Lidl Nixe Tuna Chunks in Sunflower Oil

 

We did a taste test of Lidl Tuna Chunks in sunflower oil against the Tesco one. Lidl's brand name for tinned fish products is Nixe. They cost 75p while Tesco cost 79p. Tesco do a discount if you buy four, but the Lidl cans are larger, so the Lidl Tuna is slightly cheaper. But there's not a lot in it, and can be partly off set by the points collected if you have a Tesco clubcard. However, the Lidl can has a ring pull, which I prefer. And the tuna has larger chunks than the Tesco and looks much better - a deeper more attractive colour and texture. The Tesco tuna looks grey and mushy (cat vomit Chrissie says), and has smaller chunks. The Lidl so far is winning - cheaper to buy, larger tin, easier to open, and much better looking. However when it comes to the taste test two of us preferred the Tesco. I found the Lidl to have a moderate tuna taste which is somewhat dominated by the sunflower oil. If the tuna was in olive oil I wouldn't object to the taste of the oil, but sunflower is a slightly bitter tasting oil with a suggestion of corn. The Tesco was more clearly tuna flavoured, though the flavour seemed to have been enhanced by the salt. Indeed, Chrissie disliked it as she felt it was too salty. 

We then did a taste taste of the Lidl tuna against Princes Tuna Chunks in Sunflower Oil. £1.25 for a  145g (102g drained weight) tin, so considerably more expensive. The Princes tuna appears to be dry - it contains far les oil than the Lidl. And the appearance is closer to the Tesco, which surprised me, as I somehow thought that the Lidl tuna was processed by Princes. On tasting, the Princes won out on a 2 - 1, same as with the Tesco. The Princes tastes very much like the Tesco, so it seems likely that the Tesco tuna is processed by Princes. 

Date: Oct 2020.  Score: 5

Lidl Rowan Hill Raisin Brioche Swirls

 

This is not a fresh brioche, it's one of those long life things. This is branded Rowan Hill, which is Lidl's own brand for packaged bakery goods. It is exactly the same product as sold by Sainsbury's, Asda, Aldi, and was sold by Tesco (they have discontinued it). Made in France with rum soaked raisins, individually packed in plastic, and then sold in packs of six. Lidl and Aldi sell it for £1.09. Tesco used to sell it for £1.00 (would likely be the same price as Lidl if they were selling it today). The others sell it for a little more. So it's a fair deal on price if this is what you want. But it's not a great product. As with most of these long life products it simply doesn't taste fresh and natural. The rum soaked raisins give it a lift, and it is soft and creamy, but it doesn't taste great - it is sort of chewy and cardboardy at times. To be fair it is edible, just not entirely enjoyable. Nobody in the family liked these. The fresh morning goods by Lidl are much better. 

Date: Oct 2020   Score: 2 1/2 

Lidl Knightsbridge Camomile

 

Taste test against Tesco's Camomile tea. Pleasant flavour - there's a hint of sweetness, and a juicy fresh grassiness before finishing with a gentle bitterness. They are similar enough. Both the same price as well. 75p for 20 bags. 

Date: Sept 2020   Score:  8 

Lidl Hatherwood The Ginger Grizzly (Alcoholic Ginger Beer) No 6

 

This is made by Marston's for Lidl under the Hatherwood brand name. Hatherwood was first registered in 2007 for a variety of products, including alcohol, which is what it is mainly used for. The beers have been made by Marston's and by Shepherd Neame, and are currently brewed by Marston's. This is probably Marston's Loveday’s Ginger Beer, which hasn't been sold since Marston's have been selling it under the Hatherwood brand at Lidl. 

500ml brown bottle, filtered. A sweet alcopop. Some ginger warmth. This is a pleasant shandy type drink. There's something of a beer flavour, with some ginger ale (carbonated soft drink with a ginger flavour) mixed in. Easy drinking, but nothing really significant.

Date: Sept 2020  Score: 5 

Lidl Newgate Macaroni Cheese (In A Rich Cheese Sauce)

 

This is a fairly standard supermarket product, sold by Lidl under their Newgate brand, which was registered in 2003, and is one of Lidl's main brands, used for a variety of meat and processed products, often canned.  The recipe and price of 55p for 410g matches that of Tesco, and of Asda. 

We didn't like this. Very little cheese flavour. Indeed, it was closer in character to a milky macaroni pudding than a macaroni cheese. A little bit sweet and bland. Not a product I can see us buying again. Though it might be fun to do a taste test one day. 

Date: Sept 2020   Score: 3 

Lidl Ocean Trader 4 Smoked Haddock Fishcakes

 

A proper Lidl meal. We had the Smoked Haddock Fishcakes, Lidl potatoes and Lidl broccoli. Worked well. The spuds were creamy and tasty. The broccoli fresh. And the smoked haddock was a great success. Very savoury and tasty. Will certainly be buying these again. Not all the haddock is smoked so there is a good balance on the smoked flavour - it enhances the savoury flavour, but doesn't overwhelm. Really nice. 

Ocean Trader is Lidl's brand name for frozen fish products. It was first registered in 2013. They are £1.99 for 320g. Tesco do two own brand smoked haddock fishcakes: The regular 2 smoked haddock fishcakes at £1.50 for 270g, and the Finest brand 2 smoked haddock fishcakes at £2.50 for 290g. It looks like Lidl are positioning themselves somewhere between these two, and are opting for four small fishcakes in place of two large ones. 

Be fun to do a test taste one day. 

Date: Sept 2020   Score: 8 

Lidl Sondey Soft Baked White Chocolate & Lemon Cookies

Sondey is Lidl's cake and biscuit brand, which they created in 2010.  They are 99p for 210g. We've eaten them all, and I can't remember how many were in the pack, but they were small, and I think it was around eight. Tesco do a pack of five white chocolate cookies for £1, and Sainsbury's do the same (though currently they are discounted to 80p). To do a fair price comparison we would need to do a side by side taste test, and look at the differences in size and weight, but on first glance they appear to be about the same price. They are soft baked cookies, and are quite sweet, with a delicate and attractive lemon flavour. They have more chocolate (29%) than Tesco and Sainsbury (both 19%), though the chocolate doesn't make a strong impression - it's mainly the sugar, flour and lemon. All in all, though, this is a tasty and attractive cookie I'd be happy to buy again. 

Date: Sept 2020    Score: 7