by When Lidl launched in the UK in 1994, a shopping trip was like going abroad. The rare brands, the German styling, the multilingual labels. It was all like that foreign.
Then there was the inexcusable presentation – the pallets stacked with boxes, the lack of choice (one type of tinned tomato, although Sainsburys might have six or more), the poor customer service. Exciting content for those of us who are used to the harsher environment of Waitrose or Tesco.
However, we have taken Lidl into our hearts – partly because they have impressed us so much in their 960 UK stores. These days we wheel our baskets along much smarter aisles, past fresh flower racks and patisserie cabinets, even if it’s still near impossible to find any floor staff they can ask.
The ranges now cover the same budget/standard/premium format we are used to – often at such low prices that they, along with Aldi, set the benchmark that other supermarkets have to match.
Of course, price is not everything. Bargain bargain produce is worthless if it doesn’t also taste good. So, even if you do ‘the big shop’ elsewhere, here are the things to look for from Lidl that beat other supermarkets at both prices. and quality.
Excellent products
Milbona Authentic Greek Yogurt
£1.89 for 500g
Real Greek yogurt is strained, so it’s higher in protein than so-called “Greek-style” yogurt. Lidl’s is textbook stuff: super creamy, with a light sourness and some tongue complexity, and none of the powdery texture that plagues other brands. It scores on par with Fage Total, but at 38p/100g rather than 78p/100g (in Tesco), it’s less than half the price.
Go to the full taste test.
Deluxe Spinach & Ricotta Girasoli
£2.19 for 250g
These ravioli-style circles have a great “bite” and a good yellow color, indicating pasta made with durum but authentic 100% durum wheat. The filling also has a nice nutmeg-y flavor.
Go to the full taste test.
Crownfield Wholesale Wheat Bixies
£2.05 for 720g (36 biscuits)
With 25% less sugar than Weetabix – and almost the same as the Marks & Spencer version which is a touch maltier, but costs 20% more. Meanwhile Weetabix is almost twice the price, and didn’t fare as well in our blind taste test.
Go to the full taste test.
Lidl Grass-Fed British Sirloin Steak
£5.99 for 283g
Grass-fed steak is better for us, with much higher levels of healthy Omega 3s than grain-fed beef, and it tastes better too. Lidl is one of the few supermarkets to offer a grass-fed steak, which guarantees a 70% grass-based diet. Only Waitrose’s No1 Dry-Aged Sirloin (positively delicious) scored higher in the taste test, and it’s twice the price.
Go to the full taste test.
Lidl Birchwood Butchers Choice 8 Pork Sausages
£1.79 for 454g
Of the standard sausages (the kind that come in cellophane packs of eight, rather than the posher ones on a plastic tray) Lidl’s pork sausage stood out, with a nice nubbly texture. The flavor is very herbal, so you want to do that, but they are a great value.
Go to the full taste test
Lidl Deluxe West Country Butter with Sea Salt Crystals
£1.99 for 250g
Sparkling with a sharp salt crystal, this subtly flavored butter melts onto a crumpet. Only the Waitrose Duchy Originals Butter tasted better, and it costs 60% more.
Go to the full taste test.
Lidl Deluxe 2 Aberdeen Angus Beef Burgers
£2.99 for 340g
Neat burgers that will compliment your barbecue. Nice and meaty with a lovely hint of smokiness to the crust even if it’s cooked under the grill – handy if the rain stops playing. But Sainsbury’s Taste the Difference burgers fared better in taste and cost the same per 100g.
Go to the full taste test.
Lidl Nixe Tuna Chunks in Spring Water
£2.35 for 4 x145g
The tuna itself has bright pink flakes and an ocean flavor, and it’s not too dry. Not all Lidl tuna is MSC certified but this one is, meaning it is sustainably sourced.
Go to the full taste test.
Lidl Baresa Green Pesto
£0.99 for 190g
Not the highest scoring pesto, but equal to Filippo Berio’s version, which costs three times more. Lidl’s has a nice rough texture that feels fancy, even if the taste could be worse.
Go to the full taste test.
Worst rated products
Lidl Fin Carré Milk Chocolate and Lidl Fin Carré Extra Creamy Milk Chocolate
£0.65 for 100g for (regular milk chocolate) and £2.09 for 200g (for extra cream milk chocolate)
Muddy-looking chocolate bars with an old taste, reminiscent of a chocolate flavor cake cover. Not fun to eat. Pick up Lidl JD Extra Smooth 30% Cocoa Milk Chocolate instead, which scored a respectable 3 in our taste test.
Go to the full taste test.
Lidl Chef’s Choice Beef Lasagne
£2.29 for 400g
It consists of sheets of stodgy pasta, stuck together and a ragù that beats gravy powder, drenched in a gloomy white sauce, between them. Hard to imagine which chef chose this.
Go to the full taste test.
Lidl Danpak Spread Slightly salty
£2.09 for 500g
Less than half the price of Lurpak and with the same butter content, but this smells and tastes like cabbage from the extra rapeseed oil. You’ll notice the trade-down if you swap.
Go to the full taste test.
British strawberries Lidl Deluxe
£2.75 for 400g
Strawberries change throughout the season but a recent spot check in Lidl found them pale and under-ripe with a bitter black crunch and little other flavor. Oddly enough, there were some in the mushy punnet too.
Go to the full taste test.
Lidl Birchwood 8 Beef Burgers and Lidl Double Stacked Beef Burgers
£3.99 for 681g (regular beef) and £2.99 for 454g (double stack)
Aberdeen Angus burgers did well at Lidl, but the cheaper Birchwood brand got the thumbs down. The regular ones were cardboard and the double-stacked version had a bit of bone in it to taste – not successful barbecue material.
Go to the full taste test.
Shopping for wines in Lidl
Lidl’s wine range is split into two sections. The core wines can be found on the shelf throughout the year. The second part consists of a series of pop-ups. Every few months the buyers introduce a temporary range of themed wines, which they call ‘Tours’.
These are bought in limited quantities and remain on sale until they disappear a few weeks later. Regular themes for the trips include spring, Italian, summer, French and Christmas. The richest picks are usually found among these trips.
