Yahoo News What to buy in Aldi – and what to avoid
Aldi and Lidl: can you tell the difference? Even the names look the same – along with the limited ranges, a central aisle of random homewares and a reputation for low prices.
In fact, when it comes to prices, Aldi consistently comes out as the cheapest for a trolley of 65 items according to Which?, and “Aldi Price Match” is the benchmark for Sainsbury’s and Tesco. True, Lidl is fighting back with billboards claiming it has “the cheapest basket,” which refers to a 33-item price checklist published by industry magazine The Grocer in April. Not bad, but no cigar, although if it’s a pair of cycling gloves and a cordless hedge trimmer you’re after, you’re in luck.
A recent Which? survey placed Aldi second only to Marks & Spencer for in-store shopping experience. Aldi is spending £90 million on refurbishing 30 of its thousand-plus outlets this summer. There are also long-term plans for 500 new stores, including 200 in the southeast and London. Coverage in Wales and Scotland is patchier, and it has yet to open in Northern Ireland where Lidl has 41 branches.
In terms of products, they both have their strengths. Drinks insiders reckon the wine is better at Aldi, while foodies love Lidl’s in-store bakeries and speciality weeks with pop-up selections of Continental goodies. It pays to know what to pick up – and what to leave on the shelf. Here’s my tried and tested selection of Aldi’s best, and worst, buys.
Top-rated products
Aldi Specially Selected Just Divine Chocolate Biscuits
They may be 40% cheaper than TimTams, but these dupes have better chocolate. Excellent biscuits and great value, they beat the Aussies at their own game.
Go to the full taste test
Grandessa Mighty Yeast Extract
Quite runny but deeply savoury and a flavour that’s close to Marmite. Strongest contender of all the supermarket yeast extracts for Marmite swap, and almost 40% cheaper.
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Ridge Valley Premium Indian Tonic Water
Quite marmalade-y bitter sweet with a light citrus touch. Could be fizzier, but it won’t overpower the flavour of your gin, and it’s 40% cheaper than Schweppes which only edged in a point ahead.
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Grandessa Peanut Butter Crunchy
Glistening and thick. Nice texture, not claggy, with a good upfront peanut taste and balanced salt. It would be even better if it didn’t have added palm oil – but it’s still nutritious.
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Cucina Smooth Tomato Pasta Sauce
Fresh tasting with gentle herbiness, a rich tomato-y flavour and some nice tiny lumps. Tastes like a simple homemade sauce, although it does contain modified starch.
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Gastro Specially Selected Lasagne al Forno
It’s the lovely thin pasta with a silky texture and just the right amount of bite that sets this lasagne apart. The sauce is nicely meaty too, though a bit heavy on the dried herbs. Only the Waitrose No 1 version scored higher in the tasting and it’s nearly 50% dearer.
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Specially Selected 4 Wagyu Burgers
These are knobbly and well caramelised when cooked. Tasty, with a savoury crust, all they need is a touch of pickle. Aldi’s frozen Specially Selected Wagyu Burgers (£2.99 for 284g) are a great buy too.
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Gianni’s Milk Chocolate Ice Creams
Slightly grainy chocolate coating, but nice and crisp. Of all the supermarket versions I tried, the smooth creamy ice cream is the closest to Magnum in texture but less sweet – and around a third of the price.
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Alcafé House Blend Arabica Beans
If you like a dark roast, this slightly ashy and earthy blend might not be the most exciting but it will hit the spot for that early morning caffeine hit at a great price.
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Worst-rated products
Essentials Pasta Sauce
Weird glossy orange. Tastes utterly vile, like a dab of tomato purée mixed with water and cornflour plus a shake of those 10-year-old dried herbs from the back of the cupboard. The extra 22p for the Cucina sauce will be money well spent.
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Dairyfine Milk Chocolate and Moser Roth Smooth Milk Chocolate
£1.19 for 200g and £1.65 for 5 x 25g
Both of these chocolates were of dismal quality, with a soft grainy texture and stale flavour. The Moser bar tasted like eating a candle to our expert taster, while the Dairyfine had the savour of decomposed vegetation. To be fair, the Lidl Fin Carré versions scored no better.
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Ashfields Grill 4 Lean Beef Quarter Pounders
The texture is dry and they are very thin, plus they shrink to an oval shape on cooking. Could be made of cardboard. The Aldi Ultimate burger is the same price per 100g and a far better buy.
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Brooklea Authentic Greek Natural Yoghurt
Aldi’s Greek yoghurt might be authentic but it’s got a powdery texture and metallic flavour. Call in to Lidl and get their excellent Millbona Greek yoghurt (not the similarly packaged Greek-style yoghurt) instead.
Go to the full taste test
Emporium Full Fat Soft Cheese
The only soft cheese I tried that contained both added stabilisers and also citrus fibre, putting it firmly in Ultra Processed Food territory. Tastes terrible too, with a shiny, slightly slimey quality and a Dairylea slice flavour. Strictly for processed cheese lovers.
Go to the full taste test.
Shopping for wines in Aldi
Aldi is recognised for its dynamic range of cheaper wines and in particular its sparkling selection, one or two of which have an almost cult following. Its assortment now numbers around 250 bottles at any one time. These comprise core wines, offered all year round, and additional seasonal sets brought in for spring/summer, autumn/winter and Christmas, sold on a “when it’s gone, it’s gone” basis. The discounter has phased out its online purchase option for wines which can now only be bought in store or via click and collect.
Contevedo Cava Brut NV, Spain
11.5%, Aldi, £5.49
Cava remains astonishingly good value and I liked the slightly bruised apple notes in this one. And, at this price, if you don’t like it enough to drink it neat, you can buy Aperol or Campari and use it in a spritz.
Specially Selected Le Bourgeron Pinot Noir 2023, France
13%, Aldi, £6.99
This works really well served fashionably chilled. From Limoux, in the cool foothills of the French Pyrenees, it’s a lightish, redcurrant and raspberry-scented red that’s great with barbecue burgers and sausages.
Specially Selected Coteaux de Béziers Viognier Grenache 2023, France
13%, Aldi, £8.49
There’s an uplifting floral perfume and a hint of white peach on this lovely white, made from two-thirds viognier with one third white grenache.
Mimo Moutinho Dão 2021 Portugal
13%, Aldi, £6.49
A very attractive eay-drinking red from Portugal’s Dão region, this is a blend of three grapes: touriga nacional, tempranillo and alfrocheiro preto.
