To convert to Lidl and ask for tips

[TwinsAndTrifle]

Is it me, or have the supermarkets lost their way?

Waitrose has the odd nice bit, good fish counter, but nothing much to write home about anymore. M&S, nice prepared stuff, the odd good ready meal. Neither a cut above the way they used to be.

Tesco's, utter tripe at average pricing. Sainsbury's the same, about 15% pricier.

We've been going to Lidl for a while now, and honestly, the quality is certainly higher than Tesco and Sainsbury's, and more in line with Marks and Waitrose. And a third of the price.

Do other people share this opinion?

We particularly like the continental meal platters, frozen goats cheese pizza (and we never buy frozen), the sticky toffee pudding, breakfast muffins, pate, mini fritattas, spicy chorizo, the fresh steaks, side of salmon, and have yet to be disappointed with any of the fruit and veg. Have a real taste for the fake Malibu too!

There's probably loads of hidden gems that we haven't tried yet. What's your best Lidl regular buy?

I like the special weeks - it's Italy week at the moment, but they also have Alps, Greece, Spain, Eastern Europe and USA. It's nice to try something new and there are some hidden gems in each of the weeks.

Download the app and you get £10 back per month if you spend over £200. All of the food we get from there is good. Like that you can buy some branded stuff as well.

This is good perspective for me as I'm pretty new to the UK. I'm very annoyed I wasted so much money in Sainsbury's during the first lockdown as it was the only place we could get regular deliveries with, maybe this explains why. Our car was also out of action for a few months so we needed the delivery option. Very annoying. I found Sainsbury's pretty good quality wise though? I'm backing shopping at Lidl and like it although preferred Aldi in Australia. Fruit and vege can be very dodgy and some of the bread products are vile. The buns just dissolved in your mouth almost. Can't remember the brand though. There is a nice chargrilled vege pasta ready meal thing which isn't that popular here so is always reduced. The cheap frankfurters are pretty good too. But we have to eat very cheaply so there's that.

Back shopping*

Thanks for that re: the app @M0nstermunch, good to know. The one thing I do find very annoying about Lidi though is once something goes out of stock it seems to take FOREVER for them to get it back in. This is in NI though so may be different elsewhere.

I like the special weeks - it's Italy week at the moment
That's funny. I'm in Italy and I like British week!

Lidl own brand mayo surprisingly
Sweet chilli sauce/soy sauce/BBQ all fine
Greek yoghurt type pots with strawberry layer (come in a pack of 4)
Fake dreamies for the cat!

Download the Lidl plus app for coupons and magazines/offers and money off shops

Lidl is not equivalent in quality to Waitrose. But if you’re happy, that’s all that matters.

@Sometimesonly what types of products are on offer in British week?

OP I think we get really good value for money from Lidl and the shopping experience is stress-free too, we're in and out and get everything we need

Watch the use By dates on meat and veg, they can be very short

Their fresh orange and coconut "juices" are as good as branded versions. The Greek-style yoghurt is also good. The sourdough pizzas too, but I like to add some extra toppings.

I think the Lidl veg (bar the tomatoes and basil) is superior to Waitrose veg. Waitrose stock higher value and fresh counter items that can not be compared like for like. Eg cheeses and fresh fish. The quality on many things such as cured meats, wine, spices, is absolutely equivalent. (Having shopped in Waitrose for 20+yrs)

Portuguese custard tarts from the bakery and the bags of madeleines

The bakery - especially the brownies 😍

@Sardinejam Off the top of my head, fish and chips, blackcurrant squash, digestives, fudge, cheddar!

I like Nasi Goreng, it’s in the chilled bit. Rice mixed with peas, ham and egg. Fry it up in the wok and top with a fried egg, yummy! Such a cheap dinner for a family of 3/4 depending on appetites.

The Greek week stuff is good (like the stuffed vine leaves)
Sweet chilli lentil chips
Multivitamin juice
Really good price on Linda McCartney sausages
I don’t think the f&v quality is as good as Sainsburys though. I switched to sainsburys after buying a bag of Lidl’s onions and all of them were bad. I sometimes top up there in the week but the strawberries and raspberries aren’t as good and the pre-prepared pineapple is always under-ripe.

I love love love the posh chocolate. Much prefer to green and blacks etc but maybe I just have cheap taste! Also really like their jam.

Dijon mustard, previously preferred brand Maille.
Frozen cherries, less than £2 for 600g, defrost and reduce juice for excellent pie filling.
Sourdough pizzas
Jarred red peppers
Unsalted nuts, the cashews are the best anywhere imo.
West country butter with salt crystals
Ibuprofen liquid capsules, cheaper than everywhere else.
Tinned mushy peas to satisfy an occasional craving, better than any of the big brands.
Tinned mushrooms as a store cupboard item.

I'm sure there's more.

Oooh yes, love their Dijon

I get most fresh stuff there.

What I avoid are large tomatoes (though small are good), mandarin oranges, brocolli (unless you use it within two days), fish.

Everything else is pretty good. Though I don’t buy much pre-prepared. There’s some lovely stuff in the deluxe range and I love Italian and Spanish week in particular.

They’re pretty good for branded condiments and yes, the nuts and seeds are excellent and great value. I’m always stocking up on their pine nuts.

We've been disappointed by the fruit and veg recently, but never disappointed by the bakery. Cheese is good value, as are jarred and tinned stuff, sauces, pickle etc.

My local Lidl is extremely busy and they turnover a huge amount of fruit and veg! I have never had ab issue with quality. Their salad dressing are excellent, dd will only eat Lidl humus as she rates it as the best. The gravalax and smoked salmon are fab, the bread flour is the best and really cheap.

Their low calorie tonic water is as good as fever tree with no artificial sweeteners. (I'm more fussy about Tonic water than gin). Their spiced gin is identical to opihr. Made and bottled in the same place.

It's not a third of the price of tesco. If you were to buy the tesco value range it would probably be about the same.