nightowl wrote: ↑Fri Apr 10, 2026 12:16 am
A Which survey recently had Aldi and Lidl's own brand baked beans as joint winners ahead of Heinz and co. Tried them and they are pretty good to be fair.
Agreed. Just note that it's not the 29p super value ranges, which are pretty bad. It's the ones about 42p that are very good.
They do taste 'different' to Heinz or Branston, so not an exact swap-out.
IMO, Heinz are really overrated and Branston are my benchmark which can be had for 60p a tin
The best of the really cheap ones are still Tesco's Stockwell at 29p They are good but a bit runny.
Graceful Degradation! Prepping's objective summed up in two words. Turning Disaster into Mild Inconvenience by the power of fore-thought
nightowl wrote: ↑Fri Apr 10, 2026 12:16 am
A Which survey recently had Aldi and Lidl's own brand baked beans as joint winners ahead of Heinz and co. Tried them and they are pretty good to be fair.
The best of the really cheap ones are still Tesco's Stockwell at 29p They are good but a bit runny.
jennyjj01 wrote: ↑Fri Apr 10, 2026 7:34 am
The best of the really cheap ones are still Tesco's Stockwell at 29p They are good but a bit runny.
Too runny
Tightwad Jenny used to buy some of the cheapest value foods till I realised that they weren't acceptable for rotation into regular diet. Then I decided to go forward with only foods that were at least 'nice enough'. So no more rubbishy spaghetti hoops or MRM rubbish meatballs. I still find the 29p beans acceptable but I replenish with better. Come teotwawki, food will need to help morale so a bit of extra cost now is worth it
Graceful Degradation! Prepping's objective summed up in two words. Turning Disaster into Mild Inconvenience by the power of fore-thought
I used to do the same in terms of buying cheap rubbish I wouldn't normally eat which is obviously a mistake as eventually you do have to eat it or chuck it and I'd sometimes do the latter. Buying stuff that you'll be happy to eat or that you would normally eat is the better option.
Most value stuff is ok. All the baked beans I ever had were very similar. Coffee's not one to buy cheap really. I'm only paying about the same for Azera as for some instant coffee, maybe even cheaper. Aldi pretend Azera is cheap, but not great.
Someone's having a laugh here, offering me whisky for £36 on subscribe and save. It's only about £20 in Sainsbury's, and I won't even pay that! I get their own band now, same price as Asda, about £17.80 a litre. Tastes rubbish for the first couple of bottles and then it tastes the same.
Sainbury's cornflakes and rice pops taste the same as Kellogs.
Heinz lentil soup has no substitute though. Ridiculous price, but 5 for a fiver is ok.
Frnc wrote: ↑Fri Apr 10, 2026 3:29 pm
Tastes rubbish for the first couple of bottles and then it tastes the same.
Lol. I like that. Funny but true. I tried to switch out MrJJ's Jack Daniels a few times, with a bit of dilution But he noticed and went ape.
We can all downshift: Seems all we ever do
Martell -> Courvoisier -> Three Barrels -> Meths
Waitrose -> ASDA -> Aldi -> Farmfoods -> TooGoodToGo -> Rooting around in bins
Graceful Degradation! Prepping's objective summed up in two words. Turning Disaster into Mild Inconvenience by the power of fore-thought
Frnc wrote: ↑Fri Apr 10, 2026 3:29 pm
Tastes rubbish for the first couple of bottles and then it tastes the same.
Lol. I like that. Funny but true. I tried to switch out MrJJ's Jack Daniels a few times, with a bit of dilution But he noticed and went ape.
We can all downshift: Seems all we ever do
Martell -> Courvoisier -> Three Barrels -> Meths
Waitrose -> ASDA -> Aldi -> Farmfoods -> TooGoodToGo -> Rooting around in bins
I've noticed it a few times. Even more expensive brands that I previously liked can taste weird if I've not had them for ages. The effect can last a few times and then fade. But I've never had it with Famous Grouse, Grants, Whyte and Mackay, or Aldi's Highland Earl. I did have it with Sains cheap own brand, but it faded, and now it tastes very similar to the above four, and perfectly fine. So I tend to now either get that or the Aldi, as the others are dearer even when on offer. The only one I ever had that was terrible was an even cheaper Sainsbury's brand, but they don't sell it anymore.
Sainsburys Spicy Beanburgers. 4 for £1.39. That's a quarter of some of the non-meat products I buy. Not bad, they are spicy. I've not tried them in a bread roll. I have them with veg and veggie gravy.
I mainly have Quorn, but it's getting expensive. Apparently they've experienced a drop in demand in the UK. Maybe putting the prices up has been the cause, not the remedy?
Quorn blames its UK troubles on a decline in the meat free category. I ran this through Search Assist. It says
"The meat-free category has experienced a decline in both the UK and US markets, with plant-based product sales dropping by four percent in 2024 in the US, and the UK seeing its fourth consecutive year of decline in meat-free products as consumer interest wanes. Factors contributing to this trend include high prices, heavy processing, and a preference for traditional meat products."
But he noticed and went ape.
