to automatically ignore value brands

[somedayma]

I probably am BU because I could definitely do with saving some cash on my grocery shop. But I've had some v bad tesco value items in the past (soft rice crispies, plasticky tasting chocolate etc).

I was looking at value chicken breasts today, thinking 'they're probably going to taste the same as the other slightly more expensive ones once it's in a stew anyway'. but for some reason bought the more expensive ones anyway.

Value ready salted crisps taste the same as branded ones. Just FYI

This is quite interesting, I hav been thinking about trying to go value.

I'm going to try value dishwasher tablets, but I would never do value meat. I've only ever used value stuff when I am making cakes for the dc's school things, and I know value biscuits are yummy, especially the Jaffa cakes.

I would never put chicken breast in a stew, I would use cheaper and tastier thighs.

Im afraid I too used to be a bit of a food snob... but when my weekly shop increased by around 30% I got over it! I can't however buy meat. Cooked ham, salt beef etc has to be 2for£4 or deli counter and I would rather eat less often and go organic.

Chorizo and parma ham are cheaper to buy from the deli counter (40 thin slices of chorizo for around £2)

Value Jaffa cakes are fine but keep them in the plastic wrap, they go hard if put in a biscuit tin.

Another vote for Sainsburys red label tea bags, they are fair trade and really nice.

Value flour is a good but use a better brand baking powder.

Thick cut value bread is great for french toast.

Lastly, rather oddly tesco organic chickpeas are cheaper than their own brand ones in our local store!

Sorry I ment to say value meat!

Value meat is unethical. As are value eggs - always buy the best quality you can afford. As asinine says, buying a cheaper cut is a good way round this - and they can often be tastier anyway.

On eggs - free range are 6 for a pound in our local Iceland or Poundland - can't beat that!

Don't choose value meat if you care at all about animal welfare and the ethics of food production. Organic/free range meat is more expensive, so we eat it sparingly and appreciate it when we get it. That's basically how it was when I was a kid too (not that we'd heard of organic!) - a roast chicken for 6 of us on Sunday with loads of roast potatoes and other veg, and then the left-over chicken cold on Monday with chips and peas. People in the UK feel entitled to eat colossal quantities of meat now.

I buy non branded cleaning products...they do the same job, just havent go the big name on.

I buy the best quality meat and fruit and veg I can though....lidl do 85% meat sausages btw. Also ocado and m&s so lovely meat, and gluten free sausages.

I buy a lot of co op stuff as there is a largish one near me and I like their ethical stance...their indian prince tea bags are FAB

Value flour and sugar is okay. I can sieve down the flour if it isn't milled as finely as the branded stuff. Some of the value meats appear to have a rather high water content so as soon as they are cooked they are a fraction of the size and lose taste. I'm also not totally convinced by the amount of chemicals pumped into animals used for very cheap cuts either but we all do what we can.

Yes, YABU to automatically dismiss them you foolish fool.

how much can you REALLY do to a chicken breast?! I know they inject water into it to plump it up but surely that wouldn't affect the taste too much

The chicken is likely to have been battery farmed, kept in awful conditions, and not be particularly healthy, and the taste really is noticeably different.

One of the best deals at the moment is the 3 for £10 offer in sainsburys. You can mix and match, so for that money you can get a small gammon joint, lean steak mince and a medium size chicken, which is plenty meat to feed a family of 4 for at least 5 days worth of evening meals.

In terms of chicken boobs - if you go to a good butchers you will be ASTOUNDED at the size difference in the boob. They are ENORMOUS in comparison to supermarket battery boobs.

I would also use thighs for stews and the like, much more flavour, and cheaper.

Value chicken breasts just appear to be the badly butchered ones. Make perfectly good stir fry.

Usningnthe word "boob" in this context is just .....ghastly.

It's not the butchering tht makes them cheap, it't she way they a farmed, medicated and slaughtered.

seeker are you offended? Seriously?

DH got onto buying from the value ranges before me. I used to think he was being a bit of a cheapskate, but I can see now that it's only sensible to consider the merits of each product on a case by case basis. So, I'll now buy things like butter & tinned tomatoes from "basics." I still like to buy some really good quality things though - I'm quite keen on bronze-died pasta for example. I'll buy a mixture from"basics" to "Taste the difference" depending on the product.
I like the Sainsbury's "basics" labeling.
I have one in front of me now (bought by DH) that says "Shower gel - simple formula, still cleans well" I think whoever got the job of doing their basics labeling did a really great job of it - making it seem like a simple but wise choice.
Genius !

My DH tried the 10p value shower gel from tesco - I wouldn't recommend that one! knob rash

Based on what I was told by a friend who used to work with grain, I would not touch value bread products. Basically sweepings off the floor, apparently. They separate the grain out into quality levels, and I was advised not to eat anything that was a value range item.

Yeh, I don't fancy the basics toiletries really - they are weird bright industrial colours, and even look harsh ! He seems happy with them though. Wouldn't let DCs use them, mind not be kind to DDs suseptability to excema.

might

The Sainsburys basics range is good. Morrissons is the worst in my opinion, but then they are cheaper anyway.

Basics fruit and veg are v good and are actually quite eco friendly as they mean that the odds and ends of the crop get eaten rather than dumped. ie the apples came off the same tree as the normal range, but they are't eu 'a' grade.

A good rule to go by as with anything is the lest processed items are good. So butter, tinned tomatoes, rice etc are all absolutly fine, but the jarred sauces for 9p are absolutly vile!

Value butter is no different to "normal" IMO. I also like the value crisps, peanut butter, baby wipes and dishwasher tablets. I've used the value plain flour too and haven't noticed any difference.

value bread is awful, so are the beans and loo roll. No way are the beans the same as the manufactured brands, they are full of water for one thing

Other stuff is ok, you get what you pay for of course

value chicken breasts are fine, same as the value eggs

flowery - urgh!

Our garden centre does eggs very cheap, and the farm up the road used to. Easy to pick up too without a trip to the supermarket. IN the supermarket I have noticed that they seem to sometimes put eggs on special offer, whereas they never used to be.