I am going to be taking on a challenge set by the supermarket Aldi to spend the week using only their products. From food to nappies we shall be seeing if we can last the week without anything from anywhere else and I’m very excited for my delivery tomorrow so that we can get started; I love a challenge!

There was a time I wouldn’t have called Aldi a supermarket on the basis that when it first opened near where my Mum lives, it didn’t really have much in it. My Mum would agree but as it’s so close to where she lives she’s always popped in and bought a few bits here and there. The few bits however, have turned into more like her big shop as the supermarket really has become super and these days, she assures me, Aldi stands shoulder to shoulder with the big boys of the supermarket world. I am just beginning to see the benefits of Aldi and my week might just be the big eye opener my Mum has been trying to get me to see for ages! My Mum is a serious fan of Aldi, she calls it her Mecca, she says she saves loads of money and she also insists the food is fabulous too! So, to start off my Aldi week I thought I’d ask my Mum to write me a guest post about why she loves the brand. This is absolutely genuine, my Mum is an Aldi fanatic and here’s why:

My Marvellous Mecca!

I do not have a car but I do have a concessionary bus pass. So since I retired I took my shopping trolley and the bus to a large Sainsburys store about three miles away. However, I increasingly found the prices of my regular items rising and not by just the odd pence each time. Now, several years ago and just a short walk away a branch of Aldi was built. I began to substitute some of my shopping with an Aldi shop but there were quite a few items not available so I still had to do a supplementary shop elsewhere. Happily and dare I even say joyously this situation has been reversed and I now do the bulk of my shop at Aldi and top up with the odd item from elsewhere. Why? you may ask. Well there is simply no contest. My Aldi is a 7minute walk there and a 10-12 minute walk back {the walk is enough to keep me fit} depending on my load so it really is like a local corner store {it actually is on a corner} but it doesn’t  drain my purse like a local corner store. The range offered now is so extensive and of such good quality that I would be mad to spend 30minutes {assuming I timed it right for the buses} on a one way journey to shop expensively at Sainsburys and a 45minute journey back. I always seemed to just miss a return bus and in the winter it’s a cold wait albeit only a ten minute one.  I am also increasingly less than impressed by the availability or quality of some of Sainsbury’s fresh produce.

This weekend my Aldi shop has included :-

• Specially Selected West Country butter with sea salt crystals at £1.35 {rich and golden}
• Ultimate dry cured oak smoked streaky bacon at £1.99 {tasty and flavoursome}
• 6 large free range eggs at £1.00 {I am never without eggs and happy chickens are a must}
• A free range chicken at £4.99 { moist and succulent}
• A pack of 6 berries and cherries yoghurts at £0.95 { deliciously fruity with good sized pieces of fruit}
• A box of 2 frozen salmon fillets at £2.49 {great because each fillet is individually packaged}
• A bag of clementines at £1.19 { very juicy and sweet and easy to peel}
• 5 large vine tomatoes at £0.69 {one of the fruit and veg specials this week}
• A bag of charlotte potatoes at £0.69 {another fruit and veg special}
• Fresh broccoli at £0.69
• A bag of French beans at £0.89
• A tub of cheesy coleslaw at £0.99 {one of their new items}
• A pack of premium Yorkshire ham at £1.79 { it is yummy and not too thinly sliced so great for salads}
• A tin of pole and line caught tuna steak in water at £1.09 { amazing value}
• An iceberg lettuce at £0.49 { it’s big and will last me ages}
• A vacuum pack of 5 beetroot at £0.44 { no messy fingers with this}
• 2 pints if semi-skimmed milk at £0.79 { I only have a splash in my tea}
• A farmhouse multigrain loaf at £0.95 { makes good sandwiches and toasts well}
• 2 pots of indulgent tiramisu at £0.99 { well, man cannot live by bread alone}
• A box of 3 luxury chocsticks at £0.99 { just as good as a Magnum and at that price I can one for supper EVERY night}
• A box of oatcakes at £0.69 { more usual for supper with a sliver of cheese or a smear of honey}

As is apparent I like to eat well and healthily and to be quite frank that was getting to be increasingly difficult until I reassessed my shopping habits. I visit my Aldi at least three times a week. It is convenient, affordable and provides excellent value for money. The day that they decided to build an Aldi close to me was truly a good day for me. May Aldi go from strength to strength and long may it reign.

Neither I nor my Mother, the author of this guest post, have been paid to write this post.

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