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?

I really like their meat - the steak particularly is great! They also do maple smoked belly pork which is really yummy. They do a chicken breast crown in the freezer section for about £2.50 which cooks in an hour from frozen and is always great and very juicy.

Their frozen raw prawns and scallops are incredible - DH is a recent convert and can't get enough of them.

The frozen beef wellington is a bit naff and a previous poster was right, their soft fruit can go off quickly. Their alcohol is great - including spirits. They do a dark fruits cider which I could live off and a rose wine (can't remember the name) which is £2.39 and very, very drinkable!

I do my full shop there apart from stock pots and the odd bit here or there. We like the quality and choice a lot and the savings are immense.

Everything is brilliant. Especially the fresh meat and veg and bread. Only thing we haven't liked are their Earl Grey tea bags. Not as nice as twinings. We buy their own brand everything else.

Word of warning though....if you want to save money (two thirds less than Tesco for normal weekly shop etc) then avoid the "extras" aisles. Can easily spend unnecessary money on spontaneous random purchases of tools, garden equip, skiwear, cycle paraphernalia, kids toys etc etc

I buy my luxuries in Aldi (and my essentials from Ocado ). The cut flowers and chocolate are fab. Dark chocolate with whole hazelnuts...

the jar of mascarpone pasta sauce in a black jar is gorgeous

Fajita dinner kit

Baking stuff is great

Almat washing powder

Salmon fillets in freezer section are small but lovely

Pizzas and steak

Gnocchi and ready to wok noodles

Very little I don't like but sometimes goes elsewhere just for variety

I buy everything out of aldi, the quality is exceptional and they are introducing new lines every week. The smoked duck is to die for.

wlydchyld how long do you cook the prawns for ? Do you pan fry them?

Oh and the prosecco at £5.29 is good. In fact the only thing I didn't like (so far - I try something new each week) was their own bread.

Staples I wouldn't go anywhere else for:

Prosec and dough balls as above
Nappies
Wipes
Brioche burger/hot dog buns when we have a barby
Sliced meats and hams
Vine tomatoes (best I can find at the mo)
Avocados
Bagged salad (their 'posh' one) - lasts well
The £5.99 LITRE of 'pimms' - it's called austins
Very large very reasonable free range chickens

I've had no problems with their fresh fruit and veg, but it's a common complaint I know. I tend to cook from scratch so my experience of their ready made stuff is limited. I've also had no problems whatsoever with any meat or fish but I try and buy the free range / reduced fat ones which I know are pricier (but cheaper than my bloody tesco!) so can't comment on their cheaper meats and fish.

I can honestly say I save a good 20 quid a week since going there. I love it.

Go with an open mind, the quality is excellent but not everything will be to your taste. Even if you end up wasting a few things you will still save a fortune overall. I can't think of anything to avoid...................

Yesssss to the frozen prawns I buy those often. And the DW tabs - all the cleaning stuff is great - it comes in bigger packets for less money and is just as effective.

Yes also to the middle aisles of 'everything I never knew I needed'.

The ketchup and mayonnaise are horrible. Everything else is good, although I agree that the fruit can go off very quickly.

Aldi's mint bubbly chocolate is amazing. Currently going through 2 bars a week.

All their baby stuff is great.
Their kitchen cleaner is good, I like the big box of mushrooms which I chop up for freezer, the cheeses are great, so is the frozen veg.

I do my main shop there, bread is great too.

Avoid the fake monster munch

I am sipping (OK, slurping) a glass of their Toro Loco rosé (£3.49) which is more than acceptable, as is the Toro Loco red and white. Their Veuve Monsigny is the best of the bargain champagnes. And you can order their wine online.

I think a lot of Aldi's products are good quality, especially everyday things like cleaning stuff, toilet rolls, tinned tomatoes, their weekly veg offers, cooking oils, cereal, milk, eggs, flour. Wine is good and quite a lot of choice. Then they have some really nice treats - looked at the chocolate rice cakes a few times, I may give them a try. Their chocolate is good. The only thing I've tried that I won't buy again is coffee.

wobbly, I defrost them (or if I'm running late, put the sealed packet in a bowl of cold water for half an hour) then heat up butter and garlic in a pan and fry them until they're pink. I've also put them on skewers and barbecued them and cooked them as part of a pasta sauce. They're huge as well - real king prawns.

Their red wine and beef crisps (i think) are addictive. I have stopped buying them because i eat them all.

Their mugshot copies are alright actually.

Fake snickers mmmm.

Moser Roth chocolate
Chocolate brioche
Medallion steaks - cheap as chips and I've never had a chewy one
Wine
Austins
Cheese
Chorizo ring
Smoked salmon
Olives
Gnocchi

I love Aldi!

Edna true about the middle aisles! Smoked paprika, cycling shoes and posh lemonade added to recent shops so you do have to try to stick to a list! But the shoes were a bargain.

They do some fresh fish cakes with spinach and lemon that are gorgeous too.

Oh and if they have it, the Lacura face powder is brilliant. The Lacura skin care range in general is.

The only things I buy in Aldi are wet wipes and colouring books. The food is rubbish.

I don't know why some people don't like the meat. I did roast pork yesterday and it was delicious. We get everything from there. They have just won supermarket of the year.
Wine award winning, as are so many of their products

Their fresh fruit and veg can be a bit hit or miss, and I haven't been impressed with meat.

There are, however, several things I would not come away from Aldi without:

1. Moser Roth chocolate
2. Lemon and Mascarpone cheesecake.
3. Red wine.
4. Milk (89p for 4 pints the last time I was in there)
5. Toilet roll is much better value there
6. Mamia baby wipes. I use them for cleaning, and DD3 seems to get through masses of them when wiping her make-up off every day.

Most other things I prefer Tesco, which is the only other real option around here and seems to be competing much more on price these days too.

I've only just noticed your user name - their London Gin is excellent

Titan bars ( fake Mars)
Moser Roth choc
Seal bars ( fake penguins)
Strawberry flavoured water
Ice cream sauces- the choc orange crack one is gorgeous!
Ice cream toppings- fudge, honeycomb and meringue
Yogurts
Cartons of smoothies
Norpak butter