To think that Aldi isn’t the answer to everything?

[ShirleyPhallus]

On pretty much every thread here to do with food and drink within about 2 posts someone pops up with “I get mine from Aldi and it’s amazing”. On literally every thread like this it’s praised like it’s the best thing ever. See also Lidl.

Anyway, I went to an Aldi this week on the back of all the MN love and it’s just a cheap supermarket. Not the answer to my prayers. Am I missing something? Am I being unreasonable? (Answer is no fyi)

We only shop in Aldi and M&S. I find it very easy indeed to buy a full weeks shopping there with zero problems and we eat very well.

We must be lucky as our branch is bright, clean and always well stocked with fresh produce, lots of which is from here (not in UK) and I love this.

The only things we don't buy there are coffee as we have a subscription for beans, though we have bought it and the Italian roast is very nice.

And certain cereal for dc. They eat Aldi weetabix / readybrek / porridge / museli but they also like real cheerios and cocopops. So I stock up about once a month on those.

I never understand people who say you can't get a full shop there - what are you missing?

This week our menu (all from Aldi) includes:

Sun: roast free range organic chicken
Mon: falafels, spicy cous cous, hummous, salad
Tues: king prawn curry with rice
Wed: organic salmon baked in a parcel with fresh ginger, spring onion, chilli and soy) sugar snaps and noodles
Thurs: cajun chicken with 3 bean salad
Fri: homemade Ramen soup
sat: goats cheese and caramelized onion frittata with salad
Sun: fillet steak

We buy a lot of the specially select range and it is excellent quality.

I honestly don't know how people manage to do a whole shop there or do you just adjust your menus to what they have in stock?

Do you realise how priviliged and entitled you sound?

2 billion people on this planet on this planet don;t have enought to eat, and you "honestly don't know how people manage" having to shop in Aldi?
To many people across the globe being able to have a shop like ALDI and being able to afford to shop there is unimaginable.

I've just read a few posts saying it's all processed and frozen shite - this is SO far from the truth!

Our has a big section called The Food Market with all kinds of unsalted nuts, grains, pulses as well as a separate 'decent free from' gluten free section.

There's a baking section with flour - plain, self raising, strong and brown. As well as baking powder, icing sugar, several types of sugar - caster, regular, light brown, dark brown, golden syrup, food colouring, tubs of ready made icing, dried yeast, dried fruit, bun cases, greaseproof paper, decorations like sprinkles - i bake a bit and buy my supplies here so I know what they have

Our fresh fruit section is really good and regularly has things like Sable Black grapes or cotton candy green grapes, golden kiwi, pomegranate, passion fruit, sharon fruit, straw tubs of clementines with the leaves on etc

I bought a tray of specially select Jazz apples this week and they beat the M&S apples hands down for crispness and flavour.

Our Aldi isn't particularly big but I can easily do a weekly shop in there. In fact I find we eat far better when we shop in there!

I find their meat preferable to Tesco/ Asda/ Sainsbury's - and they're fillet steak is lovely. We're going for quality over quantity at the moment.

DS10 loves the crusty bread, and the little chocolate ganache puddings are just amazing. We also get all our fruit and veg from there, but I sometimes do a top up shop mid week.

The laundry liquid is also much cheaper than the Persil that dh would buy elsewhere.

When the kids were little I used their nappies too, and they brilliant. Far better than branded ones.

They don't have light almond milk in or at least not one I can enjoy. I dont buy dairy.

Lidl is better and has fresh pastries ! I still have to go to sainsburys for cat food, Asda for Asian groceries etc but normal week to week we think it saves around £20

I was won over to Aldi during the first lockdown when I didn't want to queue at two supermarkets. It opened my eyes to how rubbish so much of Sainsbury's produce is. This was confirmed when I had to do online shoppping at Sainsbury's for an elderly relative and an astounding number of the reviews were one or two stars. I sometimes see things in Sainsburys that are twice the price you pay in Aldi; I'm pretty sure celeriac is celeriac wherever you buy it.

@Duchess379

Aldi & Lidl are vastly overrated. Yeah, food is cheaper but their sell by dates have a 2 day window so will go off in days! I can't tell you how much fruit & veg I've binned after it's 'melted' in the fruit bowl within 48hrs..

I think this depends where you are. I've never had this problem about mushy fruit or short dates

I've just eaten a Lidl pomelo, bought in the middle of December. It has gotten put away in the wrong place, and forgotten about. Nearly a month, unrefrigerated, and it was bloody lovely.

Yanbu I really can't get on with it but it is excellent value.