When Lidl launched in Britain in 1994, shopping was like going abroad. The unknown brands, the Germanic styling, the multilingual labels. It was all like that foreign.
And then there was the shameless presentation – the pallets full of boxes, the lack of choice (one type of tinned tomato, while Sainsburys might have six or more), the poor customer service. Unsettling for those of us used to the grander surroundings of Waitrose or Tesco.
Still, we have taken Lidl to our hearts, partly because they have managed to convince us in their 960 British stores. These days we wheel our baskets down much smarter aisles, past racks of fresh flowers and cabinets of pastries, even though it’s still virtually impossible to find floor staff to ask a question.
The range now covers the same budget/standard/premium format that we are used to – often at such low prices that they, together with Aldi, set the benchmark for other supermarkets to meet.
Of course, price isn’t everything. Cheap products are worthless if they don’t taste good. So even if you’re doing ‘the big shopping’ elsewhere, these are the products to look for at Lidl that beat other supermarkets on both price and quality. And quality.
Top products
Milbona Authentic Greek Yogurt
£1.89 for 500g
Real Greek yoghurt is strained and therefore contains more protein than so-called “Greek” yoghurts. Lidl’s is textbook: super creamy, with a slight tartness and some lingering complexity, and none of the powdery texture that plagues other brands. It scored on a par with Fage Total, but at 38p/100g instead of 78p/100g (in Tesco) it’s less than half the price.
Go to the full taste test.
Deluxe Spinach & Ricotta Girasoli
£2.19 for 250 grams
These ravioli-style circles have a great “bite” and a nice yellow color, an indication of pasta made with expensive but authentic 100% durum wheat. The filling also has a nice nutmeg-like flavor.
Go to the full taste test.
Crownfield Whole Wheat Bixies
£2.05 for 720g (36 biscuits)
With 25% less sugar than Weetabix – and virtually identical to the slightly maltier Marks & Spencer version, but 20% more expensive. Weetabix is now almost twice as expensive and scored lower in our blind taste test.
Go to the full taste test.
Lidl Birchwood 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 grass-fed steak, guaranteeing a 70% grass-based diet. Only Waitrose’s (admittedly delicious) No1 Dry-Aged Sirloin scored higher in the taste test, and it’s twice as expensive.
Go to the full taste test.
Lidl Birchwood Butcher’s Choice 8 Pork Sausages
£1.79 for 454 grams
Of the standard sausages (the kind that come in cellophane packs of eight, rather than the more fancy ones on a plastic tray), Lidl’s pork sausages stood out, with a nice nubby texture. The flavour is very spicy, so you have to like that, but they are very good value.
Go to the full taste test
Lidl Deluxe West Country Butter with Sea Salt Crystals
€1.99 for 250 grams
This subtly flavored butter, sparkling with crispy salt crystals, melts beautifully on a crumpet. Only the Waitrose Duchy Originals Butter performed better in the tasting and costs 60% more.
Go to the full taste test.
Lidl Deluxe 2 Aberdeen Angus Beefburgers
£2.99 for 340 grams
Neat-looking burgers that do justice to your barbecue. Good and meaty with a lovely hint of smokiness in the crust, even when cooked under the grill – useful when rain disrupts the game. But Sainsbury’s Taste the Difference burgers fared better in the tasting and cost the same per 100g.
Go to the full taste test.
Lidl Nixe Tuna Pieces in Spring Water
£2.35 for 4 x145g
The tuna itself has beautiful light pink flakes and an oceanic taste, and is also not too dry. Not all Lidl tuna is MSC certified, but this one is, which means it is sustainably produced.
Go to the full taste test.
Lidl Baresa Green Pesto
£0.99 for 190g
Not the highest scoring pesto, but comparable to Filippo Berio’s version, which is three times as expensive. Lidl’s has a lovely rough texture that feels classy, even if the flavour could be spicier.
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 (regular milk chocolate) and £2.09 for 200g (for extra creamy milk chocolate)
Muddy looking chocolate bars with a stale taste, reminiscent of chocolate cake. Not fun to eat. Instead, buy the Lidl JD Gross Extra Smooth 30% Cocoa Milk Chocolate, which scored a respectable 3 in our taste test.
Go to the full taste test.
Lidl Chef Select Beef Lasagna
£2.29 for 400g
Consists of tough, stuck-together pasta sheets, alternating with a ragù that smells of gravy powder, and soaked in a stark white sauce. Hard to imagine which chef chose this.
Go to the full taste test.
Lidl Danpak Spreadable Lightly Salted
£2.09 for 500g
Less than half the price of Lurpak and the same butter content but this smells and tastes like cabbage due to the added rapeseed oil. You will notice the trade down if you swap.
Go to the full taste test.
Lidl Deluxe British Strawberries
€2.75 for 400 grams
Strawberries vary seasonally, but a recent check at Lidl revealed them pale and under-ripe, with a depressingly sour crunch and little other flavour. Strangely, some in the container were also mushy.
Go to the full taste test.
Lidl Birchwood 8 Beef Burgers and Lidl Birchwood Double Stack Beef Burgers
£3.99 for 681g (regular beef) and £2.99 for 454g (double stack)
The Aberdeen Angus burgers at Lidl did well, but the cheaper Birchwood brand got the thumbs down. The regular ones were made of cardboard, while the bland-tasting double-stacked version contained a piece of bone – not the stuff of a successful barbecue.
Go to the full taste test.
Buy wine at Lidl
Lidl’s wine range is divided into two sections. The core wines are on the shelves all year round. The second section 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 purchased in limited quantities and remain on sale until they run out a few weeks later. Regular themes for the tours include Spring, Italian, Summer, French and Christmas. The richest choices are usually found on these tours.
