to not get why people like Aldi/Lidl so much?

[lucydogz]

yes, I know it's really cheap, but, appart from some things, the food just is poor quality. When I last went there, my DH was enthused about how cheap it was, but the eggs, porridge oats, jam, mayonnaise, digestive biscuits, and plums I bought were not good at all. I see why people would shop there if they hadn't got any money, but, if you can afford to, why not go somewhere better?
If anybody can tell me about any things they do well I'm prepared to be convinced.

Do virtually all my shopping at the Aldi and Lidl near my work. Beautifully clean (especially the loos compared to Asda) and recently renovated. The staff are friendly and helpful - they were exceptional when some nob in a naice car vandalised my car because he had parked too close). They remember a lot of customers too and are happy to talk while ringing up.

The dairy products are provided by the biggest independent dairy in Scotland so you buy the same whether you're buying the own brand in Aldi or the branded in Lidl, Tesco, Asda etc. The vegetables and fruit are also locally sourced and last well so perhaps the problem is with local crap suppliers rather than the supermarkets. I buy free range organic eggs with no complaints. I buy branded products too - just bought a big bottle of Branston in Lidl yesterday. I like Lidl baby buds as they are plastic free and safety ones. Aldi recycled bog roll is adequate and suits the septic tank unlike the quilted stuff.

I'm currently stuffing the freezer with all the great vegetarian party and dinner options from Lidl at the moment. Aldi also has the only salted caramel ice cream that I have found to be worth the fuss.

The only quibble I have with them is that they don't have a wide range of ready meals but are great for cooking from scratch; I usually stock the freezer with Indian veggie ready meals if I'm near Sainsbury.

@TooManyPaws please could you tell me what veggie frozen things they have at Lidl? There's a new one opened s few miles away and if it sounds good I'll happily try it out.

I would buy tins from there, cleaning stuff, nappies and wipes and frozen bits like chips, fruit and raw prawns and of course wine.
Which is fab as are a lot of their snacks like Pringles.

The fruit and veg is a bit ropey in my opinion. As is some of the meat. Although I think their bacon and joints of beef for roasting are lovely but wouldn't touch their chicken/Mince or Delhi stuff.

I think it's a welcome addition
To our supermarket shopping experience. Was getting cheesed off with the usual suspects ruling the roost.

Im a supermarket hussy and I'm selective with what I buy. For example I would only ever buy dutchy organic milk & chicken. Most meat from butchers but for tinned stuff you cannot go wrong. Their pizzas are great too.

Bought the specially selected Irish Liqueur for Christmas today from Aldi £6.49. Did a blind test with the Baileys (ahem, for research purposes of course). Exactly the same taste to me and dh preferred the Aldi one! Baileys almost double the price at Sainsbury's.

Aldi do a tin of coconut milk that's the best quality. It has 91% coconut extract and costs 79p (I think). The major supermarkets sell inferior CM for double the price. I always stock right up when needs be and only use Aldi brand.

Because they have a fab choice of foods, often continental, at much much lower prices than elsewhere. The only thing I prefer from elsewhere is meat- but even Sainsbury and Morrisons do not do very good quality meat anyway.

@DunkandEggAgain you are correct. It's about the same price in lidl and tastes heavenly. I popped in Tesco by work to buy some - £2.50 at least and you're right it's not the same. Even the blue dragon one is weird compared to aldi lidl

@TwistedChristmas you want the frozen cauliflower cheese and the frozen butternut squash risotto. Also Only in Aldi goats cheese pasta thing bit like cannelloni god it's to die for comes in big metal tray

Oh and the bags of frozen fruit for smoothies are incredible

I choose to buy most of my weekly shop from Lidl because:

1. I like the fact that they don’t have too much choice as I’m somebody who will take an age to decide what loaf of bread to buy and Lidl probably has 5 styles to choose from in comparison to the 100 in the big shops.
2. I love seeing what random shit they have in the random shit aisles. I have bought all sorts of wonders from there over the years.
3. It’s cheap
4. Some things aren’t great quality (I don’t buy sliced ham from there as it’s chopped and shaped and not v nice) but some is excellent. They do the best Spanish and Italian cured meats. The Deluxe pizzas are the best I’ve had from any shop. DH prefers their coffee to any other Etc
5. Their fruit and veg always lasts longer than the big shops which tells me it’s fresher
6. They do loads of brilliant ‘fake’ options. Their own brand peanut m&ms are nicer than the ‘real’ ones and they have ice cream to rival Ben and Jerry’s

Because simple as it is, if people go to lidl they go for not the food you said, you buy biscuits, mayo etc etc other shop, at lidl is only for the meat, fruit and veg. And of course the bakery section. Thats all. Plus if you do a shop at lidle of veg, fruit and meat you would still be close to 200pound.. so is not cheap anymore neither lidl.

agree with someone message, true morrison and sainsburys doesnt do good
meat anymore.

the best way anyway to buy veg and fruit is to carefully look at it properly before buying it, because some can be already rotten.

Yanbu.

This is a ZOMBIE THREAD from 2018!!