Jasmine Birtles
Your money-making expert. Financial journalist, TV and radio personality.
Breakfast for Under 20p!
Reading Time: 3 minutesI have shamelessly stolen this headline from the ultra low-cost supermarket Lidl’s latest handout. It’s intriguing isn’t it? How can you have breakfast for less than 20p?
Well, you serve yourself 45g Special Muesli (‘Goody’ brand, which includes oats, sweetened pineapple, banana pieces and papaya = 9.6p) and 90g natural yoghurt (Naturis brand = 9.9p). Grand Total = 19.5p. Coffee or tea is extra. It’s not the biggest breakfast in the world but many of us could do with losing a few pounds, so let’s embrace it. Even if you double the quantities it’s still under 40p.
From this you will gather that I have braved Lidl! And I came out alive! It wasn’t that bad – the décor isn’t as sparkling as Tesco or Waitrose but I can live with that. I’d been putting it off for a long time – out of sheer snobbery. But there are many recognisable, premium brands (Heinz, Ambrosia) although admittedly a lot of unknown brands (produced in Germany, mostly).
It reminded me of The Truman Show, or something (please post a comment if you know what I’m talking about, because I don’t!) with totally alien brands – packaging with ocean motifs in navy/blue for seafood/fish, green/red logos for Italian-style tinned ravioli and pastas, and beige packaging for bread (with country sounding brand names like “Rowan Hill Bakery”).
They’re probably all as nice as the next brands but it’s weird seeing all these alien brands in Britain, not on holiday in a foreign supermarket. Anyway, I digress. I jotted down the super cheap saver deals.
Lidl Waitrose
Heinz tomato ketchup 570g £1.89 £2.00
Linessa ½fat mature cheese £1.00/200g £3.14/370g (= £1.78/200g)
12 English muffins £2.00 £2.37 equivalent price
apple juice 5x250ml £1.09 £1.84 (5x200ml)
Cauliflower (medium, each) 50p £1.15
Baroni Ravioli Bolognaise 99p/800g £1.94/820g
Anchor salted butter 250g £1.00 £1.20
Crinkle crisps 200g £1.19 £1.65 equivalent price
Parkside gingernuts 300g 45p 65p (Waitrose own brand)
I’ve compared similar products where the exact brand wasn’t available in both stores. Incidentally the Lidl cauliflowers looked really good quality, nice and white, firm, fresh and large. So you can see Lidl is cheap! No excuse for not checking it out.
Lidl also does homewares, clothing, plants, power tools (!) and the usual industrial-sized canisters of detergent/bleach/washing up liquid etc. If you’ve been wavering, now is the time to try it. There’s free parking for 90 minutes (at my local one in Cricklewood, north London) but you do have to get over the barrier of new, unknown brands.
Today’s recipe includes the muesli I mentioned at the top, a very easy way of making flapjack (which, in turn, can be a portable breakfast on the run).
Flapjack Recipe
Ingredients: (makes 9 squares)
- 125g butter/margarine
- 125g sugar
- 50g runny honey
- 125g oats (rolled, not oatmeal)
- 125g muesli (Lidl’s “Goody” brand special luxury fruit and nut muesli is fine)
Method
- Preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius.
- In a large saucepan, melt the butter, sugar and honey.
- Take the saucepan off the heat, add the oats and muesli.
- Mix well and press into a 7″x7″ baking tin and bake 20-25 minutes until golden brown.
- Leave to cook 5 minutes then cut into squares. But don’t try to get the squares out till it’s completely cold otherwise it will crumble.
Sarah Lockett’s new foodie book “The Dish” (described by MSN as ‘well thought out, witty and intelligent – excellent stuff’) is out now (£9.95, Troubador). She will be doing a Q&A and book-signing with her co-author Penny Isaacs on Sat 25th April, 1-2pm, at Borders flagship store at 203 Oxford St, London W1.
Lidl is king to me a student
I’m astonished that the writer hasn’t visited Lidl/Aldi before! The Aldi Italian range of food is second to none and VERY good value. Check out their skincare ranges and the Berrocca equivalent … A quarter of the price. Check out the loss leaders every time .Need to know your prices though! Aldi checkout is incredibly fast!!
I’ve not tried Lidl but adore my local ALDI. Just the same as above comment’s: cheap and cheerful & NO carrier bags but for £ saved who cares? I love ALDI’s fajita kits at something like £1.68? and their equiv to Fruit Shoots; which seem healthier and bigger – six for approx £1.20? (sorry no receipt to hand) oh and their popcorn/ crisps FANTASTIC! Always laugh at their premium brand look-a-likies eg ‘Jive’ for Twix/ ‘Titan’ for Mars bars and ‘Racer’ for Snickers ‘Dream’ for Milkways etc etc!!! – which actually aren’t that bad and FABULOUS for cost effecive children… Read more »
I discovered Lidl some months ago when an Italian freind who knew it well introduced me. Its been trial and error, but the following are excellent. Smoked salmon better than top supermarkets and cheaper, black forest ham, parma ham, extra virgin olive oil, muesli as above is very good, jams and honey good, remember as my freind said these are in most cases top european brands, because we dont recognise them doesnt mean theyre not good, I suggest you give it a try and ignore the fact that its not as luxurious a shop you will be pleasantly surprised.
I’m shocked to find someone writing on a money saving website who doesn’t use Lidl!! I thought even the greatest food snob understood the benefits of shopping there. The downside is no staff, no bags, £1 (returnable) trolleys but the benefits are all the benefits of European brands plus, as you say, cheaper branded goods. You didn’t mention jam, chocolate, beer, lardons and salami – all of which are fantastic quality at low prices. Lidl’s own unsalted butter is 84p and MUCH better than Anchor. Their fruit and veg is far superior to any other supermarket (although there is less… Read more »
Lidl is king to me a student
I’m astonished that the writer hasn’t visited Lidl/Aldi before! The Aldi Italian range of food is second to none and VERY good value. Check out their skincare ranges and the Berrocca equivalent … A quarter of the price. Check out the loss leaders every time .Need to know your prices though! Aldi checkout is incredibly fast!!
I’ve not tried Lidl but adore my local ALDI. Just the same as above comment’s: cheap and cheerful & NO carrier bags but for £ saved who cares? I love ALDI’s fajita kits at something like £1.68? and their equiv to Fruit Shoots; which seem healthier and bigger – six for approx £1.20? (sorry no receipt to hand) oh and their popcorn/ crisps FANTASTIC! Always laugh at their premium brand look-a-likies eg ‘Jive’ for Twix/ ‘Titan’ for Mars bars and ‘Racer’ for Snickers ‘Dream’ for Milkways etc etc!!! – which actually aren’t that bad and FABULOUS for cost effecive children… Read more »
I discovered Lidl some months ago when an Italian freind who knew it well introduced me. Its been trial and error, but the following are excellent. Smoked salmon better than top supermarkets and cheaper, black forest ham, parma ham, extra virgin olive oil, muesli as above is very good, jams and honey good, remember as my freind said these are in most cases top european brands, because we dont recognise them doesnt mean theyre not good, I suggest you give it a try and ignore the fact that its not as luxurious a shop you will be pleasantly surprised.
I’m shocked to find someone writing on a money saving website who doesn’t use Lidl!! I thought even the greatest food snob understood the benefits of shopping there. The downside is no staff, no bags, £1 (returnable) trolleys but the benefits are all the benefits of European brands plus, as you say, cheaper branded goods. You didn’t mention jam, chocolate, beer, lardons and salami – all of which are fantastic quality at low prices. Lidl’s own unsalted butter is 84p and MUCH better than Anchor. Their fruit and veg is far superior to any other supermarket (although there is less… Read more »