18cm is quite small. I can't really cook anything for two people in it. I use it for sauces, mainly it sits on a shelf gathering dust.

There's also one in Braintree at the outlet village.

I have an Aldi one, it is brilliant.

If it is cast iron you are looking for, it doesnt need to be LC and you have tesco clubcard points you can get a Denby cast iron for 1/3 of the price. They regularly have sales or money off new sign ups too.

This is mine and I use it at least twice a week

Orange is the classic colour. I have a red one. Can you get one second hand? You do need the cast iron one and that one is on the small side. I'd look on ebay. A quick look throws up a Buy It Now orange 25cm casserole for £45.

A new one is very expensive OP. You are very kind but if you want an alternative, I love my Le Creuset batter jug and this nay tide her over!

www.ecookshop.co.uk/ecookshop/m/product.asp?pid=70106207160002

18cm is very small (too small to be much use) but if you want to go down this route, look at Amazon where it's cheaper (£118 compared to your £185 - you ARE still buying direct from Le Creuset so it's genuine, plus you can pay in 5 instalments if that might help/interest you):

smile.amazon.co.uk/Creuset-Signature-Cast-Round-Casserole/dp/B00VWMEFHE/ref=sxin_13_recs_zoco_bs?crid=1823PS2BZNDIY&cv_ct_cx=le%2Bcreuset%2Bcasserole%2Bdish&keywords=le%2Bcreuset%2Bcasserole%2Bdish&pd_rd_i=B00VWMEFHE&pd_rd_r=1155d141-c252-418a-b522-3731b956dbff&pd_rd_w=HDdUP&pd_rd_wg=5TVIe&pf_rd_p=d6556849-741c-4a58-8296-cabd8e815421&pf_rd_r=AX42RB1A758W74VPBF2G&qid=1651694166&sprefix=le%2Bcreus%2Caps%2C68&sr=1-1-8eedd566-4315-492b-9eff-909bf0ae60fe&th=1

You can also check the (discounted) prices of sizing up.

They do nice mugs but yeah the cast iron one us going to be pricey. Thing is though only that will do if that's what she wants, it's no good trying to find a cheaper knock off one by someone else.

Le Creuset does last and last I'm still using the ones I was given as a Wedding Gift (the giver went to France to get them!) um a couple of decades ago, they are the classic orange colour.

Can you get to an outlet shop? Or see if there are any offers on any online?

Edit: sorry that link only half works, seems to be an issue with MN.

Search Amazon for Le Creuset casserole dish. Then choose the option that includes the Link to Le Creuset store so you know it's genuine.

There a outlet in Gloucester too, I got mine for £99 instead of £180 in a sale, I use it all the time, it’s still going strong after 10 years. They are great and certainly worth the money.