I see where you’re coming from, however the free market here is obviously dysfunctional. You would think that market forces would correct this but it doesn’t seem to be happening.
But yeah vote with your wallets
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Shopping Habits and Own Brands
- Thread starter Narj
- Start date
But yeah vote with your wallets
We get what's 'nice' tbh.
I'd rather Walkers crisps vs supermarket as that kind of crisp i find walkers far better and consistent.
Lidl 'mccoys' are nice, but the consistency is bad - some bags taste of nothing, some half the bag taste nothing and the rest has flavour on it, and occasionally, like the bag I've just munched, all of it has flavour and is nice.
Prefer lidl dark chocolate digestives vs other, but that's because lidl do nice dark chocolate imo.
Prefer sainsburys ketchup and decaf tea, their normal tea is good too but I prefer Yorkshire. Not that I can drink it anymore. If asda decaf hasn't changed since the last time we got it - it can **** right off.
De cecco (or barilla) pasta mostly, because supermarket stuff is generally naff with a few exceptions.
Nescafe gold decaf - though I used to like the lavazza instant. I've tried supermarket ones but never to much success. The lidl one wasn't bad but I do prefer the brands by a fair bit.
Asda used to do some really nice standard cheddar IMO, but it seems to have changed. Though still better than the others just not by much.
As for mayo, I've always preferred sainsburys mayo - though I'm not a massive mayo fan. Others in the house have preferred hellmann's (except the time we got it from costco and it was almost like a mousse and weird as hell). That said we've been generally getting the sainsburys one for a while now and I think everyone now prefers it these days.
I've never been a brand snob, I'll happily eat the cheapest option if I prefer it. Apart from that, if the item is more expensive then cost/yum comes into play, probably with more of a bias towards yum factor even if I'd need to get the item less often because of that cost.
I'd rather Walkers crisps vs supermarket as that kind of crisp i find walkers far better and consistent.
Lidl 'mccoys' are nice, but the consistency is bad - some bags taste of nothing, some half the bag taste nothing and the rest has flavour on it, and occasionally, like the bag I've just munched, all of it has flavour and is nice.
Prefer lidl dark chocolate digestives vs other, but that's because lidl do nice dark chocolate imo.
Prefer sainsburys ketchup and decaf tea, their normal tea is good too but I prefer Yorkshire. Not that I can drink it anymore. If asda decaf hasn't changed since the last time we got it - it can **** right off.
De cecco (or barilla) pasta mostly, because supermarket stuff is generally naff with a few exceptions.
Nescafe gold decaf - though I used to like the lavazza instant. I've tried supermarket ones but never to much success. The lidl one wasn't bad but I do prefer the brands by a fair bit.
Asda used to do some really nice standard cheddar IMO, but it seems to have changed. Though still better than the others just not by much.
As for mayo, I've always preferred sainsburys mayo - though I'm not a massive mayo fan. Others in the house have preferred hellmann's (except the time we got it from costco and it was almost like a mousse and weird as hell). That said we've been generally getting the sainsburys one for a while now and I think everyone now prefers it these days.
I've never been a brand snob, I'll happily eat the cheapest option if I prefer it. Apart from that, if the item is more expensive then cost/yum comes into play, probably with more of a bias towards yum factor even if I'd need to get the item less often because of that cost.
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Soldato
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I use never thought about this much, but I seem to have a different approach to grocery shopping to most of you.
Firstly, we mostly shop in waitrose, which is supposely more expensive. I prefer our waitrose to tesco, partially because it is closer and partially because it has much better parking. I do also think the food is nicer.
And secondly, I guess we do buy a fair amount of branded food.. Cereal, canned tomatoes, canned soup, eggs, coffee (although sometimes get waitrose coffee which I think can be fairly decent). Ketchup has always been heinz. I experiment with different hot sauces routinely, but have stuck with heinz ketchup my whole life!
That being said there are many goods where I think the waitrose own brand is better. Cheese for example. Cathedral city etc are nowhere near as nice.
Firstly, we mostly shop in waitrose, which is supposely more expensive. I prefer our waitrose to tesco, partially because it is closer and partially because it has much better parking. I do also think the food is nicer.
And secondly, I guess we do buy a fair amount of branded food.. Cereal, canned tomatoes, canned soup, eggs, coffee (although sometimes get waitrose coffee which I think can be fairly decent). Ketchup has always been heinz. I experiment with different hot sauces routinely, but have stuck with heinz ketchup my whole life!
That being said there are many goods where I think the waitrose own brand is better. Cheese for example. Cathedral city etc are nowhere near as nice.
Soldato
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Walkers went downhill, super greasy now.
Walkers have always been crap IMO. I miss Golden Wonder.
This is what happens when you sell UK food companies to the Americans (See Cadbury rip)
I also miss GW
Associate
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As I don't eat a lot of processed food I don't buy much branded.
Make my own tomato soup for example which is way tastier than any tinned, just using the cheapest tinned tomatoes I can get.
Most basics I get from Lidl usually, with the occasional Morrisons and Waitrose top up (Fish Friday!) and I usually just get own brand, our local Asian grocer sells all the dried stuff I need such as spices, rice and lentils for way cheaper than the supermarkets.
Some here mentioned Mutti, their pizza sauce is beyond compare and I always stock up whenever they are on sale.
Make my own tomato soup for example which is way tastier than any tinned, just using the cheapest tinned tomatoes I can get.
Most basics I get from Lidl usually, with the occasional Morrisons and Waitrose top up (Fish Friday!) and I usually just get own brand, our local Asian grocer sells all the dried stuff I need such as spices, rice and lentils for way cheaper than the supermarkets.
Some here mentioned Mutti, their pizza sauce is beyond compare and I always stock up whenever they are on sale.
I buy based on content, quality, and country of origin with lesser regard to the brand. Obvs can't tick all boxes on any single one item.
I know m&s and waitrose is hardly the cheapest own brands but for example, their tuna is caught sustainably. It is caught using pole and line, instead of nets, which is how most other brands catch theirs.
I know m&s and waitrose is hardly the cheapest own brands but for example, their tuna is caught sustainably. It is caught using pole and line, instead of nets, which is how most other brands catch theirs.
See that funny and clearly we all have very different tastes but the own brand mayo always taste super eggy and not in a nice way, stick with Hellman's as fav but do like own brand ketchup that generally more vinegar in taste to say Heinz.
Generally buy on brand with whatever sale/deal as do find they better overall but not Heinz in almost anything now as most overpriced. This mostly with sauces mind. Most other things are veg, fruit, meats. Don't eat cereal and own brand cheese compared to branded really isn't any cheaper and often cause deals on more expensive.
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Nothing to do with inflation; always gone for "own brand" where it's essentially a "commodity" item. A few exceptions:
Their mayo on the other hand is far superior to Hellmann's for chips at least, Hellmann's is obviously the only option for tuna mayo.
Their new "Dutch style" chip sauce is also pretty good, not a patch on proper fritessaus, but that's not exactly easy to get hold of over here!
Depends completely on the dish - anything where the tomatoes are just a component of the dish then I'd agree, the other flavours take over. When we're making pizza sauce though, it's all about the Mutti finely chopped!
Glad I'm not the only one feeling the Mutti love
- Heinz Ketchup (not up to me...)
- Walkers crisps (not up to me...)
- Lake District Cheddar (although the price of this has been shooting up recently so may need to reconsider)
- Bullseye New York Steakhouse bbq sauce (not found another BBQ sauce like this one)
- Heinz & Hellmann's mayo (Heinz for chips, Hellmann's for tuna mayo & sandwiches)
- Mutti Tomatoes (only for pizza sauce)
- Cat food (they're fussy little ****)
- Laila gold basmati rice
- Pepsi
If you're talking beans then I agree.
Their mayo on the other hand is far superior to Hellmann's for chips at least, Hellmann's is obviously the only option for tuna mayo.
Their new "Dutch style" chip sauce is also pretty good, not a patch on proper fritessaus, but that's not exactly easy to get hold of over here!
Depends completely on the dish - anything where the tomatoes are just a component of the dish then I'd agree, the other flavours take over. When we're making pizza sauce though, it's all about the Mutti finely chopped!
Glad I'm not the only one feeling the Mutti love
Soldato
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Same here with Lidl and Intermarché own brands.
Equal or almost as good as name brands, but 2/3s the price or often cheaper.
Recently started to shop for certain things at ALDI and it's really a mixed bag with certain things. The quality of their cold meats, pastrami, salami etc is absolutely atrocious but snacks stuffs and wheat beer is great. The Sea salt and Chardonnay vinegar crisps are easily on par with Kettle style and for £1.15p per 150g, which is current go-to bloat snack.
I can't stand walkers actually. Except sensations. I'm not a big crisp fan. But I do not like cheap crisps. Or at least ice not found any I like.
Soldato
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Good recommendation; I'm sitting here with my first mug of it. Pretty smooth, which is not something I'd say about their highly affordable "Gold"... I'd say more of a bronze! But my morning coffee of choice has been Gold plus a shot from my semi-retired poddy coffee machine, which I have a love/hate relationship with (mainly because pods are expensive, even at Aldi). Together they are capable of a decent strong coffee cocktail to get my morning started. My coffee life has been a lot more complicated, and occasionally more satisfying, since I realised I could mix & match coffee. Consistency is problematic though, so it's nice to find something I don't feel the need to mess with... yet.
Generally though, I've never been a brand person, because I've nearly always had to be careful with money. Especially since I developed a guitar habit to support. Searching for own brand equivalents to Taylors and Martins is far harder than finding an alternative to Heinz Tomato soup.
Of course, one hidden (in plain sight) cost of shopping at Aldi and Lidl is the aisle of shopping shame. It doesn't matter how much I save on coffee & crumpets if I come home with a mini-greenhouse and catering pack of cable ties BECAUSE IT WAS CHEAP!!!! Some weeks I think shopping at Harrods might be cheaper.
Caporegime
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I now go to ALL of them and completely ignoring the labels, I even buy Lidi's Fruit and Nut Chocolate and their Snickers copy.
Somethings are cheaper and somethings are not necessarily so.
Like Lidi sells coffee grounds at £2.29 a bag the cheapest (Sunday Morning/Weekend Blend etc), their single origin stuff is £2.99 a bag. Sainsbury's has Taylor ground coffee at £2.50 with Nector card and I am sure there is a really cheap one for less than £2 but can't find it online. I picked up some Cafe Nero stuff on sale in Waitrose too for £2.40 a bag this week as well.
Don't really buy crisps anymore and Mayonnaise lasts me ages but if I get them, it's usually Hellmann's. 1 bottle in 6 months I can justify it. I even get Kewpie....that is the best one but not sold in our regular supermarkets.
Don't bake much pizza or make much pasta but I normally get tinned tomatoes, in fact, I used to get the one in paper a carton.
In short, I've done a full shop in Aldi or Lidi many times and never really got home and thought things were low quality and wished i had paid more for branded stuff. Normally I am pleasantly surprised by what I got.
Somethings are cheaper and somethings are not necessarily so.
Like Lidi sells coffee grounds at £2.29 a bag the cheapest (Sunday Morning/Weekend Blend etc), their single origin stuff is £2.99 a bag. Sainsbury's has Taylor ground coffee at £2.50 with Nector card and I am sure there is a really cheap one for less than £2 but can't find it online. I picked up some Cafe Nero stuff on sale in Waitrose too for £2.40 a bag this week as well.
Don't really buy crisps anymore and Mayonnaise lasts me ages but if I get them, it's usually Hellmann's. 1 bottle in 6 months I can justify it. I even get Kewpie....that is the best one but not sold in our regular supermarkets.
Don't bake much pizza or make much pasta but I normally get tinned tomatoes, in fact, I used to get the one in paper a carton.
In short, I've done a full shop in Aldi or Lidi many times and never really got home and thought things were low quality and wished i had paid more for branded stuff. Normally I am pleasantly surprised by what I got.
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Soldato
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Aldi Skin On fries are fantastic. Better than others at a significantly lower price. Same with their frozen mash and magnum thingys (Mint ones are great)
Oh and Daddies Tomato sauce is fantastic... Better than heinz and cheaper. Come at me bro!
Oh and i do buy Saindburys own brand bread. Its 75p a loaf and usually has a week date on and nice and soft.
Oh and Daddies Tomato sauce is fantastic... Better than heinz and cheaper. Come at me bro!
Oh and i do buy Saindburys own brand bread. Its 75p a loaf and usually has a week date on and nice and soft.
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Only brands I rarely buy is ketchup and mayonnaise... And HP sauce cos there's no fakes here.
Sometimes white square bread I guess..... Coffee tends to be branded actually twinnings tea too....
Guess I do buy a lot of brands 50/50 I would guess.
..
Other wise I'll buy whatever is on offer that week.
Sometimes white square bread I guess..... Coffee tends to be branded actually twinnings tea too....
Guess I do buy a lot of brands 50/50 I would guess.
..
Other wise I'll buy whatever is on offer that week.