Lidl El Tequito Chipotle Grains

The grains by themselves don't make a meal, they need to have something else with them. We used a Matzo as a base, then sprinkled cheese and spring onions on top. I also added a fried egg just after taking the above photo. The whole thing made for a pleasant lunch. But, to be fair, I wasn't that impressed with the value or quality of these Grains which are mainly bulgur wheat with some flavouring. 

These cost 99p for 250g. Similar products can be bought from Tesco at around the same price and quality. 

Date: April 2021    Score: 5

Lidl El Tequito Mexican Style Beans

 

Lidl have a Spanish/Mexican theme going on currently, and I am not sure if this is part of it - if so these beans may not be around for ever. They are very nice. But not cheap. 99p for 250g puts them in the proper brand price bracket rather than supermarket own brand price bracket. And 250g is not much, so needs extra to make up a lunch. I followed the suggestion on the packet (which, though it does say - in very small letters printed sideways - "serving suggestion" - is still rather misleading as it's not clear if the "serving suggestion" is just for the slices of avocado, or also include the green sprinkles, which could be spring onion or French beans) and added avocado (bought from Lidl), spring onions (bought from Lidl) chopped mint leaves (bought from Lidl) and a slice of bread (bought from Lidl). The bowl on the left is with my added ingredients, bowl on the right is just what you get from the pack. It was nice. We liked it. Not sure it was worth 99p. But we did enjoy it. Mildly spicy. 


Date: April 2021    Score: 7 

Lidl Golden Sun 5 Whole Grains

We've recently been having instant packets of various grains for lunch. It started with the Ainsley Harriott range of cous cous packets, such as Roasted Vegetable, available from Tesco for 80p. We usually have a little protein with them, such as sardines or a fried egg. Makes a quick, tasty, non-fattening, and healthy lunch. 

Lidl do a range as well - various grains. This simple 5 Whole Grains pack is 47p for 220g. They only take a couple of minutes in the microwave (or can be stir fried, which would add some flavour, and give a better texture). Not hugely tasty by itself (not a lot of flavourings, and they taste like damp puffed up microwaved rice, which is essentially what they are) but a satisfying base for a fried egg or sardine. The grains are: 1) wholegrain rice (61%), 2) pearl barley (16%), 3) red quinoa (11%), 4) wild rice (4%), and 5) millet (2%). 

Similar to the Ainsley Harriot range they make a quick, low fat, and healthy lunch when used with a flavoursome protein. Unlike the Ainsley Harriott, they are not so good just by themselves, but make a useful base. 

Made by Estyria who specialise in grains, pulses and seeds. 

Date: April 2021    Score: 5 

Lidl Deluxe Vintage Cheddar Cauliflower & Spinach Pie

This was a proper Lidl meal - pie and veg supplied by Lidl. Oaklands is Lidl's brand name for fresh veg. The parsnips and cauliflower were from British farms and were fresh and tasty. Really good quality. The veg pie is £2.49 for a decent sized 450g. 

This is a really tasty pie. Creamy with a hint of cheese, the flavours blending nicely. Perhaps a tad sweet, but  that's a quibble, we all enjoyed this, and would be happy to buy it again. 

Date: Oct 2020  Score: 8 

Lidl Deluxe Peppermint & Liquorice

 

Intriguing balance of licorice and peppermint.  Refreshing and zippy with mint, and sweet ad earthy with the licorice. Nice one. 

Date: Oct 2020   Score: 8 

I love this. A perfect combination - the freshness and zest of the peppermint, with the dark, malty, earthy sweetness of the liquorice. Lots of companies are doing this combination right now, and I'll be interested to try the others, but from my experience of comparing peppermint teas, I suspect there won't be any significant difference, and I'll end up with the cheapest.


Date: Sept 2015  Score: 8

***

Mint tea

Lidl Tea & Coffee

Lidl Maribel Strawberry Jam

 

Maribel is Lidl's brand name for jams and jellies. The strawberry jam is 50% fruit, 450g for £1.09.  Tesco Finest is £150 for 340g. We tried it against the Tesco Finest and it stood up well. 

Good taste of fruit, though it was a little sweeter and less fruity than the Tesco. However, for the price this is a good deal. 

Date: Oct 2020   Score: 6 

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