To be more than a Lidl appalled?

[SurelyTheyCanDoALidlBetter]

I'm a regular Lidl shopper, and particularly enjoy sampling the delicacies on offer during their various world food weeks. Interestingly shaped pasta? Of course. Sushi with all the accompanying sauces? Yes please. Wines from around the world? Into the trolley they go.

But this week is American food week, and I just can't.

Caveat: I myself am American. But surely Lidl could have come up with better offerings than marshmallows, peanut butter, pickles, Duff beer, and frozen hot dog pockets? Where is the cobb salad? Pot roast? Jambalaya? Grits? Clam chowder? Apple pie?!

The lack of proper food on offer during their America week is just embarrassing.

Am I wrong in thinking this is only a problem for American food, or are all of Lidl's food weeks filled with the junkiest options from every country and I just don't realise?

I'm in Cornwall - we don't have any of them as standard. I am bereft.

I hope Lidl pay you handsomely for your loyalty.

Labraradabrador, I would love it if you have any website / blog / cook book recommendations for authentic Louisiana recipes!

I think when Lidl (or any other supermarket) sells a convenience food version of your childhood favourites, it will always be a bit disappointing, no matter where you're from, although I can see that American week is particularly bad.

Several posters have said that their favourite was Taste of the Alps or German week. I'm from Bavaria and sadly have to disagree. We also get Taste of the Alps at Lidl in Germany and while I regularly shop at Lidl and love Bavarian / Austrian / Swiss cuisine, there's very few things I like from that range. The sausages taste cheap, the cheese is really bland and I'd never buy frozen Rösti and Spätzle (so easy to make at home and so much nicer) or cold rosted nuts in a plastic bag. I will admit to buying frozen apple strudle though because I'm far too lazy to bake this myself.

You're staggeringly missing the point. Did you not read the bit in the OP that made clear she enjoys most of the other themed weeks?

And it's sold everywhere in Amsterdam.

Eastern European food week is rubbish too. The worst pierogi they could probably sell. Awful quality. Jaffa cakes? They're in English shops, what's the point. Mayo? Like there wasn't any on the shelf already.

Agreed, the american week is crap but i'm not really sure what American food is though tbh. (Have visited and I have family there) 🤔

Burgers would work? I mean everytime I visit, people just obsess about mexican food 😂

Pecan pie, key lime pie and cinnamon rolls!

I'd never buy frozen Rösti and Spätzle (so easy to make at home and so much nicer)
These are really easy to make - as are the tattie scones by the look of it?
Also cheap and tasty. I'm enjoying this thread for the cooking inspiration :)

Someone mentioned Apple pie? Dh is craving American apple pie (Costco or Marie Callendars are best) It's cinnamon apples tastes very different, it has cheese on if you are in Wisconsin

I’m Canadian. My England-born grandfather always had cheese on his apple pie, (my grandmother made one very week). He was the only person I knew who had cheese with his pie so I thought it was a British thing.

American grits are mostly eaten in the South, or in parts of the Midwest where southern people now live. In New England, we make thicker grits with a splash of milk, then cook like pancakes. They’re called johnnycake, and are a descendent of griddle cakes. Clam chowder is an iconic New England food, and much better than sugary junk.

All this talk of grits reminds me of Flo’s catchphrase.

I'm not joking, but maybe I've just been distracted by other things like sticky toffee pudding (which I like better anyway). Does the UK version have a top and bottom crust? Does it have cinnamon in it? I will have to keep an eye out!

Biscuits and gravy is possibly the most revolting food ive ever tasted! Like tasteless plain savoury scones with what can only be described as slop all over them! It actually made me heave! 😂

@HeavenIsAHalfpipe

Must say that I’m finding your passionate defence of Lidl far odder than the OPs (clearly lighthearted) critique of American Week.
What’s up with you?

It's the apples that are the issue. You can't make a proper apple pie (in my opinion) with bramleys. Sauce yes, dorset apple cake, of course. But not a proper apple pie. That needs something like Macs or even better Swayzes.

And don't forget that it's a pie so that means it's a good 8 inches across and has a top as well as a bottom (unless it's "dutch" in which case it has a pastry bottom and a crumble top). Lot's of cinnamon and nutmeg too please. Never serve with ice cream (ruins the pastry) but a good wedge of fairly mature cheddar is always welcome.

And the other thing we need is the packet mix for the Red Lobster biscuits.

Agree with @SmudgeButt , the pie needs to be large and deep and double crusted, not too much sugar or cinnamon as the sweetness comes from the apples.

The french tartines are just not as nice with their thinly sliced perfectly arranged sour apples.

You can't really sell these ready-made.

So Lidl needs packets for other things. Guacamole mix (spicy) and Old Bay seasoning please. And Country Time lemonade mix, frozen hash browns.

So just a béchamel sauce?

@HiccupHorrendousHaddock
it certainly looks like it! Also I learned having watched the Sopranos several times that the Italian Americans refer to Tomato pasta sauce as ‘gravy’ (possibly an east coast reference) as when they went to Naples the staff were totally perplexed

I love lidls specials. Not always authentic sometimes but hey ho. 🤷🧘 Bigger things to be concerned about 🐱

I think possible to some people any sauce is a gravy, @TwoMonthsOff .

I've heard people talk about Indian and Pakistani recipes as having a "gravy" where I would call it a sauce. For example, Matar Paneer, where I do the sauce (spices, onions, tomatoes, cashews etc) and put it through the blender and return it to the pan to cook with the paneer and peas. Two recipes I have refer to that as the gravy.

Personally I associate it with a (usually) meat juices based sauce mixed to a roux and slackened with stock, served with meat and potatoes. But clearly my own rule is inconsistent as I make onion gravy to go with (veggie) sausages and mash all the time.

@HiccupHorrendousHaddock
Probably it’s just a completely English thought about gravy…l would never think of anything except gravy as the stuff you have with your Sunday dinner or as you say bangers and mash etc…..and sauce for pasta etc…it’s quite interesting really

@HiccupHorrendousHaddock
I was reading the other day how the French make Espagnole ‘brown sauce’ it is really elaborate

@HiccupHorrendousHaddock
i love the sound of your Indian ‘gravy’ 🥰

I'm a brit living in Germany, I go to Lidl every week and I've never seen them do British stuff, do I live in the wrong area? Nord Friesland, not far from the Danish border.