Lidl Buying tips

[ViolentPanda]

Olive oil - we buy it by the case.

I had a good chortle today, looking at the Observer's mini taste test bit where they were bigging up the £4 a bottle stuff. I thought to myself "I could get 3 bottles of EV olive oil from lidl for £4".

Butter (likewise), although it's bloody salty butter.

The Milbona one? Hardly salty at all compared to the likes of Anchor (salty by German standards though).

Montepulciano d'Abbruzzo - about as good a bottle of wine as you'll get anywhere for £2.90.

Even the Rosé d' Anjou they do is pleasant, and I haven't said that about a Rosé for about 20 years.

Some of the intriguing one-off items. NOT clothing, though - just the pictures on the fronts of the packs are scary enough.

The Wilson socks they occasionally do in 5-packs are very good, and I've had the odd T-shirt from there too, but I wouldn't go for much else.

 

[pembrokestephen]

The Milbona one? Hardly salty at all compared to the likes of Anchor (salty by German standards though).

Nah, round here we get the Holly Farm one - it's Welsh butter, which is notoriously salty anyway...

Even the Rosé d' Anjou they do is pleasant, and I haven't said that about a Rosé for about 20 years.

Hmm, Ms Pembrokestephen likes a bit of rosé from time to time, but I tend to find them so insipid and uninteresting...perhaps I'll pick up a couple next time I'm there.

The Wilson socks they occasionally do in 5-packs are very good, and I've had the odd T-shirt from there too, but I wouldn't go for much else.

Ah. I've tended to file most of what I've seen in Lidl under "beige slacks and velour leisurewear" in terms of tastefulness. Perhaps I'm judging them excessively harshly...

 

[LilMissHissyFit]

I never usually buy much fruit and veg becuas eit tends to go off quickly
But reminded by this thread I went down last week and discovered the stuff and range seemed tio have improved considerably since I went last ( over a year ago)
I got some fantastic potato salad ( huge tub for 99p)and mangoes (which needed ripening) for 39p each 12 fromage frais for kids for 99p ( usually at least double that in any other supermarket) and some fruit juice cartons which the kids loved ( and they HATE value ones from tesco/asda)

i was so impressed that they have started selling things like bisto best gravy that we'll probably do much more shopping there from now on.
My daughter needs a wheat free diet and I was really impressed but much of their stuff is gluten free becuase its continental meats etc so they dont add uneccessary fillers etc

plus I got 4 big bags of shopping for £20!

 

[gracious]

ace juice. its a mix of orange lemon and carrot... sound interesting? its bloomin yummy

 

[Strumpet]

My cherry has been popped. Lidl wise natch.....

Interesting place ,forgot to take a list off yuo lot with me so just bought a few things. Not a huge place, but, has potential. I will go next week armed with a list!

*slurps Lidl cranberry juice*

 

[Skim]

I'm getting myself over to Lidl after reading this thread – I've got a bit of a weakness for German food. Wonder if they do proper German gherkins?

 

[cyberfairy]

If yr veggie watch out for the noodles, the meat flavoured ones are one of the few to actually contain meat. I like their cheap posh things-sundried tomatoes, balsamic vinegar and olive oil and lots of nice cheese

 

[Strumpet]

I'm getting myself over to Lidl after reading this thread – I've got a bit of a weakness for German food. Wonder if they do proper German gherkins?

I saw gherkins!! Don;t know if they were proper german ones though sorry....

 

[ScallyWag II]

you used to be able to get an email version of their next lot of offers (don't know if you still can, changed my email address and forgot to resubscribe)...i got a sisal scratching post for my cats cos of this, which now needs to be replaced, it's been used so much! some of their offers are regional though...you don't get so many in the south east, i begged my sister go out to the one in Denbigh for me to get a food processor for under £30, which she did and it's been bloody brilliant!

i like their fruit juices. haven't tried the olive oil or balsamic vinegar, will look out for that next time. dried herbs and peppercorns are good value as are their choccy stuff and cashews, etc

 

[Skim]

I saw gherkins!! Don;t know if they were proper german ones though sorry....

I'll take a look when I go on my Lidl misson – it's all planned

 

[pogofish]

you used to be able to get an email version of their next lot of offers

...i got a sisal scratching post for my cats cos of this, which now needs to be replaced,

some of their offers are regional though...you don't get so many in the south east,

They list the next two issues of specials on their website. No need for an email.

Cat-bits come-up quite regularly!

Most of the regional offers seem to circulate so that they are in one region one week & another the next. Eventually, they seem to cover the whole country.

 

[trashpony]

Cat-bits come-up quite regularly!

I'd forgotten what thread this was. I thought you were referring to feline genitalia

 

[gaijingirl]

you used to be able to get an email version of their next lot of offers (don't know if you still can, changed my email address and forgot to resubscribe)...i

Yes you can! I get Lidl alerts every week! It's handy for keeping up to date on the special things they get in weekly - they do sell out very quickly!

 

[pootle]

basically we have discovered that everything in lidl is top notch! my student loan rates it alot.

Sadly, it's not. Don't touch the beef steaks. Like something akin to chewing a wellington boot, or what I imagine it woulb like chewing on a wellyboot.

 

[felixthecat]

Sadly, it's not. Don't touch the beef steaks. Like something akin to chewing a wellington boot, or what I imagine it woulb like chewing on a wellyboot.

I had some that looked like beef steak, smelled like beef steak, but tasted like liver. Not nice .

 

[pootle]

The rump steaks in Aldi though, are surprisingly good!

 

[suzee blue cheese]

I never usually buy much fruit and veg becuas eit tends to go off quickly

There's a saying in nutrition circles along the lines of 'good food goes off'. At a guess, I'd take a stab at the fact that they aren't choosing varieties on the basis of longevity over taste.

We've started buying a few fruit and veg when we do a lidl shop - as long as you check it for freshness in shop it seems fine. Actually, things like tomatoes I'll actively seek as their loose large toms are more tasty than a lot of toms you get sold elsewhere, whether supermarket or Brixton market - lidl toms taste good. As did their broccoli the one time I was there in time to buy any - fine stemmed and deeply tasty.

 

[Strumpet]

- fine stemmed and deeply tasty.

Is it me or does that sound kinda rude....



*runs off n hides realising this is suburban*

 

[LilMissHissyFit]

There's a saying in nutrition circles along the lines of 'good food goes off'. At a guess, I'd take a stab at the fact that they aren't choosing varieties on the basis of longevity over taste.

We've started buying a few fruit and veg when we do a lidl shop - as long as you check it for freshness in shop it seems fine. Actually, things like tomatoes I'll actively seek as their loose large toms are more tasty than a lot of toms you get sold elsewhere, whether supermarket or Brixton market - lidl toms taste good. As did their broccoli the one time I was there in time to buy any - fine stemmed and deeply tasty.

I dunno, its always incredibly manky in our store even when its in the shop. I think it just spends a long time being transported and then isnt refrigerated at all neither while being stored or when on the shelves. Nothings going to last stored in a warm stale environment

 

[ViolentPanda]

Plenty of DIY stuff in Lidl at the moment.

Just picked up a pair of trestle legs (or "DIY supports" as they call them) for £8 (£4 each) rated for 100kg each, which would've cost about £20 anywhere else.

 

[LilMissHissyFit]

Their soft cheese ( like boursin) is YUMM as aretheir part baked rolls

 

[ViolentPanda]

Their soft cheese ( like boursin) is YUMM as aretheir part baked rolls

We always stock up on the part-baked rolls over crimble in case the local shops run out of bread.

Have to say I'm quite fond of them with raspberry jam on, fresh from the oven!

 

[cyberfairy]

I'm jealous of you lot being near Lidl In Bath, there is going to be yet another organic supermarket being built in a huge old market that I personally would love to see become Lidl or Aldi but seem to be the only one to think so. There are about fifty places here that if I had the money I could buy some lovely organic sunfried tomato focccacia (2.75) but the nearest Lild is fifteen miles away.
My mum was telling me that where she lives inTiverton, Devon, not the nicest or richest of places that planning permission for an Aldi was refused as it might attract 'undesirable sorts'
I have never seen people fistfighting over the antipasti at Aldi myself.
I find the range of cheeses and suchlike better than some of the posh shops here and they are so much cheaper-the St Ruperts soft cheese with mushrooms is devine

 

[geminisnake]

I'm jealous of you lot being near Lidl but the nearest Lild is fifteen miles away.

So was mine til December just past. I felt it was worth travelling for once a month. If you can buy a month's shopping there it more than covered the petrol costs imo/e.
Having said that I'm buying for 3(2 of whom are male 'stick insects' that could eat for their country) rather than just myself.

 

[cyberfairy]

So was mine til December just past. I felt it was worth travelling for once a month. If you can buy a month's shopping there it more than covered the petrol costs imo/e.
Having said that I'm buying for 3(2 of whom are male 'stick insects' that could eat for their country) rather than just myself.

I did a big shop last time I was there to last me ages, bought six jars of pesto as they were reduced to 49p and thought I could 'lay them down'
Ended up binging on pesto and cheese for four glorious days

 

[Sunray]

The tinned tomatos aren't as good as Tesco's 13p variety which are undistinguishable from the posh Italian ones.

Seconded on the Tortilla chips, they have two varieties both very nice. The salsa in the jars has been reduced to 39p, total bargain, though its a bit sugary. If you do manage to open them without damaging the lid, handy jars for other things.

Quite liked the small bratwurst. 95% meat, fat is listed seperately.

 

[LilMissHissyFit]

We always stock up on the part-baked rolls over crimble in case the local shops run out of bread.

Have to say I'm quite fond of them with raspberry jam on, fresh from the oven!

They are rather fab with pate too, even my ultra picky kids will eat them so they have to be good
I'm so lucky here becuase mine is close ( 5 miles but then thats close for the valleys) but we dont have a greengrocer here any more, the last one closed a few months ago. The 'farm shop' isnt really a farm shop but its the closest thing we have, it sells second rate produce usually

 

[Funky_monks]

Lidl is the only supermarket that I've ever bought tomatoes that taste/smell like tomatoes from (as opposed to water).

 

[ViolentPanda]

They are rather fab with pate too, even my ultra picky kids will eat them so they have to be good (

I'll have to remember that, I'm a big pate fan (as long as it doesn't contain onion), but usually have it on toast or crackers.

 

[Nixon]

They do really nice bourbon whisky which is the tiniest bit weaker than jack daniels and tastes exactly the same.its a 8 quid for a fat bottle.i can't tell you how many times i've bought a 2 litre bottle of coke and one of theose bottles and gone clubbing.it's the best way.

they also do croque monsuirs that are quite packed with protein and taste pretty good.i eat loads of protein because i powerlift,so it's good to find something which tastes alright and helps with my training.

i agree with Sunray.the bratwurst make really nice hotdogs