Aldi has undeniably become one of the nation's favourite supermakets, famed for its dupes of popular branded products at a fraction of the cost.
There's no denying that the ongoing cost of living crisis is affecting each and every one of us right now and for many that means we need to look for alternatives when it comes to our favourite brands, which can often be expensive.
With branded products you're quite literally paying for the name but many supermarkets offer own brand cheaper alternatives that are actually the same, if not better, and Aldi is the best at its game.
READ MORE: Aldi investing £12m in new and upgraded stores in Yorkshire for 2023
While all supermarkets imitate the big named brand rivals to some extent, Aldi has become well versed in it and I decided to put Aldi 'dupes' to the test by taste testing five branded products that I buy most weeks on my regular food shop against Aldi's own brand equivalents.
Without knowing which product was which, I rated how closely each Aldi product matched the corresponding branded product on taste. After conducting the taste test I compared the price to decide whether the saving would sway me to switch to Aldi's own brand.
The products I compared were the Original Pepperami against Aldi's Original 'Meatser', Dairylea Dunkers against Aldi's 'dip-it', Muller Corner yoghurts against Aldi's 'Split Pots', Original Ryvita Crispbread against Aldi's Original Rye Crispbread and finally McVities Penguins against Aldi's 'Seal Bars'. Here's how they compared.
First up was the Original Pepperami vs Aldi's Original Meatster. Pepperamis are something I buy and eat religiously for a quick protein hit when the afternoon slump hits.
They're great for lunch boxes and for on the go, and just all in all a top tier snack. It's fair to say I am very well acquainted with said meaty stick.
A five pack of branded Pepperami's set me back £2.75 in Tesco, whilst Aldi's 'meatster' was only £2.19, a 56p saving is not to be sniffed at, but how did the taste compare?
The first obvious difference to me was that the meatser is actually much bigger, there is also quite a big difference in colour between the two. The measter is much darker in colour than a traditional Pepperami, I would say it's more like a chorizo meat in both colour and texture than salami/pepperoni.
The branded Pepperami is slightly firmer, whereas the meatster is somewhat mottled, it seems a little fattier than the branded Pepperami. But in terms of flavour the meatster holds it's own, they are very similar, both have a mild kick to them and are just the right level salty.
I think the difference is noticeable, especially if you are, like myself, very familiar with a Pepperami. However, both are very enjoyable and I wouldn't say I have a preference. Overall I think the meatser is a great alternative given the cost saving.
Both salami snacks are 100% pork, Pepperamis are 112kcal's per stick, while meatsers are 128kcal per stick, but given the size difference, this is to be expected.
Would I buy them again? Absolutely!
Dairylea dunkers are a staple in my house. They're perfect for lunch boxes and for an on the go snack and the kids love them.
A four pack of Dairylea Dunkers comes in at £2.25 at Tesco. Aldi's dupe comes in the form of a 'Dip-It', these are £1.39 for a pack of 3 and the packaging is almost identical.
I honestly would not have known the difference between these, in terms of looks, taste and texture, they're near damn identical.
The breadstick to cheese ratio is the same in each, the quality of breadsticks is on parr and I would never know the difference with the cheese dip. I thought they were delicious and I will most definitley be ditching Dairylea going forward!
Muller Corner yoghurts are another must have in my fridge. I tend to buy the six pack of chocolate digestive and strawberry shortcake, which comes in at £3.50.
The pack contains three vanilla flavour yogurts with milk chocolate coated digestive biscuit balls on the side and three strawberry flavour yogurts with white chocolate coated shortcake biscuit balls on the side, and they're a firm favourite in our house.
We're a big fan of the Muller range in general and think they're great quality. However, despite how nice they are, there's no denying the price is ridiculous!
I didn't actually know that Aldi had an equivalent of these until today, so I was excited to try them out. Aldi does its own version called Brooklea Split Pots, which are considerably cheaper at £2.25 for six, saving £1.25 per pack.
Despite being cheaper, the Aldi tubs were actually 11g heavier than the original Muller ones, coming in at 135g a pot rather than 124g.
The packaging is very similar, however, where the muller corner is two triangles (hence the name corner), the split pot is divided right down the middle. It's a noticeable difference but I wasn't offended!
I was really surprised by the taste test, whilst there was not a great deal of difference in the biscuits, nor the biscuit to yoghurt ratio, I found I actually much preffered the yoghurt in the Aldi Split Pots.
It was much thicker and creamier and really complimented the biscuit and after working out that I will be saving on average £5.00 a month on yoghurts alone, I think Muller just lost a customer!
Love them or hate them Ryvita's crispbreads are the nations favourite for a light lunch, if you're looking for a healthier take on a sandwich.
They're something I always have in the cupboard for a quick working lunch, whether that's loading them up with tuna mayo or cottage cheese, or just spreading on some butter or even dunking them in your favourite dip. They're a store cupboard staple, simple but tasty and healthy and they've been around since God knows when!
In Tesco Ryvita is £1.50 for a 250g pack. Aldi offers a cheaper alternative, which comes in at just 85p for a 250g pack of Original Rye Crispbreads, saving 65p per pack.
A tricky one to taste test as let's be honest Ryvita's aren't bursting with flavour! It's often the topping that provides that, but in terms of texture they were exactly the same, crisp, crunchy and didn't go soggy when dipped. Another great swap and way to cut down the shopping bill!
The McVities Penguin bar has got to be up there with one of the nation's most iconic biscuits. So much so that almost every supermarket has at some point or another attempted to replicate the much-loved item of confectionery.
The traditional penguin consists of milk chocolate covered biscuit bars filled with chocolate cream. But the delicious biscuit is not the only thing the McVities penguin is known for, they're also iconic for the jokes on the back of the packagaing and of course the 'P..P..P.Pick Up A. Penguin' ads.
A 7 pack of McVities Penguins costs £1.50 at Tesco. Aldi's Seal bar is almost identical to the famous penguin bar and comes in at £1.09 for a pack of 8, that's a saving of 41p and an extra biscuit too!
Sign up for our daily What's On newsletter. If you can't see the sign up link below, click here.
The two are very similar in terms of packaging and there is still the resemblance of an animal on the wrapping in the form of a seal. However, I must admit I was somewhat disappointed to find no joke on back.
The taste was almost identical and I couldn't fault it, the chocolate was tasty and of good quality and the biscuits had a nice crunch with a delicious centre. I really enjoyed the Aldi Seal bars and thought they were great value for money - and I suppose I can always pick up a joke book!
Read next:
Maisie Smith says 'I do' to Max George
Martin Lewis children bombshell as he issues warning to parents with kids
Martin Lewis' bank trick to get paid to shop at Asda, Sainsbury's and other supermarkets