Celebrity Endorsement, fantastic meatballs! (Aldi)

Member Name: sdean

Product:	Aldi
Date:	17/02/09 (82 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Cheaper quality goods,

Disadvantages: Some variety would be good

We had a deluge a couple of years back with Lidl, Aldi and Netto's springing up in weird and wonderful places. My first impression was that it was a 'Pound land' for food- this is when I was young and stupid mind you!

I also lived in a suburb of London and it seemed it was a bit of a free for all in the shops, disorganised and a little bit bizarre (paying for carrier bags - Madness!).

I have now moved to a town in Essex which has an Aldi. I am also now more frugal (as we had bought our house) and looked for ways to save money. Initially I would do a big shop in my local Morrison's and get top ups in Aldi as it was on my way home from work. I got more confident with their produce, I knew what was good and what wasn't (like you do with any brands) and started to purchase more.

This is more like shops they have abroad. It made me realise - why do I need to choose from 4 brands of the same thing. Completely unnecessary. Even talking about brand shifting - I have never seen in Aldi more than one type of frozen pea. This is what I like about them. Some things are more expensive. It is not a 'Pound land' where you get it cheaper and you scrimp on quality. It's better quality for less.

The types of things I buy in there on a regular basis are the staples.

~Bread~
I like granary bread and won't eat the white stuff. It tastes better and that is one thing I must have. In my local Morrison's the bread is £1.09 a loaf. Multigrain bread in Aldi 85p. I save 24p a loaf. It is excellent quality, good sized slices and it tastes good and freezes well.

~Margarine~
I shudder at the price of dairy these days! They have a spread which is under 50p for a standard pot. I have tried the cheaper ones in supermarkets, but they taste cheap. This tastes fine and it relatively cheap.

~Vegetables~
I often look out for Aldi special deals. Every month they have 5 offers on their fruit and veg. Currently it is a bag of baking potatoes, vine tomatoes, grapes, pineapple and a bag of 6 green apples. Each one of these costs 69p I have currently finished a punnet of grapes, which look like the ones you would get in any supermarket for £2. The apples are normally over £1. I base my meals around the various offers they have to keep costs down.

~Milk~
I use long life milk as it keeps well, it's just for cups of tea and cooking and I don't have to buy fresh every other day. At last count a litre in Asda was about 70p. I pay 47p a litre.

~Meat~
I have bought their minced beef twice and thrown it away because of the smell which was really chemically and off smelling, but the colour was fine and it was 'fresh'. I won't buy it anymore as I have had 2 bad experiences. However their chicken is lovely. Whole chicken, breast and pieces are excellent value and quality.

~Cooked meats~
Aldi have an excellent range is salami's, hams and other cold meats. They also have a range of Frikadellen - this is spicy cooked pork and comes in burger type shapes or meatballs. The meatballs in a pasta sauce are lovely- if quite fatty!!

Things like tinned vegetables are probably the same as own brand supermarket produce. I prefer value beans, tomatoes and sweet corn and can find these cheaper (at the same quality) in a bigger supermarket.

Electrical Goods can be hit and miss in any supermarket. I however bought a PC from Aldi on one of their special offer deals. This PC was a really high spec, and after comparing it to similar spec available this was cheaper by nearly £100 for better capability. I have a 3 year warranty as well and after 3 months the PC works well and I have had no problems - so far!

~Alcohol~
On a Friday I now have to buy my own wine as in Aldi I pay £3.29 for a bottle of White Zinfandel Rose wine. Gallo and Blossom Hill also make this wine, available from the local shop at £6.99. It tastes lovely and not dissimilar to well known brands. I have also tried different red and white wines and they are superb. They also sell beers and spirits (sometimes branded, often not)

Carrier bags I can live without, in our eco friendly times I have learned and remembered to take my bags with me. I know have a good idea on what is hot and what is not. Some things are excellent, some are just wrong. I think they can achieve the excellent prices by buying in such bulk. However sometimes a little more variety would be great.

They currently have Phil Vickers fronting their ad campaign and cooking with Aldi food which will give the brand a celebrity 'boost' and encourage people to visit and learn it is not a 'pound' shop.

Summary: Excellent value, and eco friendly !