I compared Aldi and Lidl's best food dupes to big brands

With the price of my energy bills, council tax rates and TV licence among the many other utility costs increasing this month, I had to really think about where I could save money.

Most of this came down to my weekly food shop, as recently I’ve become aware of how much the price of food has dramatically risen.

For example, I discovered the cost of a single lemon has doubled at some major supermarkets in the last year – yes, for a single lemon.

@uktoday_ I compared Aldi and Lidl staples to the big brands including McVitie’s Jaffa Cakes, Lurpak, Heinz, Fanta and more - these are the cheaper dupes I can’t live without 🛒 #aldi #lidl #cheapeats #heinz #lurpak #mcvities @Aldi UK @LidlGB ♬ Vlog Video work Fashionable BGM(847726) - Tsuyoshi_san

But this got me thinking, what other fridge and cupboard staples have taken a sharp increase in price?

With this in mind, I thought it was time to shop around (pun intended) and give the more budget-friendly supermarkets a go. After all, my mum swears by Aldi and Lidl.

After doing some research on what popular products I needed to keep an eye out for, I came across a Reddit thread where someone asked on the subreddit r/AskUK: “What knock offs at Aldi and Lidl are as good as, if not better than the ‘originals’ ?”

There were thousands of comments, with users debating their most loved finds, and I was eager to find out for myself.

From Jaffa Cakes to Lurpak, Heinz to Doritos, the list was endless.

Any of these Aldi and Lidl staples your favourite? (Image: Molly Court/Newsquest)

I compared Lurpak, McVitie’s, Fanta and Heinz dupes at Aldi and Lidl

We all know Aldi and Lidl knock it out of the park when it comes to their dupes of big brands, so here are the most suggested items from Reddit users which I compared:

• Belmont Crumbly Oaties 300g, 59p (Aldi) compared to McVitie's Hobnobs The Oaty One 255g, £1.25 (Asda)
• Nordpak Spreadable Slightly Salted 500g, £2.18 (Aldi), compared to Lurpak Slightly Salted Spreadable 400g, £3.75 (Morrisons)
• Belmont Jaffa Cakes 300g, £1.25 (Aldi) compared to McVitie's Jaffa Cakes Original Twin Pack Biscuits, £2.85 (Waitrose)
• Emporium Reduced Fat Soft Cheese Lighter 200g, 99p (Aldi), compared to Philadelphia Light Low Fat Soft Cream Cheese 165G, £2.25 (Tesco)
• Newgate Baked Beans in Rich Tomato Sauce 425ml, sadly lost my receipt but around 57p (Lidl), compared to Heinz Baked Beans in a Rich Tomato Sauce 415g, £1.40 (Sainsbury’s)
• Snackrite Chilli Tortilla Chips 200g, 89p (Aldi), compared to Doritos Chilli Heatwave Tortilla Chips Sharing Bag Crisps 180g, £2.33 (Asda)
• Vive Lemon Zero Sugar 6x330ml pack, £1.99 (Aldi) compared to Fanta Lemon 6x330ml pack, £3.55 (Tesco)
• Tower Gate Neo Cookies Original 4x5 pack 180g, (again, no price as lost my receipt but under £2), compared to Oreo Lunchbox Vanilla Cookies Multipack x6 132g, £1.25 (Sainsbury’s).

Not only have I managed to slash my weekly food shop from around £130 to £70-£80 (for two adults and a dog that may as well be a small child), but I’ve also found alternatives to my most favourite snacks and foodie necessities which I now can’t live without.

These are the ones worth raving about that I can hand on heart recommend to fellow shoppers and bargain hunters.

Aldi and Lidl's best food and drink dupes from big brands

Aldi’s Nordpak Spreadable Slightly Salted

Sadly I’m a butter snob (shout out to my mum and grandma for raising me on Lurpak) and to be quite honest, I’ve still not decided if I’m going to fully swap it for Nordpak in my regular food shop.

But what I will say, is that I think it’s definitely worth trying, as it’s shockingly similar (in a good way) and there is such a big price difference compared to Lurpak which is tempting enough on its own.

What would you recommend from Aldi? (Image: Molly Court/Newsquest)

Aldi’s Belmont Jaffa Cakes

Honestly, they are the real deal, and I don’t think I’m going to be grabbing a pack of McVitie's anytime soon – that’s how good they are.

From the orange jelly to the soft biscuit base and the delicious chocolate coating on top, the similarity stunned me.

Even better, there is an eye-watering £1.50 minimum difference per pack, if you were to buy the McVitie's version from Sainsbury's (at the time of writing).

Aldi’s Emporium Reduced Fat Soft Cheese Lighter

I’ve given it a long, hard thought and I just don’t think there is any difference in the taste of Aldi’s Emporium cream cheese to the iconic Philadelphia, even as a low-fat version.

I'm obsessed with the Belmont Jaffa Cakes from Aldi (Image: Molly Court/Newsquest) It’s creamy, it’s cheesy and has an ideal consistency (not watery because we can’t be having that). It’s also perfect for dipping a chilli Dorito or two in (unfortunately, I’ll be giving Aldi’s Delta dupe a miss due to lack of flavour).

Lidl’s Newgate Baked Beans in Rich Tomato Sauce

Now this is the product that took me by surprise the most, as I’ve never been a fan of any other branded baked beans other than the famous Heinz.

Yet Lidl’s Newgate tin was packed with beans and had a good sauce ratio, which was the perfect flavour of tomato.

So much so, I didn’t even add a sprinkle of cheese when poured onto my toast, which is normally a no-brainer for me.

As I've annoyingly lost my receipt from Lidl, I'm unsure of the price, but it was under £1, so that's around half the price of your average Heinz beans.

Recommended reading:

• I tested Lidl's new Easter egg range but could any of them compete with Cadbury?

• I compared Lidl's Dubai Chocolate bar to a £15 one but which one was best?

• I tried Aldi's dupe of Jodie Comer's staple scent - and it was a moment of luxury

Aldi’s Vive Lemon Zero Sugar

Ding ding ding, we have a winner. I’m going to boldly declare that this tastes better than Fanta, mainly due to the fact I thought it had more of a lemon taste.

Taking a cold can out of the fridge after work during the wonderful spring sunshine we’ve been treated to lately has made my day.

I’ve even let the can go flat with no fizz in sight and it’s still as delicious – 11/10 from me.

So, what Aldi and Lidl products can you recommend that beat the big brands? Do let us know in the comments below.