UK people - supermarket choices.

rachaelgifford

HI - I am wondering which supermarkets you guys feel are the cheapest for healthy food? I have been using Morrisons as it is the most local, but recently it seems to have got very pricey and the range in my local one (which is smaller) seems to be a bit poor.

I have all the big name supermarkets in my city - Tesco, Asda, Sainsburys, Morrisons, Lidl, Aldi.... So where do you suggest I go?

sophiercook

cannot beat asda for fresh fruit and veg in my opinion, brilliant prices.

alyngard

I don't have an asda near me, but I do have a lidl. I go there for fruit/veg and chicken breast and I buy other "name brand" items at sainsburys, which is the closest regular supermarket to me.

melaniecheeks

What is "healthy food"?

Aldi and Lidl will be the cheapest, I tend to alternate between Sainsburys and Tesco as they're my closest options.

Tigermum9

Aldi is very good value, but not as much choice as the other supermarkets - but more choice tends to make me spend more....

phreekles

Aldi is starting to increase its prices since becoming more popular with the middle class - but the highlight for me is going through the random items in the middle.

I think lidl is the cheapest and still has much better quality than most "finest" ranges at the big supermarkets.

rachaelgifford

I have heard they are pretty good. I always worry they wont be fresh as they are so cheap. I will give them a try. Also, will try Lidl as it is much closer - but last time I went to one it was a bit like a jumble sale. :-(

Th3stral

We use sainsburys. All the branded items are the same price as everywhere else and their own range of products is usually the best.

I do a monthly online shop at Goodness Direct for all my more unusual purchases, for allergies/restricted diets there is fabulous choice.

rachaelgifford

Aldi is very good value, but not as much choice as the other supermarkets - but more choice tends to make me spend more....

Very good point. My local Aldi is tiny, and I usually forget it is there!

rachaelgifford

I have never heard of goodness direct. I will have a look.

rachaelgifford

Aldi is starting to increase its prices since becoming more popular with the middle class - but the highlight for me is going through the random items in the middle.

I think lidl is the cheapest and still has much better quality than most "finest" ranges at the big supermarkets.

Ideal - I will try them first as they are the next closest to home after Morrisons - and it isn't a majot detour to get home after work.

grrrlface

Sainsburys. Their own brand products are the best, hardly ever buy branded stuff.

IronSmasher

I go to Tesco for most of my stuff.

However, Asda has a great selection of sauces and mixed spices that are a boon to the dieter that is getting bored with their lean choices, plus a larger range of cheap low/no fat yogurt.
Also Asda has not put up their price of carbonated water like Tesco has recently.

Lidl and Aldi are hit and miss whether you are paying less or more for items, so you really need to have a good idea of the rates £/100g of foods from the larger stores before going there as you may be stung and not know it.

Fozzi43

Tesco is ok..I use my local market for cheap veggies.

AprilOneFourFour

I use Tesco and Sainsburys, Tesco have better offers in fresh food. But no supermarket can beat my local street market for price or quality - fantastic RIPE fresh fruit, especially at this time of year. And often there are entire big bowls of produce - tomatoes, peppers etc for only £1. I also like handing money over to self-employed people.

Sainsburys - mine is quite big and in London - also have ethnic shelves where the food tends to be much cheaper - 3 tins of chickpeas or tomatoes for a quid. Big bags of cheap rice, packets of spices that are cheaper than their own jars. If you have an Indian supermarket nearby, try that for rice and pulses.

KarenJanine

I get most of my fresh fruit and veg from Lidl. I find it good quality and very reasonably priced. It is a lot cheaper than the larger supermarkets.

The larger supermarkets seem to all be on a par with each other. Tesco definitely seems to have increased their prices over the last few years and I now find Sainsbury's marginally cheaper but think they're all much of a muchness.

I think Morrison's has the widest variety of fresh produce and I can find more unusual items there. However it is across town from me so I don't venture there often.

icklistpiklist

We've started shopping at Aldi and finding the savings are useful, not just in terms of the price but also because there is less range of product you're not tempted to buy what you don't need!
My husband, who used to sell lettuce (to Tesco's and other supermarkets), tells me that it's cheaper because
a) they go direct to the suppliers (our Cornish Aldi sells 'St Pirans' milk. Closer examining of the packaging tells us that it is from the same farm that produces Trewithen Dairy products, clotted cream, butter and milk, by going direct Aldi have negotiated a good deal and we know that our money is going to local farmers).
b) they order a consistent, usually easy to transport, quantity. The larger supermarkets will vary their order depending on demand and often end up with less easy to transport quantities (ie truck half full) thereby costing more.
As to freshness, I've got no real complaints about the fruit and veg, there has been the occasional rotten tomato or bruised apple so I now I tend to scrutinise the packet a bit more before I put it in the trolley.

DawnieB1977

We use Sainsbury's as it's the nearest, and I think it has the best quality. I've tried Tesco but I don't like their fruit and veg, and Asda is too far away, although when we did go I wasn't impressed.

If I could afford it I'd go to M&S! We get food from there occasionally and it's always so nice.

LaserMum

I use Aldi for the majority of my shopping and then go to Sainsbury to get the rest. There are some things that you just can't get at Aldi such as gluten free stuff.

I find Aldi generally cheaper and their alternative brands are really much tastier than the supermarkets (according to my OH). Also, they have some nice continental alternatives (for example, in cooked meats).

When I have bought fruit such as peaches in the big supermarkets like Sainsbury's/Tesco's, they were so hard in the middle I couldn't remove the stone without cutting around it! The peaches/plums/nectarines I get from Aldi are lovely, all I have to do is cut in half (around the stone) twist the fruit and they separate. Perfectly ripe and so tasty and juicy. I never buy fruit in the other supermarkets any more.

BeccaBollons

Much like lasermum, I get what I can from Aldi, then top up at sainsburys with things I can't get at Aldi. (Like dairy-free products)
Our morrisons used to have the best fruit and veg, but since their massive re-vamp the quality has gone down. Its a bad year for veg anyway, after last years bad weather and I think everyones prices reflect this. Hurrah for new season carrots!

plantboy2

If you can, use your local greengrocers: you get to know them, they do you deals, the produce is usually from the UK, local and seasonal (so you know it hasn't been in storage for months like the supermarket crap that goes off in two days) and you are supporting the local economy (not sending your cash to Walmart in the States). Not to mention cheaper. Yesterday I bought 2Kg of plum tomatoes for 70p and they are the best I have ever tasted. Two punnets of rasberries and 350g of blueberries for £1.50 (fat and juicy) which is 1/3 the price of the supermarket and they are from a farm down the road.

If you prefer or have to use supermarkets, try the ethnic or world food sections, which often sell the same items but cheaper than in the health food section. Morrisons for example charge 75p for their chick peas. Go tot he world food section and they are 34p. Same for many pulses, spices, etc.