Aldi/Lidl specials - recommendations

[KeenCook]

I was very pleased when I discovered the Lidl (no-meat) version, as it is incredibly similar to the ones my sister gets in Migros or Co-Op. I wouldn't be surprised if they came from the same factory, they are so similar!

[herbidacious]

It's surprisingly hard to find ready made rosti without bits of ham in it. Waitrose used to do one, but seem to have stopped.

I managed to get some of my ricottaish desserts. No gazpacho crisps

[Stokey Sue]

While I can see that ready made rösti are very useful when working one handed - I think I could hack grating the potato but not wringing the juice out in an old tea towel - I’ve always found them very easy to make. When my sense of taste and appetite were missing in action after Covid I often made rösti topped with fried eggs and Sriracha. I hadn’t appreciated that readymade was a standard thing.

[Pepper Pig]

Being a bit of a Philistine I like the IKEA rosti fritters. https://www.ikea.com/es/en/p/rosti-pota ... -60118921/

[Stokey Sue]

Oh,I like those, and they are vegetarian, I see, though bizarrely Ikea only suggest serving them with meat or fish, I definitely recommend eggs and sauce of choice.

[herbidacious]

I've had those but just never have much room in my freezer. Don't get to Ikea much either. It's a pity they stopped doing cheese.

I have noticed those cinnamon rolls (the other must-buy when there) seem to be in -many supermarkets now.

[mistakened]

The Limassol IKEA depot sells a limited selection of frozen food, including Swedish meat balls, I must look out for the Rosti
Edited to add that we are having Cinnamon Rolls for tea

[Earthmaiden]

The best things in IKEA are frozen and I always seem to go when I'm not going directly home (and live and hour away anyway).

[Stokey Sue]

Yes, I'd forgotten the Ikea rösti because the Edmonton store, which was within reasonable distance closed, so as a non-driver I haven't been to one in a long time, and it was an awkwardly big box iirc. I wonder if the new Oxford Corcus store (when it finally opens) will sell food? That could be quite handy for me, but I just peeked not opening until Spring 2025.

[Sakkarin]

Not sure what to do with the cherry tomato sauce...

Found something to partner that cherry tomato sauce, my Chicken, Ricotta and Courgette Strudel (only made it once before, a year ago).

Great meal, but at £1.29 for the sauce, I am absolutely sure I could make a passable imitation with a 39p can of chopped tomatoes. I liked the strudel so much that I'm making another one today. Proper homemade strudel pastry...

[KeenCook]

Bravo on the strudelpastry, Sakks
Looks great!

[Earthmaiden]

I expect you're right about the sauce. Bottled stuff is for convenience I think and good to find a decent one.

The strudel sounds/looks delicious - did tomato sauce complement it well?

[Stokey Sue]

For me, the big advantage of a good bottled marinara sauce is that to make it from fresh or even from canned tomatoes takes quite a lot of long slow cooking, and then you’ve got to blitz it or seive it or both so it actually is a genuine shortcut. Also, I’m not going to bother to do all that unless I make a lot so I end up overloading the freezer again where is at least that’s a fairly small bottle.
The Mutti polpo is about £1.40 and even the Lidl copy is 79p so by the time you take reduction into account, I do think £1.29 is reasonable.

[KeenCook]

Greek Week at Lidl atm

https://www.lidl.co.uk/c/flavour-of-the ... Sales_Week

[herbidacious]

I wonder what antipasti spread is. Might check it out after hospital. Too much food in fridge though.

[Stokey Sue]

Recently I’ve found that the weeks carry over - when I went in Spanish week there were still products from the previous Italian and Alpine weeks., and I got the little bottle of Italian tomato sauce nearly 2 weeks late.

Got some lovely Spanish anchovies, which I’d bought more.

[Earthmaiden]

Looks too tempting!

I agree that items from previous weeks seem to be put on a clearance shelf now. Still on the lookout for the cheesy walnut sauce (I think it was supposed to be Italian).

[herbidacious]

They had very little in my Lidl. No cheese, no 'spreads' - hardly anything, really. No idea if they had run out or never had much in the first place. I bought something, of course, ( ) but Greek week is always less exciting as they sell all this sort of thing in the Turkish shops on the ghigh street.
I did pick up some jars of beans and chickpeas left over from Spanish week though. If they are good, they were a bargain.

[Stokey Sue]

I’ve got a large tin of Spanish black beans to turn into chilli at some point. Need to get some actual chipotle, not messed up “chipotle seasoning”, I know I can get it online but really not worth doing an order for the few bits I want, maybe the deli by the library has it, could be a nice little walk.

[mistakened]

All that so called Greek stuff bot no Olive Oil