Own brand versions that are at least as good as the market leaders.

Food manufacturers made tremendous changes during the Covid years - and not for the better. Smaller portions with increased prices; cut, shape and size of actual ingredients; taking fragrance out; taking out flavor enhancers; substitutions…
I’m still ticked off over having to pay more for less!

And very few items will return to original pricing. Companies will keep the current prices levels - all hail the mighty profit!

Even tho big manufacturers make “in-house” labels for chains for less cost, that reduction in price means they’ve taken something out of the product. Oftentimes it’s in the taste of the product. You will also notice that for canned (tinned) veggies/fruits they add more liquid to the weight of the product - slightly less beans or pears! Very rarely buy in-house brands, I stick with major brands and buy them only when the weekly sales are advertised.

A few things I buy - Aldi Carlini Extra Virgin Olive Oil. I love it. Their milk and eggs are locally sourced. Seasonal chocolates and holiday items very good! A wine from Aldi can be a nice surprise.

Manufacturers are taking us for a ride. It’s always been like that.
USA Gundy

I have tried Potatoe Rostie from various supermarkets and never been happy with the taste or price till I went to Asda on Monday.
I think it's a new range in the ready made veg section run to Asda!
The six pack of Potatoe Rostie are super delicious £1.30 a pack I can't recommend them highly enough.

Aldi s version of fun size bounty and mars are nicer than the branded ones

Sainsbury's version of Weetabix doesn't taste any different to me, in fact I've put one of each in a dish before to make a very direct comparison and to my eyes and taste buds, they were the same.

I did try and palm my grandchildren off with Sainsbury's Tomato Ketchup for a while, but after some complaints, I capitulated and bought the favoured 57 brand, I think it was on offer anyway. They're ok so far with Sainsbury's version of Nutella, in fact it came out highly rated in a chocolate spread tasting survey I read somewhere or other and their peanut butter similarly seems to pass the taste test. I do like Waitrose's haddock fish fingers, so much better than Birds Eye, they're not particularly cheap, but I'm happy to eat a couple myself from time to time if I can't be bothered to cook anything much if it's just me.

Waiting with anticipation for a new Aldi to open in our town, it's under construction at the moment, I know they're very highly rated for some of their products.

Sainsbury own brand Museli
I saved £3.45 this morning by using my Nectar card

I used to regularly buy Brown and Polson blancmange powders in the variety packs. Now they don't seem to be available anywhere! Tesco do a strawberry version in single sachets which are ok but no other flavours. I really miss the varieties of blancmange! I particularly liked the chocolate flavour for a chocolate trifle. Anyone know if they are still available?

SueDonim

Almost anyone’s faux Weetabix is as good as the real thing. Apart from Aldi’s very cheapest, which is like chewing cardboard.

Most supermarket baked beans but particularly M&S ones. Ditto tinned tomatoes. Bread as well.

I like Aldi’s cheapest because they stay crisp with the milk on.

The Which Report is really good for that sort of comparison as well as best buys for appliances.

I always compare unit prices. It's displayed on the shelf as £/100g, £/kg, p/100g or p/kg, or p/unit e.g. tissues, kitchen roll etc. It's worth checking between brands as well as own brands. There can be big savings between brands e.g. on things like dishwasher detergent.
Don't be fooled by brand names on over-the-counter medications. They all contain exactly the same dose of the active ingredient e.g. paracetamol, antihistamine.

Heinz Tomato Ketchup is now so ridiculously expensive I refuse to buy it so have tried many,M&S own brand is good as are many others and cost about a third of the premium brand.

Kate1949

At the moment we have Aldi beans, tinned soup, mayonnaise, tomato sauce, potato salad, salad dressing, Torchon ham, salami, fish fingers, bread rolls, cereals, tea bags, cranberry juice, honey, eggs, fruit, potatoes and salad. All marvellous. One thing I'm hesitant to try is coffee but I may give it a go as coffee is so expensive.

My husband is the main coffee drinker in our house and usually drinks Douwe Egberts, but he's tried the Aldi Colombian and Costa Rican coffee and reckons they are pretty good too. Not sure about the cheaper Aldi coffees though - never tried those.

I find generally speaking that nearly all supermarkets "own brands" are just as good as the dearer brands, although I do sometimes buy Heinz baked beans as a treat, as none of the others are quite as good IMO.

"Own brands" are usually about half the price of the big firms' products, which is a consideration too.

Marks and Spencer digestive biscuits are the best, and cheaper than the original.

Sainsburys baked beans and sausages are nicer than the Heinz ones. The sausages are much tastier 😁

At the moment we have Aldi beans, tinned soup, mayonnaise, tomato sauce, potato salad, salad dressing, Torchon ham, salami, fish fingers, bread rolls, cereals, tea bags, cranberry juice, honey, eggs, fruit, potatoes and salad. All marvellous. One thing I'm hesitant to try is coffee but I may give it a go as coffee is so expensive.

I've gradually migrated to mainly own brand items these days, are they are so much cheaper, and frankly, I usually find it difficult to "tell the difference". I should have learned from the experience my Son had quite a few years ago now, when during Summer break from Uni he took a job on the production line of a chicken-packing factory in North Yorkshire. They were all the same chickens on the conveyor belt, and all they did was periodically change the branded bags they were packed in to indicate which supermarket/shop they would then be sold in. I do wonder how many "own brand" items fall into this category, and may in fact be identical to so-called "up-market" products.

Very interesting thread. Lidl's fat free greek yoghurt is lovely.
Does anyone know why I can't get Malt Wheaties in Lidl any more. They don't seem to have had them in our local Lidl since Covid. 🤷‍♀️

Aldi's tomato ketchup & also their (low calorie) mayonnaise. (I haven't tried their "full fat" mayonnaise.) Aldi's dishwasher tablets: as recommended by Good Housekeeping. All are excellent products, IMO.

I like Branson baked beans best. Thick rich sauce but can’t always get them. I’ve found that adding a dollop of tomato purée and a splash of Worcester sauce to cheaper brands, or Heinz gives an acceptable substitute.

I rarely buy own brand products. I use either Waitrose or Sainsbury’s cleaning products which are all as good as own brands but cheaper and not tested on animals. Tesco’s, M and S and Sainsbury’s own brand sauces, tea, frozen veg, baked beans, the list is endless, are as good too. To be honest unless money isn’t an issue why wouldn’t you buy own brands?

Morrisons minestrone soup! Haven’t tried the other flavours yet.

Sainsburys Honey Nut Cornflakes ... and Aldi's too! They're both just like the real thing, and half the price!

Asda baked beans are reportedly exactly the same as Branston Baked beans so I bought some and I couldn't tell the difference

Casdon

I make my own bread because I try to avoid the preservatives in shop bread (using a breadmaker, obviously), and I’ve found Lidl bread flour is excellent, and it’s Red Tractor certified.

I will try anything unbranded to see if it’s as good, but I do buy branded dog food and treats - the same rules regarding standards don’t seem to apply to dog food, and I always Taylor’s coffee because I can’t find anything else I like as much.

I too decided against buying any supermarket bread because of the additives. I buy Branston beans if the are available. If not Aldi or Lidl own brand is great if you add a squirt of tomato puree.

Weetabix from Morrisons is exactly the same as branded as are their porridge oats and mayonnaise also Waitrose baked beans, refusing to buy anything Heinz as their prices are ridiculous