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.

I shop in aldi. And prefer most to tesco and sainsburys.
I find it better than asda.
There have been a few things that's have been disgusting I've brought on a whim and wanting something quick to cook. But learn by it.
I just did prob just under a weeks shop £57 plus £18 in tesco. For 2 adults, 1 teen. Toddler, dsc the weekend and a baby

So if you don’t like Aldi or Lidl because you think their fruit and veg is shit... then you’re a snob.

Rightio!

Not just a snob jrose u are so accomstomed to shit you cant taste "quality "

We do buy things like crackers, humus, crisps and cereal. Which are fairly ordinary purchases. It's those tyoe of things which I notice the difference on

Aldi Specially Selected rosemary crackers are my favourite crackers in the world! The cracked black pepper ones are lovely too. I don't eat cereal, but the dc say they're the same as branded. I find their hummus as good as any other supermarket brand, though I mostly make my own.

Various ready-made Aldi things are noticeably better than branded or other supermarket own brands, for example their jaffa cakes and oreos (miles better), their own brand chocolate (far better than anything but the really luxury brands). I'll admit their basic normal crisps are a bit meh, but they have lots of nicer ones too.

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.

Waitrose is ok, but it's no Booths.

I will only buy their meat if I am going to eat it within two days.

I’ve found that it always goes off before the best before date. I’ve wasted so much money going to cook a pork joint or whatever, opening the packet to find it green and stinking when it’s well in date.

Prefer Aldi and Morrisons to Tesco but overall I agree with the PP who said Booths is the best for quality.

Supermarket loyalty is more pronounced than Politics!

I do think it’s very hot and miss but more miss in the case of Aldi and Lidl. I have all major supermarkets within probably a 5 mile radius of my house and I use all of them to varying degrees with the main shop at Sainsbury’s. When my DP goes shopping he ALWAYS goes to Aldi and it infuriates him that I don’t because of the price. The fruit and veg and also meat go off very quickly from Aldi and Lidl. I had to throw away a packet of chicken he bought from Aldi which had 5 days left on the date the other day because it was very much off. The equivalent pizzas in Aldi that look like rip offs of Sainsbury’s TTD are completely tasteless. I’m not a fan of them.

@lazylinguist

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.

Waitrose is ok, but it's no Booths.

I love booths, it's much better than waitrose.

@lazylinguist

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.

Waitrose is ok, but it's no Booths.

I'm very jealous of you Northern folk who have Booths!

After all my defending of Aldi earlier I'm currently leafing through the Booths Christmas book my order went in before nov for my £5 discount so I'm not being completely robbed

I much prefer Lidl to Aldi, I just think (locally) that lidl is less chaotic.

Lidl stock Driscoll berries which are also stocked in our local Wholefoods for twice the price for the EXACT same thing.

I split my shop between a weekly Ocado shop with Lidl for a top up between and both are great. I couldn’t use Lidl full time though as they just don’t stock enough of the type of foods we use (allergy friendly mainly).

Very much agree that Booths is even nicer than Waitrose. More expensive too!

I’ve never had problems with fresh food from Lidl or Aldi. I think this must be a store by store issue.

I prefer Aldi to Lidl, but so much is out of stock so often that I have to top up elsewhere, usually Sainsbury's. I agree the fruit and veg go off quicker and I don't like the chicken. The specially selected bacon is fine, as is the parmesan. Cracked black pepper crackers are good (the rosemary ones never seem to be in stock when I shop). There are some things I really don't rate but Aldi is much more cost effective.

The thing I DO like about both Aldi and Lidl is the absence of gimmicks such as BOGOF, Multibuy, Nectar points etc. It is just low prices across the board.

We have had a few issues with Aldi, e.g. mouldy tomatoes (at Christmas), sailing close to the wind with their use by dates, but their chocolate is good.

I will not hear a word against Lidl. I use them for fresh Parmesan and other Continental cheeses, nuts, dried goods, also I have never had a problem with their fruits and vegetables.

One thing I love about Lidl is the foreign promotions, e.g. French week, with attendant offers. Never seen that anywhere else.

For raw materials it’s good
Especially if you eat fairly clean
But processed ? Nah

The nicest is my local butcher, fishmonger, baker and expensive deli. For everything else it's lidl

Cracked black pepper crackers are good (the rosemary ones never seem to be in stock when I shop).
I love the salt and the pepper crackers. There's always tonnes of the rosemary ones left here, they taste like soap to me but I always see people on MN recommend them.

To be far both supermarkets source fresh fruit, vegatables and meat from the UK as they support local farmers, unlike other supermarkets who source outside that can't be faulted, they also pay their staff decently, think its over a tenner an hour. I love aldi, the middle aisles are so random and love browsing them, if your husbands or partners are DIY fanatics it's good to go and get cheap tools ect. They do good kitchen ware also, picked up some good quality utensils from there. True some of the food is a bit crap but most are tasty plus it's cheap, used to spend well over 100 in asda now spend Bout 60 maybe 70 tops in aldis

I'm very jealous of you Northern folk who have Booths!

I hadn't even heard of it before I moved up North!

For the good words I said about Aldi. Just opened a pack of pitta breads purchased from them on Thursday dated best before 13/11/20.
Every one of them in packet mouldy & soggy :(

I know we've spoken alot about the food but I did neglect to say that actually i find some of the cleaning stuff,/toiletries pretty bad too.

I have a bottle of fizzy cola hand wash in the kitchen. It doesn't lather up. You cant smell it unless u really get close up and sniff it and it kinda just slides straight off your hand.

Out done by a 2 pound bar if soap so not like its been replaced with something fancy and expensive I cant compare to.

The toilet cleaner is really watery too. Wasn't really impressed with any if it and again I use own brands and what's on offer etc. Not fussy.

Aldi and Lidl desserts are the best

Yes, YABU.
These shops sell different products and a lot of them are good quality. Yes, Sainsburys has bigger variety so I won’t be able to shop only at Aldi and Lidl but it’s very much depends on what you are eating/ cooking.
Potatoes, carrot, broccoli, tenderstem broccoli, leek, courgettes, mushrooms, tomatoes, peppers and onions ( red, white and spring) are absolutely fine and cheaper in Aldi and Lidl. The same apples to bagged salads, apples, avocados, lemons, limes, pears, blueberries, raspberries and strawberries. Although over summer Sainsburys sells the best strawberries. Kiwis are hit and miss, but the best are in M&S. Other fruits and vegs are absolutely ok. Milk, eggs, cream, unsalted butter, flour and caster sugar, Parma ham, chicken slices, whole chicken, chicken mini fillets, chicken drumsticks, diced beef, fresh salmon and cod, sea bass, smoked salmon, cooked prawns, falafels, vegetarian sausages, kitchen towels, toilet paper and even ice cream - all of these are absolutely fine.
I agree about variety. The choice of yogurts are not enough for me, and I do like a particular brand of cheddar cheese, not from Aldi, but Brie, feta and goats cheese from Aldi are really good. Aldi has much less spices, bakery is good but again less choice, but all the main products are there. I don’t like their jams, tea and coffee but oils are fine. And Lidl has very good choice of chocolates, and I’m chocoholics with huge experience. Of course, if you are into organic stuff, agree, Sainsbury is the best place.