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?

Their tea is the same quality as brands that sell for twice the price. I also like their chunky fish cakes, and their mozzarella sticks.

The Italian deli style pancetta is lovely (baked with garlic, stirred into pasta for a quick dinner).
Free range whole chickens
Dishwasher tabs
Avocados
Most of their veg (not carrots, really dry & wizened when we had them)
Fresh herbs
Lemons & limes (constant need for these in my G&Ts)
Anti pasti jars, what a godsend!
Dried fruit for kids' snacks
Brioche rolls (burger & finger ones)
Non-scented sanitary towels!!!!
Pâte (black & cardboard wrapping)
Salted tortilla crisps

I'm an Aldi convert, used to think "what's the big deal?" But actually they have lots of good ranges without costing the earth.

Avoid:

Frozen pizzas unless you don't mind that the topping tastes of tomato ketchup. We haven't tried any of the other ready meals.

Soft fruit and salads - pick carefully, I have found the stuff doesn't keep.

Cheese spreads (the ones that look like Philadelphia and Dairylea) - just awful.

Butter - tastes really strange and not in a good way.

The own brand cereals and biscuits have never been very nice either, same with the jam, no flavour.

And overall the ranges are so limited compared to the mainstream supermarkets, I'm really not sold on Aldi at all.

Fruit and veg at our Aldi are always very good, so they must vary from store to store, use your own judgement but try it, as I have found everything I buy, at least as good as the more expensive supermarkets, sometimes better. I also love Lidl.

I wonder where to shop if you can't even afford aldi anymore? I suspect it might be farmfoods :(

Moser Roth chocolate is fab. I like Dairyfine too. They do some caramel chocolate buttons. They don't taste the same as Cadbury's but they are very nice!
London gin very good.
Cereals are good - we get muesli, fake Weetabix/Shreddies/Shredded Wheat/Bran Flakes. All good.
Cheese is nice. I like the posh 'crunchy Cheddar's but it's not do great for cooking as the texture goes grainy (but their regular cheddar is good for this).
Wine is great and our local brewery makes a beer especially for Aldi, which is very nice.
Tinned stuff is good and I think the tuna is tastier than Sainsbury's.
I have found fruit and veg fine and it can be great value, eg packs of rhubarb for 69p the other week when they were £2 in Sainsbury's! Cherry tomatoes are bland and have a thick skin but the same can often be said of Sainsbury's cherry tomatoes. The 'posh' ones are good.
Value frozen peas are horrid (like bullets but they are in Sainsbury's too). Standard ones fine.
Tinned chickpeas are very good, big and fleshy like Napolina ones!
Washing stuff (dishwasher, non bio Almat, washing up liquid, shampoo ) all good.
I have tried a lot of things

I did not like the toothpaste (hurt my lips!) or ice cream but I am very fussy about ice cream....

Crumpets, wraps, rolls, part baked baguettes
Hoops cereal, wheat biscuits, honey nut flakes
Teddy faces (Pom bears)
Fruit bars and yoghurt flakes
Baking stuff- flours sugars, Jam, lemon curd
Tinned tomatoes, potatoes, sweetcorn, beans, beans and sausages
Rice, pasta, spaghetti
Bolognese and korma sauces
All the vegetables
Eggs, bacon, sausages, mince, pork legs/shoulders, whole chicken,chicken thighs gammon steaks and meatballs
Ham, cream cheese, chorizo and pepperoni, Creme fraiche
Frozen chips, bean burgers, onion rings, mixed vegetables, jacket potatoes
Washing up liquid, baby wipes, pull ups

We love aldi!

Buy fajita kit, cheese, biscuits, fake twix, yoghurt, chorizo, wine (especially toro loco), passions crisps, cheese twists, rice, pasta, tinned tomatoes, tomato purree, dishwasher tablets, non bio liquid and fruit and veg. A lot of people complain about the fruit and veg but ours is always great. Lasts way longer than Asda or Tesco's.

Washing powder
Washing up liquid
Goats' cheese
Brie
Mature cheddar
Vegetable Crisps
Most of the salad stuff and veg
Mushrooms
Any of the 59p offer fruit n veg - always good quality and exceptional value
New potatoes
Frozen veg - no different to that from anywhere else
Wine - some of my favourite wines I can only get in Aldis
Chocolate - variable but the better stuff is really nice
I have the caviar face cream, too!
Some of the cycling gear (clothes in particular - merino layers - we have some cycling stuff got in there several years ago, still going strong whilst more expensive, branded stuff already holey/worn out)
Plants (in Spring the £2.99 bare rooted fruit trees all amazing value and every plant I have bought from Aldis has survived and thrived)
I can't eat the own brand Weetabix from Sainsburys, Morrisons or Tescos but happily eat the Aldis
Aldis' basic porridge oats
Baking stuff also good quality and good value - flour, sugar, baking powder, yeast and sometimes they get specials in of some fancy bread flour that is the best I have had

Passata - forgot that!

We just tried their Peking Crispy Duck from there, it comes in a box and is £4.50. Excellent! Just as good as any in a restaurant.

Also the rocket ice lollies are a little addictive, 10 pack for £1

Loads of other great stuff as others have said, the only things I dislike are their quavers equivalent

Things we love from Aldi:

Beef and red wine crisps. Amazing little buggers.
Specially selected fishcakes - dh loves the Thai one most.
Specially selected 28 matured ribeye steaks - the normal ones have been a bit more too sinewy for me.
Organic whole chickens
Waygu burgers and the brioche burger buns - tastier than many burgers I've had out.
The Italian antipasto
Specially selected chicken liver parfait is seriously amazing.

The only thing I don't buy from Aldi anymore is their standard chicken and steak but the 'posher' versions are lovely.

My local store has started to have Bisto stock pots too, which is great as their own are awful really.

Oh and lastly, their Gauedi(sp) sauvignon blanc, which they've been stocking recently is delicious and apparently the Shiraz is also very good.

Fresh stuffed crust pizzas
The 'Aussie' rip off shampoo and conditioner is awesome
Greek yoghurt (they've started doing a proper authentic Greek one that's stunning)
Luxury yoghurts
Ham and deli meats
Packs of little fruity flapjacks for lunch boxes
Dried fruit and nuts selection is pretty impressive
Jam in the square jar is lovely

I don't think anyone has mentioned their choc brioche loaf in a silver tray. You won't be disappointed.

I can recommend 5% fat mince, fresh whole chickens and chicken thighs, raisin and almond granola, passata, green and red pesto, milk, mature cheddar, full fat greek yog, jars of olives and antipasti, crackers, washing up liquid, dishwasher tablets, ice cream, frozen fruit tarts, frozen roast potatoes, frozen cauli cheese in the winter is 😍😍.

Avoid the spreadable butter - Norpak...it's butter flavoured
DH doesn't like their Rice Krispies
Anything from the meat/fish that is specially selected, esp ribeye and fillet steaks, and bacon. We also like the smoked salmon, mackerel, fish cakes etc
Fruit and veg is a bit hit and miss. I tend to only buy it there if I'm going to use it quite soon

Don't like their breaded chicken fillets. They tasted a bit weird, and I found a bit of bone and feather in one. (I know it can happen with any brand, but it really put me off.)
Their cereal isn't bad.
They have a chocolate mousse dessert pot thing that's quite nice.
Their toilet rolls are always really cheap and a good buy.
Haven't tried anything else, really. Will get some of the things mentioned. :)

Most of the stuff is lovely. The only stuff I've chucked so far is their instant decaff coffee. It tastes shit. Have to disagree with someone about their strawberry jam. It's yum, almost tastes homemade to me.

I can't fault Aldi.
Their food, value for money and customer service is second to none.

Oh yes the cycling stuff is great - I am team Aldi.

Their packs of ham trimmings - varies by the week but often get big thick slabs of ham in those packs.
Also their Chorizos and own brand peperami sticks.

I fear I have focused to much on meat, so for balance: their canned toms, chickpeas etc are also fine, and their olive oil spread.

Oh and honourable mention should go to the curry sauces (the ones with the spices separately in the lids). Second only to Pataks. Sometimes, better than.

I think the only thing oh has noticed and complained at were the own brand jaffa cakes...

Their top end olive oil is good, too. (Don't work for them - honest! Just have the passion of a convert).

the big slab of cheap mature cheddar is really nice crumbly and tangy. the torchon ham ridiculously cheap and reminds me of school trips to france.
ime meat is ok as long as freeze immediately.
the bags of frozen thai flavoured veg brilliant for a quick tea.
cook in the bag med chicken currently £3.15. so moist and a ton of meat on them.

avoid soups.

I love Aldi and whilst initially I wasn't keen I am now completely converted and only go to other supermarkets for special ranges that aldi doesn't stock! So far everything is lovely apart from the instant coffee (the most expensive one from the range) and the double concentrate juice (tastes of chemicals).