What do you recommend in Lidl & Aldi?

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In an effort to cut back, I'm checking out Lidl this week. Also, occasionally drive past Aldi, so will pop in there when I can.

What can you recommend (food, cleaning products or toiletries) which you feel are equally as good or better than the more expensive rivals.

Lidl - fruit and veg. They do packs of different kinds of little tomatoes for about £1.20 which are really good. Scottish oatcakes. Anti-bac hand wash. Bakery stuff (droooool). My partner likes the granola. ALL the chocolate!

Aldi - fruit and veg doesn't seem to last so well but the Special Buys are better! Nappies and wipes are great. Toro Loco Tempranillo. Again, chocolate (particularly Rum and Raisin Choceur). Cheese.

Ooh. And Aldi tinned tomatoes are the best (not the super cheap ones). They're not just manky chunks in water, they're nice and the tomato juice is thick.

Lidl butter beans are the nicest I've had. We eat them all the time now.

Aldi's crisps (I don't rate Lidl's)
Aldi's veg is good - again, not as impresssed with Lidl's as it's simply not as fresh.
Aldi bacon and sausages are decent.
DH likes Lidl's big bags of nuts.

"and Saskia fizzy water which is the best anywhere."

Well, of course it is. I only bottle the finest fizzy water

OP, yy to cheese, bakery stuff, fruit and veg, and yoghurt. Also, fish, pasta and tinned tomatoes. My nearest Lidl also does a good range of herbs, both fresh and dried.

Nearly forgot - Lidl sell really nice picked gherkins, for anyone who is into that sort of thing. (I am, but I know they aren't a popular thing)

Ooh, one thing to avoid in Lidl is the fake Branston pickle. It's disgusting, way too sweet. I also dislike their jarred beetroot for the same reason.

My Lidl has rosmary and olive buns and cheese covered bretzl sticks in new in the bakery, there goes my attempt at reducing carbs.
You should check out the Aldi face and body care, op. I love their Expert face creams and serum and the Lacura body moisturiser is cheap and great.

And lidl has £8 off if you spend £40 at the minute

If you've never shopped in Lidl or Aldi, and you're strictly a Tesco/Saino's fan normally, then enjoy your first trip. You genuinely feel like you've gone back in time - some of the prices are stupidly low.
Oh, and check out the aisles of wonder. Random shit you didn't know you need but too good to resist.

How do you get £8 off £40 in Lidl?

Mind you, I'd struggle to spend £40, I'd have about ten carrier bags worth of shopping.

Lidl:
everything labelled Mr Choc.
29p cheese topped rolls from bakery
Nasi goreng from chiller
Vitafit fruit & carrot juice mix (but not the other one confusingly called something ending in Vita)
Chorizo
Frozen Camembert in breadcrumbs to bake

Aldi is excellent

Harvest Morn instant porridge pots
Jars of curry sauce
Dried egg noodles
Blue dragon sachets
Bags of sharing crisps
Scottish oatcakes
Multigrain crackers
Soecially selected crackers
Frozen berries and mango
Sausages
Quiches
Italian meats fresh pizza
Extra mature cheese
Greek yoghurt
Tomato ketchup
Mayonaise
Cheapest cheap baked beans
Specially selected battered cod
Oven chips

Not overly impressed by the almat washing powder i'm afraid, but thats probably the only thing i'm not likely to repurchase

Woman on till just told me about it, swiped a card thing and I got £8 off. Don't have to register card or anything. I'd just spent £38, so she sent me off to get another £2 worth of stuff.

Thanks for so many replies. I'm off to Lidl this afternoon with a list of all you're recommendations and will see how I get on. I also, intend to try Aldi (which I don't pass that often) and start trying to get most of my shopping from these two shops.

The only thing I haven't liked out of Lidl is the sweet and sour cooking sauce - bleurgh! Everything else is fantastic!

Their curry sauces (the slightly more expensive ones with the spice mix on the top of the jar) are absolutely delicious. I'm cooking up a korma as I type. Their easy cook rice is also one of the best I've ever used - wash it off for a good couple of minutes and cook in hot water, and you get the nicest rice ever. Their gold instant coffee is lovely, too. Bought some this weekend to try and I'm very impressed.

I can't rate Lidl's highly enough. I actually work for one of the main supermarket chains but I can't afford to shop there. We go to Lidl's, save a fortune and eat very, very well considering the budget I stick to with groceries!

We shop at Aldi and like:
The muesli in the purple packs
Butter
Greek yogurt
Moser Roth choc
All their fruit and veg, never had a problem
Washing powder
Eggs (I buy the organic ones)
Their sunbites style crisps and crispy fruit slices
Handsoap
Nappies and the sensitive baby wipes
Hand cream
Tea
Pizza
Basmati rice
Frozen peas
Deli meat
Cheese
DH likes the steinhauser lager, it's a Becks clone apparently!

I don't like their fresh pasta at all, and their tonic water was yuck,but most of the other stuff is good!

Only skim read thread, so apologies if repeating what others have said.

No Lidl near me, but I often shop in Aldi. Most of their basic household shopping list stuff is great.

Fruit and veg generally decent. Avocados much cheaper than in other supermarkets.
Orange juice is as nice as Tropicana and cheap.
Fairly decent selection of (much cheaper than supermarket prices) breads
Cured meats
Prawns - cheap and good quality
Cereal
They do good frozen fruit if you like smoothies - summer berries, mango, pineapple
Wine! Surprisingly decent.
'Moser Roth' chocolate or whatever its called ...very nice, bit like Lindt.
Christmas stuff - cakes, biscuits etc - were very nice last year

Only things I have had from Aldi which weren't great:

Laundry stuff - awful, watery, smelled horrid.
Teabags and coffee - terrible
They dont do organic meat (but DO have organic milk)

Thanks for your replies. So far we've tried:

Fruit and nut museli (very nice)
Fresh peppers, cucumber, carrots, new potatoes and tomatoes (as fresh as anywhere else)
Cheap wholemeal bread (very fresh and tasty)
Chocolate digestives
Tins of tomatoes, kidney beans, tuna, sardines
Chicken fillets
Cheese
Part baked bread
Their own butter type spread
Cider

It's a bit further to walk for me, but really happy with everything and it'll save us some money. Not sure I'll do my whole shop there as I like to buy the odd onion rather than a whole packet, but I'm certainly up for trying more things.

Aldi isn't so convenient, but I pass it about once a month, so will try that out as well.

Thanks for your replies!