La Puce wrote:
JennyC wrote:
Not everything is poor quality.
In the Netherlands, their fruit juice is German and pure. Their beer
is German Reinheitverbod compliant and not the output of the local
chemical works.
We got a good quality pressure cooker from Lidl.
They don't have a big variety of things, except for some reason of
frankfurter sausages.

Their jams are great too and the frozen salmon portions........
You do have to be picky with the veg though.

HOOOOOOooo stop it! I'm starving now!! Is Lidl german? This is it -
this is why it's nice where you are, but not where we are. Ours, on
Seymour Grove, is weird and half empty and as I said, only the
chocolate is ok - the rest is really bizarre and I have no confidence
in the prices.

Lidl is indeed german. In Ireland, I can find very little wrong with
them. Lidl is the nearest supermarket to me, and I was initially
attracted by the incredibly cheap cut flowers they sell. They're not
always great, but this time of year they sell lovely bunches of locally
grown tulips and daffs for €2.99. They also sell lovely small budded
pink roses with a couple of sprays of those tiny fluffy white flowers
for the same price which last at least 10 days in a vase. And beautiful
white lilies that last for well over 2 weeks for €4.99 or €5.99.
Fruit and veg is of excellent quality, with much of the seasonal stuff
procured locally, Most of the cabbage, brussels sprouts, lettuce,
mushroom and spuds are almost always Irish grown. Bananas obviously
come from elsewhere... Fresh meat is also locally produced - though I
frankly do not find it up to scratch, and generally rely on my local
friendly butcher who slaughters his own and provides great service.
Whether I go to my local Tesco or Lidl, I find I don't need to be any
more picky when I grab fruit and veg - I always watch what I purchase
anyway, and when buying grapes for example, am very careful that they
are all in good nick.
Re. the gardening stuff, Lidl are quite good for plants - but you need
to buy them as soon as they appear in the store. They are ill-equipped
to store living plants, and if the stock has been aroudn a while,
likelihood is that it will be damaged or dried up, or even dead. That
said, my garden boasts quite a few Lidl plants which have grown well
and done what it said on the label. I also found the seeds of many of
the veg I love but rarely/never see in our normal garden centres here
in Lidl - hence, salsifies, kohlrabi and others have grown in my garden
last year courtesy of Lidl.
When it comes to the equipment, you have a point. Not all is of tip
top quality, and if it costs you €1.99, it is likely not worth much
more than that. However, we purchased a garden shredder two years ago,
which has munched its way through much of an old leylandii hedge...
needless to say, we adore it :-)
I agree with you on the chocolate, too. They have the most fabulous
dark choc with 70% cocoa solids, which is pure heaven on a plate with
their (equally delicious) espresso ground coffee... :-) (excuse me a
second while I drool).
If the preconception in the UK is that only people who are financially
challenged shop in Lidl, you would be amazed at the number of large new
car driving people shopping in my local store. The shop is generally
well stocked - though don't call in late in the evening looking for
milk or bread - always clean, and the staff friendly.
That said, I called into a Lidl near my family home in SW France last
year, and it looked like a manky war zone where you would not be caught
dead for fear of catching something. YMMV.

Cat(h)