Which cheap and nasty food item do you choose over more expensive and better quality alternatives?

[AintNobodyHereButUsChickens]

For me it’s chicken kievs. I love the crispy outside and the mushy chicken inside. I know they’re not the best, I actually work in a chicken factory so I know exactly what goes into it! But it still doesn’t put me off 🤣 Clearly my standards are on the floor…

What’s your cheap and nasty favourite?

Indeed, this is a thread for those who appreciate the finer things in life, but still have a hankering after utter crap on occasions. It's totally possible to enjoy both.

Does anyone else remember the Freschetta pizzas in Iceland back in the early 00s? We were newly married and poor and they made our Saturday nights! We used to get it with a bag of wedges and a tub of ice cream for £5. The pizza was amazing and the only one l ever liked.

Omg the pink colour makes me heave. Like a cheap sausage but not them

Brains Faggots.

Must be served with ready made mash and cheap frozen peas.

I live in Italy and would bite your arm off for a packet of Bachelor's Cheese and Broccoli 'Pasta'n'Sauce'. Lidl did packets of dried mac'n'cheese recently as part of their American week and it was delicious!! I also have a fancy coffee machine but my favourite is a jar of lidl coffee granules. And when I go home to the UK, I always get my mum to make me bolognese with a jar of Dolmio as it is SUPERIOR to authentic Italian ragù. Likewise, I love a UK pub lunch of 100% beef lasagne served with cheese melting off it, perfectly some kind of cheddar and served with proper chips and coleslaw. Authentic Italian food always make me go 'oh' as I secretly weep for the good stuff I was raised on!

And the only pizza I like is Domino's.

Dr oetker pepperoni is my favourite pizza 😂 DP always thinks i'm weird when he's suggesting fancy ones and I say nope, just dr oetker please

I agree on that -

I love those! You are dead right about the quantity as well. They're 3.4 % and they used to sell one that was only 2.5% which is perfect. Tastes of proper beer rather than alcohol free beer but won't send me to sleep.

Cheap pepperoni pizza, especially from Aldi/Lidl. I will add anchovies and olives.

Aldi do a salted caramel chocolate that is a Tony's Chocolonely knock-off. Better than the real thing and much easier to eat.

I maintain that the reason Tony's chocolate is in odd shape pieces is to make it hard to break so you end up eating more.

Me too.

Idaho packet mash - works better on a shepherd pie than homemade stuff -

also I’m not a big burger fan but if I fancy one would rather have a simple double patty cheese from Maccy Ds than all the 3inch thick fancy gastropub ones which I find too much on the meat front - and yes to their cheap and addictive salty hash browns

Lidl corned beef. Seriously good in a hash.

American yellow burger cheese the nastier the better

I prefer cheap sausages to fancy ones, especially all meat or poncy flavours. A nice plain pork or cumberland sausage everytime. Also prefer a McDs quarter pounder with cheese vs gastropub mega burgers. I also don't like the current trend of "smokehouse" stuff like brisket or pulled pork. The melt in your mouth texture makes me feel ill. I like roast meat, cooked so you can get thin slices - be it beef or lamb or pork.

Well, quite!

I like petrol station food haha - like the hot counter burger with the plastic cheese that's probably been sat sweating in that plastic packet all day. I don't know why - I always have!

Lamb kebabs.

I use frozen mash ( that you buy) no lumps and browns beautifully

Packet custard. Any will do, as long as you have to put it in a jug and pour boiling water on it. Delicious.

And that's even after watching a programme where they compared ingredients making powdered custard to the real deal.

Just to add to the chicken kyiv chat, my top tip is to cook them in the oven on top of a slice of cheap white bread, then when the garlic oozes out during cooking, it soaks into the bread and you get bonus garlic bread as a size dish 😋

Pre made oblong trifle sponges or fingers - with a glass of milk (I don’t like trifle - too much fruit!)

Really terrible supermarket burgers with plastic cheese on, in the softest cheapest white bun.

Decent ketchup though.

Love Idaho potato, guilty pleasure is a mashed potatoe sandwich on a buttered oven bottom.

Also if you have a local company shop you can get left over genuine McDonald’s frozen hash browns. They are the food of the gods when on a muffin with fish fingers. Macies need to add them to the filet of fish.