Lidl - Good and bad

Isambard BrunelIsambard Brunel Posts: 6,598
Forum Member
With so many products in Lidl being very hit and miss, I thought it might be an idea for people to pool their experiences of what's good and bad in Lidl so that people can work out what to buy and avoid with less trial and error! Here are a few of my opinions:

GOOD
Premium coleslaw
Premium chocolate in the cardboard wrapper
Dark rum - Good for the price
W5 washing up liquid
Black grape juice
Bananas
Peppers
Premium sliced, cured ham (not made from reformed meat)
Free range eggs
Hair gel
Premium frozen salmon (the box with 2 slices for £3)
Dried herbs
Fresh herbs
Kale
Mushrooms
Baby plum tomatoes
Egg pasta/lasagne/spaghetti
Onions
Premium ice cream
Beef burgers (the box with four large ones rather than 8 small ones)
Large frozen fries
Yoghurt

BAD
Gin - tastes like a marker pen
Bread - Tastes like sawdust
Potatoes - Too many black spots inside them and somttimes have a funny taste.
Frozen pizzas - Cardboardy
Wine - Some are OK but many taste sour
Frozen Pollock - Dry, rubbery and virtually flavourless.
Tomato sauce - Too tangy and artificial
Sausage rolls - Pastry like cardboard and meat like it was 90% fat and gristle
Salad - Just tastes funny. Much prefer bags from Asda, Morrisons, etc.


Their muffins used to be lovely, but they changed suppliers a couple of times in the last year and now they're very bland. Their shower gel is weak compared to leading brands, but is a third of the price. I tend to buy a better brand rather than just use more of the cheap stuff. Celery is also very average in taste and crispness. And their white rum is a cheap copy of Bacardi. Not bad for the price, but not as nice as their dark rum.
«13456748

Comments

  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 10,163
    Forum Member
    ✭✭
    BAD
    Gin - tastes like a marker pen



    That made me chuckle. :D
  • wavy-davywavy-davy Posts: 7,122
    Forum Member
    Aldi is the same. Very hit and miss hence why I usually stick to Asda.

    The Lidl Perlenbacher lager is very nice though.
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 511
    Forum Member
    ✭✭
    I agree with the Coleslaw, the potato salad is also very nice, its sliced rather than cubed and dressed in creme fraiche, we much prefer it to anything the other supermakets offer. The dishawasher tablets and salt are good value too and we like their Chorizo ring and the cherry jaffa cake type biccies.
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 4,864
    Forum Member
    ✭✭✭
    Good - frozen pancake rolls.
    Bad - potatoes.
  • alanwarwicalanwarwic Posts: 28,396
    Forum Member
    ✭✭✭
    Buys are far more hit than miss and never hit the incredible grossness of some Asda and Tesco budget buys.

    BTW their flat frozen pizzas are great. If you also like Dr Oetker ones try the LIDL vegetable or spinach for starters.
  • dids858dids858 Posts: 3,979
    Forum Member
    ✭✭✭
    The mussles, cheese & smoked samon is very good.
  • FirewalkerFirewalker Posts: 2,773
    Forum Member
    ✭✭✭
    I like their frozen hash browns
  • EspressoEspresso Posts: 18,047
    Forum Member
    ✭✭
    I like their canned butterbeans, canned fish, chocolate covered toffees, salamis, canned lentils, feta, potato salad, Christmas sweeties and cakes, washing up liquid, washing powder, freezer bags and Danepak butter.
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 732
    Forum Member
    ✭✭
    Veg is normaly very cheap.
  • Reiver97Reiver97 Posts: 2,491
    Forum Member
    ✭✭✭
    BAD
    Gin - tastes like a marker pen



    That made me chuckle. :D

    Me too. And since I hate the taste of Gin, but love the smell of marker pens, that could well be a recommendation rather than a negative.
  • Teddybear99Teddybear99 Posts: 6,077
    Forum Member
    Good - aubergines and vine tomatos and fresh herbs.
    Their greek style yoghurt - the creamiest yoghurt I have tasted.
    Soya milk - half the price of anywhere else and just as good.

    Our local Lidl has just opened an in store bakery and they have loads of really nice fresh pastries and bread.

    Bad - can't think of any, but I tend to mostly get fruit and veg there, and if I don't like the look of it I will leave it.

    I did get some asparagus there the other day that was a bit woody.
  • Utopian GirlUtopian Girl Posts: 8,275
    Forum Member
    Love their Greek style yoghurt in a little bucket, their Greek salad cheese, coleslaws, vine tomatoes, aubergines, courgettes, lemons/lines, bananas, garlic, dry cure bacon, spinach pizzas, tins of butterbeans/sweetcorn/mushy peas are all fine.

    I don't like their herbs as they're not good value but I do buy them if desperate. Their broccoli always looks nice but goes yellow very quick. Potatoes aren't very good. Red onions are ok.
    I don't care for their bread products either - even the Hovis is medium sliced, I prefer thick.
    We haven't got a bakery in any of our Lidls here in Swansea.:mad:
    Frozen chips, wedges etc aren't very good - like cardboard. Not much choice for veggies there either.

    I find their detergents expensive but their toilet wipes, toilet paper, foil, cling film, sandwich bags good value & quality.

    I have also had some bargin Pyrex dishes, cake tins etc there too.

    I can't stand the smell of their nail varnish remover, it gives me a headache!:eek: their hand wash is ok at a push too.
    I don't mind a look around there but I can't do a weekly shop there. Having said that I wouldn't mind ours being closer as in a local shop as they are on some areas.
  • Sweet FASweet FA Posts: 10,912
    Forum Member
    ✭✭
    Never been to a Lidl's as there isn't one handy for me. That said, no one supermarket meets ALL my needs: I tend to discriminate depending on what I'm after...
  • EspressoEspresso Posts: 18,047
    Forum Member
    ✭✭
    Sweet FA wrote: »
    Never been to a Lidl's as there isn't one handy for me. That said, no one supermarket meets ALL my needs: I tend to discriminate depending on what I'm after...

    Obviously, all the folk who have answered in this thread are the same. Mostly everyone has mentioned a few products that they like from Lidl, so unless that's all they eat/use to clean their house, then they must be going to other shops, too. :p
  • EastEnders-1105EastEnders-1105 Posts: 11,022
    Forum Member
    ✭✭
    Lidl and aldi are good for cheap but essenciatal (Sorry for spelling) Items.
    They are bad because some of the stuff isnt as quality as asda
  • Welsh-ladWelsh-lad Posts: 51,904
    Forum Member
    Their bottled fruits are very nice.... and some of the jams.
    Veg - generally good, but you must find out on what day fresh stockarrives as it isn't refrigerated in-store.

    Bad = bread. Horrid steamed stuff.
  • InkblotInkblot Posts: 26,889
    Forum Member
    ✭✭✭
    Sweet FA wrote: »
    Never been to a Lidl's as there isn't one handy for me.

    I've only been to one (Sidmouth) and I wasn't impressed. It felt like an old-school British supermarket with low quality shop fittings and a random layout. Maybe they've improved since then. My nearest isn't far away but I have plenty of other nearer options.
  • koantemplationkoantemplation Posts: 101,293
    Forum Member
    ✭✭✭✭
    Our Lidl's have finally got hand baskets.
  • norbitonitenorbitonite Posts: 8,653
    Forum Member
    Good:

    Sliced hams
    German sausages
    Potato salad
    Little gem lettuce
    The large 'buckets' of yoghurt (Greek and the one with the chocolate slivers)
    Their fresh, premium burgers (can't remember what the brand is called), but it's always hit and miss as to whether they have them in stock.
    Their Linessa range of healthy products
    Bottled fruits and jams
    Peach juice and their multi fruit juices
    Their part-bake ciabatta rolls, both the seeded and plain. Very handy to keep a pack in the freezer.
    Their Belgian chocolate seashells. Good quality and a fraction of the price you'd pay elsewhere. At Christmas they tend to do an offer of two boxes for £2.50, which makes for great stocking fillers/standby presents.
    Their bags of chocolate-covered, candy-coated peanuts. Much, much cheaper than M&Ms and very good.
    I bought a bottle of ruby port in there at Christmas which was okay and ridiculously cheap. Wouldn't necessarily bring it out for guests, but for an after-dinner drink for the family was just fine.
    Their ground coffee in a tin
    Spinach pizza
    Their Q10 face cream
    Olive oil
    Balsamic vinegar (got some good white balsamic in there).

    Basically, items that are more popular/everyday in Germany than they are in the UK tend to have a good quality/price ratio there. I wouldn't be able to do a full week's shop there, though, so don't tend to go very often.
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 454
    Forum Member
    Can I add a comment about Aldi? Their household cleaning range is all animal friendly.
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 28
    Forum Member
    Good
    Lasagne just the right amount of meat, pasta and sauce
    and tastes freshly made
    Coleslaw
    German Sausage
    Tinned hot dog sausages
    baked beans and sausages
    Most of their fresh fruit and veg
    Washing up liquid
    washing powder
    fabric conditioner Not too overpowering

    Bad
    Frozen ready meals
    Fresh juice {any}
    Lemonade/Coke {own brand}
  • norbitonitenorbitonite Posts: 8,653
    Forum Member
    Inkblot wrote: »
    I've only been to one (Sidmouth) and I wasn't impressed. It felt like an old-school British supermarket with low quality shop fittings and a random layout. Maybe they've improved since then. My nearest isn't far away but I have plenty of other nearer options.
    I have two close to me. The Kingston one is frankly dingy and depressing, the New Malden one is much pleasanter, but one of the ways they keep their prices down is by having relatively low-quality shop fittings.
  • koantemplationkoantemplation Posts: 101,293
    Forum Member
    ✭✭✭✭
    Does anyone know what Lidl's opening times are for tomorrow? (Jubilee Monday)

    They have a Vax Hand Vacuum going for £20 instead of almost £50, but they went within the first hour last time.
  • pugamopugamo Posts: 18,039
    Forum Member
    ✭✭
    Their vintage farmhouse cheddar is great. Crumbly and granuley if that was a word.
  • Beautiful_HarvBeautiful_Harv Posts: 9,144
    Forum Member
    Bunny82 wrote: »
    Can I add a comment about Aldi? Their household cleaning range is all animal friendly.

    Their cleaning stuff is actually quite good
Sign In or Register to comment.