Five items to always buy at Lidl – and the ones to avoid

LIDL is well known for being 'Lidl' on price with its bargain items but some are better value than others.

The cost of living crisis has meant that saving every penny is essential.

Here we share our tips for getting the best bargains at Lidl and what items you should avoid.

We've also written about the four items you should always buy at Home Bargains - and the two you should avoid.

And Poundland has four items you should always avoid but there are four you should buy elsewhere.

Here's the items you should - and shouldn't - be buying at Lidl.

Fruit and veg

Fruit and veg lovers can grab 5kg of food at Lidl for just £1.50.

The supermarket started selling the massive boxes of imperfect fruit and veg in 2019 to help the planet - but its great for shoppers' pockets too.

The contents can vary as the items change day-to-day depending what's on what's available meaning shoppers can't pick what goes into each bundle.

It's also important to keep your eyes peeled as the boxes aren't available all day.

The boxes are usually up for grabs from opening until midday whilst stocks last. Timings can also vary between each individual store.

If your store offers them and where you'll find them if they do varies from store to store, so it’s worth asking a staff member about them.

However, bear in mind that there is currently a fruit and veg shortage, though Lidl has no plans in place to put a purchase limit on items.

Nutella dupe

Lidl is known for its "dupes" which are its own cheaper version of the popular branded products.

The Good Housekeeping Institute tested Lidl's chocolate hazelnut spread against Nutella and it gave it a run for its money.

Lidl's 400g Choco Nusse costs £1.09 and was rated higher by the judges than best-selling Nutella, which costs £2.50 for the same size jar at Iceland.

Experts at in its own taste test.

Heinz dupes

We tested some of Lidl's dupe products to the test ourselves including their own version of Heinz products.

While it didn't come out on top, Lidl's knock-offs were still impressive, and cheaper.

The Sun's Lynsey Hope tested ketchup, beans, beef ravioli, spaghetti hoops, pasta sauce, salad cream and tomato soup.

She said Lidl's spaghetti hoops were pretty much the same as Marks and Spencer's and for a lot cheaper - 16p.

Bottle of fizz

Lidl supplies a range of sparkling wines, prosecco and champagne which give the posher, more expensive brands a run for their money.

Wine expert Helena Nicklin highly rates Lidl's Comte de Senneval highly.

It's a champagne that's priced at just £13.99, offering luxury at an accessible price point.

Helena said: "This is a really good one. "It has a wine-like weight and a hint of sweetness.

"A bit quirky and of-a-style, but try it with some classic canapes like smoked salmon and it should make a happy match."

And you can get a bottle of prosecco for as little as £5.

Airfryer

Lidl has brought back its famous air fryer for just under £100.

A shopper took to the  sharing a photo of one of the "bargain" fryers they bought from their local branch in Loughborough, Leicestershire.

But Lidl said the fryer might not be available in all stores so you're not guaranteed to find one at your nearest branch.