From knock-off crisps to ersatz Jack Daniels, we reveal Aldi and Lidl’s budget alternatives that knock spots off brand-name equivalents for a fraction of the price
LOVE the finer things in life but hate their price?
You don’t need money to burn to afford luxury items.
This week scented candles, costing £3.99 at budget supermarket Aldi, proved so popular they fetched up to 11 TIMES their retail price on eBay.
They were a huge hit due to their similarity to £44 candles by luxury brand Jo Malone.
They are not the only value imitations of High Street brands. Affordable versions of luxury chocolates, hand soap and booze are also available.
Here GRAEME CULLIFORD and AMY JONES pick the best budget versions of branded products.
MOST READ IN LIVING
Whiskey
Jack Daniel’s is famously linked with rock ’n’ roll and was the drink of choice for guitar heroes Keith Richards and Slash.
A litre bottle of the Tennessee whiskey costs £25 in Morrisons but Lidl has a cheaper alternative for those seeking to get their rocks off.
Western Gold is aged for six years and a 70cl bottle costs just £15.49.
One reviewer said: “If you taste the difference, I’ll be astonished.”
Spreads
There’s almost nothing to distinguish Lidl’s Danpak product from the more expensive version, Lurpak.
The name and packaging are very similal.
But Lurpak will set you back £3.25 for 500g, while Danpak is £1.75 for the same amount.
Irish cream
Baileys is a boozy treat enjoyed by millions at family occasions. But at £12 a bottle at stores such as Tesco, its price is sobering.
Aldi’s Ballycastle Irish Country Cream costs just £3.75 for 70cl and won the Spirits Business Liqueur Masters award in 2014.
Handwash
Aldi’s Abbott & Broome handwash costs just 89p for 300ml.
But some believe it is even better than the top-of-the-range Molton Brown version.
Sold at posh stores such as Harrods in London, the latter retails for £18 for the same amount of soap.
But when Channel 4 show Supershoppers asked Molton Brown fan Kris Murie, 26, to try both last year, he preferred the cheaper version.
Pickles
Sometimes only a cheese and pickle sandwich will hit the spot.
A 520g pot of well-loved Branston pickle will set you back £1.75 in Sainsbury’s and is made from a variety of diced vegetables in a vinegar, tomato and apple sauce.
But do you always need to bring out the Branston? Aldi’s Bramwells speciality ploughman’s chutney is just 99p for a 295g jar.
One taste test described it as having a “lovely sweet, fruit and tangy flavour.”
Crisps
Once you pop you just can’t stop – but is it just Pringles that leave us wanting more?
A 165g canister of Snackrite Stackers is 89p in Aldi, while at Tesco, a 190g tin of Pringles crisps is more than double that, at £1.99.
A blind taste test of both brands’ sour cream and onion flavour found the two to be very similar, with the report stating: “All contestants agreed the Snackrite Stackers were thicker, with more structure, while the Pringles were lighter. The Aldi Snackrite have a slightly sweeter aftertaste.”
Slippers
UGG slippers are for layabout luxury. But you will be far from comfortable with the £74 cost of the men’s Chestnut Scuff slippers.
A much cheaper alternative are the men’s check sheepskin slippers, recently sold at Aldi for just £14.99, which have a similar soothing effect without crippling your bank balance.
Nutrient blenders
The Nutribullet has become a must-have item for health-conscious people as it allows you to whip up vegetable and fruit-packed smoothies and meals in record time.
But, costing from £70, it will dramatically slim down your bank balance as well as your waistline.
Aldi is selling a £29.99 nutrient blender that is almost identical.
Chocolate seashells
Guylian Belgian Chocolate Seashells make a great Mother’s Day gift and are seen as a luxury item in the confectionery world.
Yet at £10 for 500g they are anything but cheap.
The Lidl chocolate sea shells, available seasonally, cost less than a half of the price, at £1.79 for 250g.
