What to buy in Aldi – and what to avoid

A recent Which? survey placed Aldi second only to Marks & Spencer for in-store shopping experience
A recent Which? survey placed Aldi second only to Marks & Spencer for in-store shopping experience

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

£1.79 for 200g

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

£1.79 for 240g

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.

Go to full taste test

Ridge Valley Premium Indian Tonic Water

£1.99 for 8 x 150ml

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.

Go to the full taste test

Grandessa Peanut Butter Crunchy

£1.09 for 340g

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.

Go to the full taste test

Cucina Smooth Tomato Pasta Sauce

69p for 500g

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.

Go to the full taste test

Gastro Specially Selected Lasagne al Forno

£3.15 for 400g

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.

Go to the full taste test

Specially Selected 4 Wagyu Burgers

£4.49 for 454g

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.

Go to the full taste test

Gianni’s Milk Chocolate Ice Creams

£1.49 for 4 x 100ml

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.

Go to the full taste test

Alcafé House Blend Arabica Beans

£1.99 for 227g

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.

Go to the full taste test


Worst-rated products

Essentials Pasta Sauce

47p for 440g

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.

Go to the full taste test

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.

Go to the full taste test

Ashfields Grill 4 Lean Beef Quarter Pounders

£3.99 for 454g

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.

Go to the full taste test

Brooklea Authentic Greek Natural Yoghurt

£1.89 for 500g

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

£0.85 for 200g

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.