I’m surprised, much like how some of my dormant bank accounts have been closed down in the past without me knowing, that this blog hasn’t suffered the same fate. Anyway, I was inspired by an email notification that a fellow blogger had dusted his off after a prolonged break, to share his and his family’s experience of moving to Wales. It’s an interesting read so take a look (http://mutteringsofafool.com). So I thought I’d fire mine up again, and lead with an equally inspiring (ahem….) post on…..drum roll…..THE WONDER OF ALDI!!!!! Get comfy…..
I always used to love going to the supermarket with my mum. I remember when very young, in the new Morrisons that had opened in Harrogate (around the time the £1 coin had been launched!), I sneaked a packet of fondant fancies into the trolley hoping she wouldn’t notice. She certainly did when she got to the till, and I got an earful for lying when I said I didn’t put them in!! Even when I should have been doing much cooler things in my mid teens, I still enjoyed the Saturday morning Asda trip, I suspect partly because we used to get a cheeky fry up in the café beforehand!
In recent years, online grocery shopping has been our saviour. As an aside, I remember a friend writing his Master’s dissertation on Webvan, a US grocery delivery firm in late 90s – how it’s evolved since then. Just Google how the Ocado robots pick the orders. Anyway, with two munchkins, rarely have we had the time, nor have they been interested in, exploring the aisles….unless there’s a kinder egg or similar in it for them. And even then, that probably only bought you ten minutes of peace.
Very recently however, on a quiet evening, the OH flicked onto a Channel 5 “documentary” (very deliberate bunny ears) about the rise of Aldi. It piqued my interest in a couple of ways. Firstly, a growing family equals growing appetites equals growing grocery bills. And anything to save a bit of dosh is hardwired into my DNA as a Yorkshireman. Secondly, I’ve always found it amusing and curious at the same time, about how Aldi get away with such brazen imitation of branded products (they claimed in said “documentary” that it’s to help customers identify products).
With this in mind, and with the munchkins being more tolerant of the odd trip to the shops (often supplemented with bribery), the OH and I have started our own personal Aldi challenge i.e. save some cash and also see which of the Aldi “comparables” are as close in taste to the originals, as they are in their branding.
So the OH trotted off to our nearest store with a long list from me. I wasn’t expecting a £90+ shop from the list I had supplied, but I was very pleasantly surprised when we totted up the equivalent cost from the Orange Supermarket and it came in at £120. Plus there were a few extras in there we didn’t compare the cost of, like a very fancy scented candle, that could have set us back £30 in White Company or Jo Malone.
I’m going to report back in the next few posts, but this one definitely made me chuckle.
Do the squinty eye test and it looks like the original. The ingredients are pretty much exactly the same. Will see how it tastes when we crack into it, along with the Racers, Titans and Jives 😂