Aldi good (and bad) buys please!

[AnonymousBird]

I went to Aldi for the first time today, it just opened. It seems insanely cheap, so I wondered what items really are great, and any not so great. A friend I bumped into said their baked beans, for example are awful (in her opinion!) and my daughter tried a toffee pudding yesterday at a friend's which she said they both agreed was super grim.

The last time I bought "cheap" meat from our local Nisa, it was actually inedible - we aren't fussy eaters so it's rare for us to turn our noses up - so their cheap meat makes me a bit nervous.... but it was British, and looked ok in the packet.

All tips gratefully received. Thanks.

I went for the first time last week. My usual haunt is Sainsbury's but am fed up with cost/crappy reward scheme
Having now taste tested most of what I bought can say that

Fruit and veg- excellent, though I did eat them quickly without giving them much time to go off
Oaty cereal - very nice though the actual box was rubbish
Mini ice creams- very good for the price
Fishcakes (the specially selected ones) - nice but not as good as sainsburys taste the difference
Kids fromage frais - not tried myself but toddler likes
Fresh tortelloni- as good as Sainsbury's

Bought various other bits too all of which have been fine. Avoided the meat as concerned about animal welfare given the price. My fears may be unfounded though.

Going back today!

Bad

The smoked streaky bacon was so salty we couldn't eat it or give it to the dog. And we love salt.

The Raspberry, Blueberry and Cranberry yogurt tasted like perfume and ass.

The Almat Laundry gel left my clothes smelling awful and I had to rewash with Fairy.

The brioche and chocolate are lovely!!

Good buys for us include..

The chocolate
Brioche
Salmon fillets with a watercress sauce
Tortellini
The Brie, goats cheese and halloumi
The iced coffees
Nappies
All the veg and fruit has been great so far (especially in the super 6)
Also the tinned tomatoes and the tinned mackerel in oil.

Love the place!

I like their crisps. Both the Salt and pepper and the cheese and beer.

Thanks all, this is SO helpful. I bought some of their basics chocolate today - interested to know what it is like, as I discovered recently that Sainsburys Basics chocolate is actually made by Lindt and at 35p a big bar, is seriously not at all bad so hoping for some similarly cheap good chocolate!

We did like the look of the fruit and veg, only bought a few bits as fairly well stocked, but if the fruit is cheap and good, then I will be back for more! Staff good too actually, really helpful and shelves absolutely full of stock despite the fact that the place was rammed with loads of new customers. Very small car park though, relatively, which I find a bit odd as there is loads of unused land adjacent which they have gravelled and landscaped. Why not make extra parking?

If you look at Aldi web site it will give you all the information regarding their meat fish egg etc.
I have always found their meats to be great quality and good prices especially when on offer

The flowers are dreadful. Very short lives.

Meat and veg have always been fine, but don't seem to last as long as tesco etc. for some reason. The only thing that was awful was the tuna. Had the consistency of sawdust. Bought it once more in case it was a one off, but nope, just awful.

I've been going there on and off since I started to get ds's nappies (better than pampers and cheaper) there in 2011. Ours isn't big enough to do a proper shop (and they don't deliver!) but I've not yet had anything that I don't like.

Good buys, imo:
Clotted cream
Jam (not the cheap ones, square jar)
own brand Cheddars
Genoa style ham
mini cheesecakes
fruit and veg
caramelised red onion chuckney
Minted lamb burgers
brioche/scones
Sliced bloomer loaf.
Cereal ('cheerios', 'honey nut cornflakes', oaty cluster things).

I'm sure there are other things too. I do find that I spend a lot there as everything is so cheap and end up buying loads of unhealthy things .

Oo and the rosemary crackers.

Also their christmas stuff is looooovely.

People swear by the super 6 veg offers. Check the shelf edges as some non item offers have been cheaper - mushrooms, onions, kg vs kgprice

I would recommend their;
hot chocolate (light version)
Groovy biscuits
Tins/cupboard staples passatta etc
All the meat I've had from there has been great, especially steaks
Frozen chilli and Mediterranean prawns
Childrens cartons of apple/orange juice
Baby wipes
Chorizo
Piri Piri chicken pieces
Fruit teas

I'm pretty much a convert!!

I still buy toiletries/detergent etc elsewhere though! Just haven't tried their equivalents so can't comment on how good/bad they are!?

We're trying for the first time tomorrow! I'm pathetically excited!

We love their:

Meat - mince and chicken are great, dp loves their pork and steaks
Cereal - identical to the branded versions
Chocolate, biscuits and crisps.
Milk
Kitchen Roll - not so keen on their loo roll though
Nappies/wipes
Cleaning products
Dishwasher tabs & cleaner
Ice cream
Ham

Most things tbh.

I did a fairly "big" shop there for the first time last week.

Good:
Nappies
St Etienne lager
Luxury cookies (the stem ginger ones, oh my)
All the fruit & veg I got - courgettes, mushrooms, peppers, cherries, pak choi - were excellent
Knock off snacks - fake Monster Munch, Rocky biscuits etc
They do some bars that I think are called bountiful or something - the date and orange ones are really good

We don't eat meat at home so I can't comment on that...

The only bad things we've had were the shelf-stable gnocchi (really gluey and chewy), and I didn't think much to the Ginsters-style pasty I had from there once!

I buy meat there. You can get a free range chicken for about a fiver.

Breadsticks
Cheese straws
Hummus
NZ sauv is gorgeous
Panini
Nocellero green olives (sp?)
Parma ham
Fresh orange juice, think it's called Del Rivo is nicer than tropicana IMO
Great for baking essentials

Amazing, thank you. We tried their cheap chocolate last night - did a taste test versus Dairy Milk and all agreed that it really was pretty good!! 30p for 100g as against a £1 for the same.... no brainer.

Will try some meat next time, thanks for the tips.

I also really like their shampoo and conditioners. I've tried their version of Alberto Balsam and Pantene and both have left my hair feeling soft and silky, just as good as the more expensive alternatives imo.

The mild cheddar, the Divo not from concentrate juice, milk, greek style yoghurt, german peppered salami, their version of magnums and mini magnums, the basic spaghetti, the Corale baked beans, Moser Roth chocolate. Titan bars just like Mars, Seal bars just like penguins. Sardines in Sunflower oil. The Special/better tinned tomatoes. Freezer bags on a roll. Wine and cider. Specially selected "homebake style" shortbread. Parmesan, goats cheese, proscuitto. All the cereals, especially Benefit (special K). Homefries.

I am a big fan of their fruit and veg - our store has a really fast turnover, so it is fresh and I have had a lot less waste on the fruit than my usual Ocado delivery. It is so cheap that I can buy lots and we have eaten a lot more veg and more healthily at a cheaper price. (eg. pack of 3 courgettes 49p, aubergine 49p) The fresh cod, mince lamb and pork and the whole free range chicken also good. Bread ok - same as other supermarket stuff.

Stuff we haven't liked : their pizzas, Swirls (twisters), crisps, ketchup, Jive bars (twix), Choceur chocolate, cucina pasta shapes (thick and sticky)

I don't really buy ready meals so can't comment on those. I have been amazed at how easily my kids have adapted without much demur. All my Dc are home atm so feeding 6 adults for all meals plus 2 elderly for dinner

I am saving at least £50 a week - so am very pleased. I have to be a bit more creative and preplan and also can't quite get everything there. I found looking at stuff (not got the full range) on mysupermarket and making a list helped me get used to it.

Love aldi! Good buys for us:

Whole chicken
Minced beef (normal and lean)
Bacon, gammon steaks, sausages
Diced beef
Coleslaw, quiche, cooked ham, beef and chicken, pepperoni, red pepper houmous
Brown sauce, mint sauce
Tomato and bacon pasta bake, spaghetti, pasta, bolognese sauce, korma sauce
Beans, beans and sausages, tinned tomatoes, passata
Part baked baguettes, crumpets
Crunchy nut cereal, wheat biscuits cereal
Fruit bars and yoghurt flakes, bacon rashers, cheese puffs, fake monster munch, teddy faces (Pom bears)
Eggs, flour,sugar, herbs and spices, jam, lemon curd, basic chocolate
Washing up liquid, baby wipes
Fruit and veg, basic cordials
Frozen chips, vegetables, pizza baguettes, Yorkshire puddings

Things we don't like:
Fromage frais
Toilet gel
Nappies
Own brand bread
Potato wedges
Naan bread

The 'normal' baked beans have cinnamon in (& other spices), they are awful
The cheaper ones (white label) don't so you could try a tin of those

They now have organic free range eggs (mixed sizes) for about £1.50 - dark yellow yolks, lovely

I've started buying juice & milk from Asda instead of Aldi.

They do various single & combination juices (plus some juice drinks, still delish but with some water) in plastic bottles - easier to recycle than tetrapaks - at 3 for £3.

In the NW they have Bowland milk (from local farms at a fairer price) for 89p; Booths sell it for £1.99 but the farms get the same gate price regardless

bowlandfresh.co.uk

My cat refused to eat their dried food, and it will eat anything!

The nearest supermarket to us is an Aldi and I do most of our shopping there now. I absolutely love the random specials too - camping stuff has been good as have bike accessories and DIY stuff (I impulse bought a grout removal tool, made a tricky and boring job a doddle).
I have become so Aldified that when I go into ASDA these days I feel paralysed by the choice there.