to ask what I should look out for / avoid in Aldi?

[GinThief]

So I'm trying to cut back on our food shop. First option is to switch from Sainsburies to Aldi.

What things are good? Anything I should avoid?

Avocados are always excellent. The ones I buy elsewhere go straight from hard to bad without passing through edible!

I like the pesto, some of their own brand chocolate bars, pasta.

Chocolate covered rice cakes.. I'm not sure what the point of them is, but they're flipping nice

I've never got a good piece of meat there. Their cheese is amazing though. And crackers. Oooh and their chocolate...

I had some mangos from aldi once they were lovely unfortunately we don't have one near us

The fruit is a bit hit and miss. The cheese, sirloin steaks and non bio washing powder are however excellent. Oh and the red wine!

Avoid fruit it goes bad within a day or two

Their parsnips are always crap I find? Anyone else?

I find their own brand washing capsules fab! Baby stuff is brill and they have nice bread there too. Oh and they do breaded goats cheese bites in the fresh aisle, my favourite!

I want some for tea now and I haven't got any :(

Damn you OP!

Salmon infusions, red thai is my favourite

Ready to eat salmon is gorgeous, all the varieties. DH loves it and he doesn't like salmon. Apparently.

It would be quicker to write a list of things to avoid

Passion salt n vinegar crisps
Porridge
Cereals
Own brand seed bread
all their fruit n veg
Tinned tomatoes (tinned anything actually)
Ostrich steaks
Free range chicken breasts and whole chicken
Smoked salmon
Extra mature cheese
Milk
High juice
Pizzas
Aberdeen Angus minced beef
Washing powder

Sometimes get their fresh fish as it is from our local fishmonger but I think they get the stuff that the fishmonger wouldn't sell themselves so it always seems a little on the turn.

I get virtually all of my shopping there each week.

I can happily do a full shop there tbh. Just check fruit and veg carefully for freshness, bruising, mould etc - most bits are fine but I've had a few nasty surprises / needed to throw things straight in the bit.

Red wine, steak, cornettos, raspberry & white chocolate ice creams, teddy faces, pesto, fruit & nut choc, peri peri chicken, cheese, quiche, pain au chocolat, any of the biscuits. We love aldi.

Dishwasher tabs, wash tabs and conditioner are great. In fact all cleaning products are excellent. I buy loo rolls and wipes in Aldi.
We love their cereals, teabags, biscuits and pasta. I've also been converted to their frozen sole fillets, tinned tuna, ice cream (white chocolate and cherry - mmmmmm), bacon and whole chickens (although avoid the 'cook in a bag' ones.
I bake my own bread but buy their whole meal sliced if I need some in a hurry. Far superior to any other brands I've had.
We like their Version of Pringles and the kids like the popcorn as an occasional treat.
Serrano/Parma ham is great, as is Parmesan, mozzarella - in fact all cheese.
Beer/lager/ cider is great (both branded and unbranded) but I haven't been really impressed with any of the wine except for the Muscadet, which is lovely.
I've been really disappointed with their olive oil, and avoid all other fresh and cooked meat. I've previously had to return these items as they've been off or had a terrible smell.
I avoid fruit and veg too. It goes off really quickly and is more expensive than our local green grocer or
Morrisons.
I am a recent concert to Aldi and gave only been shopping there since January this year. I bulk buy lots of the above items and buy local meat at the farm shop and other groceries in my town or at Morrisons. It's definitely saved me a fortune and those items I've listed are much better quality than any rivals.

Really good kids treat bars - date and apricot etc. Flavoured salmon infusions as pp said. Jars of olivAll veg generally okay. Nappies if you need them and wipes too. Cleaning products are cheap and good. Loo roll.

That's jars of olives.

Their jars of grilled peppers antipasti are divine.

Oh Lucy!youre so right about the chocolate rice cakes, they don't last 2 minutes with me!

In also one that can pretty much do an entire shop there, except for the occasional special thing, they stock good quality free range meat, quorn products cheaper than other supermarkets and I have had no probs with vegetables, just sometimes the soft fruit (berries especially) can go bad quite quickly, but I've also found that with the offer supermarkets so I suppose can't complain too much
Nappies are good quality, olive oil good and sensible price.... Lots really, enjoy l!

Wow, typos! Apologies!

Everything is ok except the meat. The meat is disgusting.

Just remembered ... Shower gels, shampoo/conditioner for the kids and the caviar face cream (as recommended on here!)

Do not avoid the smoked cheese and chilli dough balls by any means.

Cake mixes, better than another other cake you can buy in a supermarket or most people can make