Local Shops for Local People

People assume that local shops are more expensive than the supermarkets. Very often that isn't the case.

In season fruit and vegetables are, for example, very often cheaper at your local greengrocer. Fishmongers may be more expensive for the common types of fish available in supermarkets, but they tend to have a far wider range of produce, including cheaper, but tasty, varieties such as mackerel and whiting. Local butchers do tend to be a bit more expensive than the supermarkets, but the meat is usually of a far higher quality, so it makes sense to use them for special occasions.

http://www.eattheseasons.co.uk/ tells you what foods are currently in season.

Farmers' markets offer top quality produce but can be very expensive. If you search thoroughly amongst all the stalls you may however find one or two that are also very good value. We have a game stall at our local farmers' market which sells venison, rabbit, game birds and sausages at a fraction of what you would pay for beef or lamb in a supermarket. (http://www.blackmoorgame.co.uk/)

We tend to buy a mixture of fresh, good-value produce locally and stock up on all the cheap staples at Lidl. That's what people on the continent have been doing for years.

Local Food Advisor lists the best local food shops in the UK. You just type in your post code to find those nearest to you:

http://www.localfoodadvisor.com/

There is now even a loyalty card scheme for local, independent shops. Have a look at:

http://www.wedgecard.co.uk/

It's just London based at the moment, but they are planning on extending the scheme to the whole of the UK soon.

Food co-ops, which are springing up around the country, are another good and cheap alternative to supermarkets:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2008/dec/10/ethicalfood-foodanddrink

Supermarkets

Lidl really is cheaper!

If you shop at Lidl rather than one of the large mainstream chains you are likely to save 20-30% on your weekly shopping bill.

Lidl versus Tesco Price Comparison

I noticed recently that some prices at Lidl have gone up significantly over the last couple of years, so I thought I'd do a detailed check to see whether it was still actually cheaper for us than Tesco for example. I used www.mysupermarket.co.uk to check the Tesco prices and used a till receipt from a recent shop at Lidl to do the comparison. I used the actual weight or number of items bought at Lidl for the comparison. I also did my best to compare like with like, which meant in most cases comparing the price of the Tesco value range with the item in Lidl (except where the Lidl item was marked as a premium product) even though I'm personally not at all convinced that the quality of the Tesco value range is as good as the standard range in Lidl. Both the Lidl and Tesco prices included discounts and special offers applicable to the amounts purchased.

The outcome of the check was:

Total Cost at Lidl:  £56.98

Total Cost at Tesco: £70.53

So, for us, Tesco is still 24% more expensive. I was a bit surprised that on some of the items where Lidl used to wipe the floor with Tesco (for example parmesan cheese) Lidl is now slighly more expensive than Tesco. But I suppose that's just a reflection of Tesco's reaction to the mass exodus of shoppers to Lidl and Aldi which started to happen a couple of years ago and then waned as the recession started to ease. (Though why people would be more eager to waste money when there's not a recession on has always escaped me.)

For a detailed breakdown of the prices have a look at the bottom of this page.

Quality at Lidl and Aldi

There is a popular myth that the food at Lidl is somehow not as good as at the behemoths. In my experience that is certainly not true.

As well as excellent quality, good-value food, Lidl also has special offers every week in goods ranging from DIY equipment to sportswear.

For a look at what's on offer on any given week, have a look here.

You can use this storefinder to find your nearest Lidl. I have to admit that we are probably quite lucky with the neatness and friendliness of our local one, not that that affects what's being sold of course.

You may also, again contrary to popular belief, find shopping at Lidl a far more pleasant experience than traipsing around the huge aircraft-hangar like sheds of the main chains. If you're concerned about the risk of ditching your conscience to save money, you'll be pleased to find that Lidl now has a range of organic and fairtrade products and that a lot of its fruit, vegetables and fresh meat are sourced in the UK. (Whether large companies are ever capable of being truly ethical is of course an entirely different matter, and there were some serious concerns raised in Germany last year about how Lidl treats its staff. That said, you might question whether any supermarkets treat their staff particularly well, with the possible exception of Waitrose, but if you can afford to shop at Waitrose you're unlikely to be reading this article... Also, I worked in a Waitrose as a teenager and I can't say I found it that pleasant an experience.)

There is a website in Ireland guiding people to the best and tastiest bargains to be had in Lidl. The products are the same in the UK, so it's well worth a look:

http://www.lidltreats.com

Aldi is of course also extremely good value, but I personally don't like the produce or the shops quite as much as Lidl.

Some of the bigger chains are now trying to undercut Lidl and Aldi on their "value" lines. You'd want to take a very close look at the labels before buying any of the food though. See this article:

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/article5258303.ece

Not only are Lidl and Aldi far cheaper than the larger supermarket chains, but what they sell is often higher quality than even the premium chains. A Which? study found Lidl and Aldi olive oil,  for example, to be better than oils from Marks & Spencer, Carapelli, Bertolli, Sainsbury's and Felippo Berio:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/foodanddrink/foodanddrinknews/5871181/Lidl-and-Aldi-olive-oil-beats-MandS-expert-testers-find.html

If you're determined to carry on buying from the mainstream supermarket chains...

Have a look at:

http://www.mysupermarket.co.uk/

This very clever site lets you select a basket of products and then choose the cheapest supplier from Sainsburys, Tesco, Asda and Ocado. The price differences can be enormous.

For the sake of your health and your wallet

Don't buy products high in artificial colours, flavours, preservatives or sweeteners.

There is increasing evidence that low fat and diet products may have the opposite effect to the one intended. See:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/1578260/Diet-drinks-may-make-you-gain-weight.html

and 

http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-wellbeing/features/low-fat-diets-not-fit-for-purpose-1057806.html

A healthy diet is based on meals you cook or prepare yourself from fresh, natural ingredients.

This article from Wikipedia may be enough to make you think twice about the artificial sweeteners in diet drinks:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aspartame_controversy

You're best off sticking to fruit juices and water.

If you're a snacker, try snacking on fruit for a change instead of chocolate bars. (Big brand UK chocolate tends to have high levels of hydrogenated fats which stops it melting on the shelves in the summer, but also clogs up your arteries.) 

If you can't kick the chocolate habit straight away try buying high-cocoa content (70-74%) chocolate bars (without the hydrogenated fat) from Lidl.

Lidl vs Tesco Price Comparison