UK people - supermarket choices.

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Either Tesco or Asda for me. I usually do my shopping online though to make sure I only buy healthy stuff. It's easy to justify buying junk food if it's on offer in the shop

I buy as much as I can from Aldi. I tend to buy around their offers, particularly the fruit and veg 69ps, and change my menu's accordingly. Then I top up - quinoa etc - at Asda.

I get my Asda shop online as the delivery charge is same as any bus fare I'd have to pay. I then walk to Aldi for fresh produce and a few other things.

I like Asda and Morrissons although there's not a Morrisons near me anymore.

I think Asda is really good value for money, I always bulk buy their 3 packs of meat for £10 offers. I've always got like 20 chicken breasts in my freezer. :laugh:

I mostly shop at Aldi and anything I can't get there I get at Morrissons as it's right next door (lucky me). Lidl do large bags of onions and massive bags of basmati rice for next to nothing.

I have to say in my experience of buying chicken portions from Aldi, it never lasts till it's sell-by date and I've taken several packs back due to this (even after getting a new fridge). The cheapest way I have bought meat and fish is from the market (Bury and Bolton aren't too far away from where I live and both have really great large markets) - it's a bit of a trek, but I go once every couple of months and can fill the freezer for a fraction of what I would pay in the supermarket and much better quality/flavour IMO.

My local market is cheapest for veg and fresh herbs.