Quality at Aldi and Lidl

[Marcelduchamp]

I know Aldi and Lidl are really popular on mumsnet but I really am completely baffled as to how people can claim its good quality. I have relatives who shop there and I have eaten the food lots of times. Yes a few items are OK but on the whole its not good in my experience. I don't eat meat so can't comment on that. I do think veg is veg so is probably not vastly different. I also think the choice is poor with a very basic selection of stuff.

I know it's cheap and we all need that at times. I'm not knocking people who need to cut shopping costs. But are people really being honest when they say the can't tell the difference. What are you tasting? Examples are the strong cheddar cheese is just bland, the crisps don't have much flavour and the filled pasta is cloying inside.

I suppose my AIBU is AIBU to day these shops sell poor quality food.

Marcelduchamp you are giving the impression that you have never set foot in Aldi or seen a food production line in process.

You don't like Aldi, fine don't go there.

Lots of people pick stuff up at several different supermarkets, generally trying to best the best taste at the best price point. We are all going to disagree about taste and some are lucky not to have to worry about price.

Why not actually do some taste comparisons and come back with an EBR opinion. IMO each supermarket has some stunners and some disasters, but my list is unlikely to be identical to other peoples.

I dont really bother with waitrose occasionally maybe for some spice/sauce thing, the do do an interesting range if obscure ingredients and I cant fault the food I've picked up whilst there, however given the tiny quantities, and the price of some of it, the standards aren't so amazing that id do a proper shop there and take the hit on the bank balance.

I like morrisons mainly becuase its where I've found to he most reliable with deliveries, most consistent in what it has and the quality ( I mean its fine. Not "excellent " but not terrible either) and they generally have most if what I need to reduce mid week trips.

Basically its the best of a bad bunch. With less failures and less quality/standard issues than we got at aldi and lidl when we shopped there.

I used to shop at Tesco where I think the choice and quality of fruit and veg is hard to beat. Then I swapped to Lidl for a short while where the choice and quality is not so good - I actually felt a bit queasy at first. So I now shop at Sainsburys. It's very nearly as good as Tesco and the prices compare fairly well. It isn't worth buying stuff which is very, very cheap at the cost of quality IMHO. Better customer service too.

@MrsPernicious

Marcelduchamp you are giving the impression that you have never set foot in Aldi or seen a food production line in process.

You don't like Aldi, fine don't go there.

Lots of people pick stuff up at several different supermarkets, generally trying to best the best taste at the best price point. We are all going to disagree about taste and some are lucky not to have to worry about price.

Why not actually do some taste comparisons and come back with an EBR opinion. IMO each supermarket has some stunners and some disasters, but my list is unlikely to be identical to other peoples.

What precisely have a said that gives the impression I have never been to Aldi? Could you give some examples please?

I wonder how many people have seen a food production line in process? Other than those who work in food production. What a bizzare criticism. I'm also not sure you have to have been to food factory to be able to say what you like and don't. I've watched plenty of episodes of inside the factory does that count towards your bizzare and specific criteria for being allowed to comment on food?

Also the comment if you don't like it don't go there is so mumsnet. There's always one. It's a chat forum this is literally the point of a forum to chat, discuss, give opinions.

I don't know what EBR means

We were on a camping holiday in Cambridge a couple of years ago - thought we'd buy first night's shopping at Waitrose as a bit of a treat. £60 for one shopping bag of fairly ordinary stuff - salad ingredients, olives, tinned tomatoes, pasta etc. Reckon I would have probably spent about £16 for same stuff in Aldi or Lidl.

Would I like to have the kind of £ that meant I could always shop at Waitrose? Yup. But considering our household income is less than £250K a year (by a long, long, way), it's not going to happen.

I use Aldi and Lidl regularly. If I buy meat and I'm not using it within 2 days I freeze it. Their chicken ime goes off more quickly, and before use by date, than other supermarkets.

I have to agree. I normally shop at Tesco but I pop into Lidl quite a lot. I am a massive fan of their bakery and confectionary range - far superior to Tesco’s own brand chocolate. I also bought some grapes from Lidl a long time ago (I mean years and years) and they were the sweetest grapes I’ve ever had but I’ve never had grapes like that again from Lidl - I’ve put it down that it got sent to the wrong supplier!

Alas, that’s all I feel is better at Lidl. I bought salmon before from Lidl and I was repulsed by the flavour of it. So dry and had no flavour (no it wasn’t my cooking)! I bought crisps which aren’t as nice as Tesco’s own brand. I find the staff in both to be similar, both pleasant.

My personal opinion is, Waitrose and Morrisons is the greatest however Tesco is my nearest supermarket by far so I go there most of the time for that reason

Whew - the snobbery on here is something else - very bourgeois. I'm not sure why you think that those of us who shop in Aldi must all be poor-council-house-reared, turkey-twizzler-eating neanderthals, but if it makes you feel superior, jog on.

Meanwhile, back in the real world, we will continue to shop in Aldi and Lidl and maybe even Waitrose .

The fruit and veg in our local lidi is insane. So good!

Re spices - yes limited selection
I don't think anyone here is saying that everything they need is available at Aldi/Lidl. No smoked paprika, panko breadcrumbs etc
I can confirm from personal contact at the bakery that what he called 'fancy bread' is the same mix but different shapes for different supermarkets. He was referring to stuff like sundries tomato bread and olive bread. I don't know if they are still sold as I don't buy them

Also people saying things come from the same factory. You know things can have different recipes but the same production process? For example chocolate. Just saying

I knew a few people who worked in the factory that produced a branded coffee and also a supermarket coffee. Same coffee just different jars. Same for a lot of other stuff.

I also know a guy who’s sole job was to drive a lorry full of chocolate to Switzerland and turn round at customs once he had the paperwork at the Swiss borders and drive the lorry back again so the chocolate label could say it came from Switzerland.

I love my local Lidl. It has everything I need, even branded items.
I love their fruit and veg section and do try tins of things that can be a bit hit or miss but at the price I don’t have to think too hard about the money.

We have an Aldi close by and whilst we quite like the frozen Vegan ready meal section the fruit and veg and the rest of the store just doesn’t have the same choice.

However there is a town I used to have to go to each day and they too had an Aldi and a Lidl however here the Lidl was the poorer alternative and the Aldi was so much better in choice and fruit and veg was plentiful.

I do think they are not as standardised as some of the bigger supermarkets but once you have found a good one then you don’t go back.

My issue with some of the bigger supermarkets is they are so big.
I know which brands of beans I want to buy so I don’t need to scour half a line of shelving to find it. I don’t want to go on a 10 minute walk just to finally get to the food section.
Some of the supermarkets in trying to give everyone a choice to suit them end up putting me off because I just don’t have the time to walk up and down 25 aisles searching for something in a mass of similar sized and coloured tins and packets.
I end up having to take a list in case I miss something in a big supermarket but in Lidl I can see exactly where everything is and they don’t go moving it around just to annoy the customer.
Local big supermarket does this on a regular basis. So much so that even the staff don’t know where things have moved to. Eg Hummus used to be alongside the dips. It is now in a small fridge in the crisps aisle. It got to the point I just didn’t have time to play the game of hunt the mustard that I wasn’t coming out with what I went in there for.

Went to Lidl initially because it was smaller and I could get the majority of what I wanted within a set amount of time and ended up getting 90% there and only used the local Tesco for vegan stuff, although I do use H&B for some stuff now.
Then Lidl and Aldi upped their vegan/vegetarian range and now I just don’t use the bigger supermarkets at all.

Our fruit & veg in Aldi is brilliant. We are lucky we have a beautiful new store and the staff are really professional. Avocados, pomegranates, all the salads & grains, fresh flowers, none of it is short-lived.
I also grab the occasional sandwich - total bargain. The king prawn appetiser selection they did at Christmas was superb and better than M&S who now put too much sugar in everything.
I used to be Waitrose + bit of Lidl (wine, cheese, bread, washing powder etc) Now it's Aldi + bit of Waitrose (exotica, coffee beans, fancy gin).

Aldi has changed. First trip ever, filled the trolly (Christmas) looked at the queue, looked back in the trolley and then abandoned the lot. It was an utter dump and the savings weren't worth it. Last couple of years it has improved hugely. They also invest in their staff, which is probably why I find they are usually very professional & courteous in both the branches I use.

I've not been a huge fan of some of the things I've picked up in Lidl. Nothing was awful and the prices were great but it did seem a bit 'get what you pay for'. Generally I find Sainsburys to be most consistent 'across the board' as I can't afford a full waitrose shop and can't be bothered going to multiple places. I go to waitrose for posh treats like nduja paste and venison if I'm feeling fancy. Tesco finest is the best filled pasta though, woof those ravioli...

Dp used to buy his meals at M&S .

He tried to convert me by buying some of their vegan/veggie ready meals.
I find they have a certain smell about them. Doesn’t matter whether they are a meat dish or veg dish underneath the smell of the food there is another smell. No idea what it is but I have a nose like a blood hound. Met a couple of other people who know the smell.
I don’t really like them regardless of the smell and for the money they are a waste.

@amusedbush That soup sounds amazing, any chance you could post a link to the recipe? Haven't read full thread so apologies if you've already done so.

[quote PersicariaBistortaSuperba]@amusedbush That soup sounds amazing, any chance you could post a link to the recipe? Haven't read full thread so apologies if you've already done so.[/quote]
Of course! The only good thing to come out of my last flatshare was getting this soup recipe from my nightmare flatmate's dad

I buy the winter veg pack from Tesco, so one small/medium swede, a large carrot and a large onion. Peel the veg and grate it all. Time consuming but worth it!

Simmer a small gammon joint in a soup pot for a couple of hours. Make sure the water is always covering it. Remove the gammon once cooked and add the grated veg and as many lentils as you like. I've been accused of making lentil soup so thick I could cut a slice of it but that part is up to you. Chop up the gammon and add back into the pot, leaving it to simmer until the veg and lentils are soft.

Everything blends together as it cooks so you don't need to blend it, and it has a lovely texture.

I find the fruit and veg doesn't last as long as the stuff I buy from Tesco or Sainsbury's so I shop there to prevent having to throw things away.

I think it really depends on what you buy and wether you normally buy branded goods or own brand goods from other big supermarkets.

I find i cannot do a full shop there i also find a number of things are more expensive or not available. We buy a lot of own branded things from Tesco and i really don’t see much price difference at all.
I was put off Lidl meat as one year wed bought fresh mince, straight home and refrigerated immediately, cooked a day later on Xmas eve and the stench was putrid, it was off! Despite being in date and packet not blown. Couldn’t buy meat from either again, really put me off.
Tried Lidl’s ready meals the other day as feeling lazy, bought a tagilitelle and it was horrific, could not eat it at all it went in the bin and i love tagliatelle.

Not had great experience with Aldi fruit, trie there blueberries and strawberries and raspberry’s as i was buying a lot of their Greek yogurt, they went off within 24hrs and were barely cheaper than Tesco’s.

Lidls sweets went down a treat at Halloween though, their trolli range is good and they were better than haribo, they also have an amazing bakery with delicious croissants, brownies and breads.
Aldi moser Roth chocolates are great too, as is their Ballycastle baileys.

All in all, as much as some bits are cheaper, some are more expensive so its ok as a browse and pick up select bits for me but not for a full shop.

Never had a problem with fruit and veg but we shop twice per week. Don’t think fruit and veg lasts that long wherever you go

Some stuff is ok, some isn't.
The fruit and veg at our local Lidl is ok, the Aldi is dire. There was mouldy fruit and vegetables in the Aldi on the day it opened and every time I buy apples no matter what variety they're all full of hidden bruises. Neither of them seem to refrigerate as much as the big supermarkets though so it's no wonder it doesn't last. I think Morrison's is certainly more consistent in that respect.

I buy mini sausage rolls for DH and the kids and decant them into a tub in the fridge. They can all tell when they're eating the M&S ones rather than the Lidl or Aldi.

A lot of the chocolate and breakfast cereal in both contain peanut traces so we can't buy. So I know they can't all be made in the same place as the branded stuff which doesn't.
Although Aldi hula hoops are the real thing but they only do plain which doesn't please the kids.

I don't rate the chicken or mince from any supermarket. M&S is probably the worst for chicken but Aldi free range was bad too. I stick to the butchers for that.

Ultimately I think there's a reason they almost always pop up in the pocket of another supermarket because you can't get everything you need or like from them.

I'm not keen on Aldi or Lidl. Selection isn't good enough.

They are ok for basics but I'd never do a full shop there.

Our mams and grans shopped several times a week at least, now if I shop at greengrocers/wholesalers I can get a sack of spuds, carrots etc. that last for months. Albeit they are a bit muddy having been pulled out of the earth, not washed, not stored at near freezing.

We have a brand new Lidl, a very tired Aldi, a lot of our meat and veg. comes from Ireland, we see the wagons coming ashore at Holyhead.

@Annasgirl

Whew - the snobbery on here is something else - very bourgeois. I'm not sure why you think that those of us who shop in Aldi must all be poor-council-house-reared, turkey-twizzler-eating neanderthals, but if it makes you feel superior, jog on.

Meanwhile, back in the real world, we will continue to shop in Aldi and Lidl and maybe even Waitrose .

Hmm. If you're an Aldi shopper, I'm not sure you're allowed to shop in Waitrose, because you might upset the pearl clutchers.