Is January EVER Going to End? Lidl Bargains to Tide You Over to Pay Day.

Seriously, January? Christmas was about twelve weeks ago and it's STILL JANUARY. Overdrafts are emptying, tinned cans are being used up for dinners like it's the the end of time, takeaways are but a fleeting lustful thought as we tuck into baked potatoes or stew. 

Hopefully your payday is this week, but here are some every day bargains from Lidl which will save you money on your weekly Big Shop, money left over for their equally well priced wines as a farewell-to-January treat. 

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The veg is noticeably cheaper, and the same, or better quality than the big chain stores. 

Chocomoons cereal has a special place in my heart as I was addicted to it when I was pregnant with our son. Eat three bowls in a go. An online friend, Nick, decided to do his big shop at Lidl last week after reading my Lidl Deli post. He says he saved around £30 off his bill, and that the big test would come when his two children tried the cereal. They loved it!

 

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The pre-cooked wings and legs are like the packs you get in M&S. Handy if you can't be bothered cooking. Sit with the tv on and a bowl of wings on your lap. Don't forget the kitchen roll for your hands!

 

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These salsa and sour cream pots are identical to Doritos branded ones. The Lidl version of Cheesestrings are nicer than the real ones, for me. 

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The fresh meat and fish selection in store is vast. They use local producers, which helps our local farmers.  Both these packs cost £3.59 each. You'll also find some exotic meats, like partridge and veal. Keep an eye on the freezers.

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Go forth and save money!

The £14.99 Home Ice-cream Maker that Actually Works! The Chill Factor.

 

When I was a child I wanted, and finally got, the Mister Frostie Slushie Maker. My parents would have this look of utter misery when I'd ask to use it, as it never really was me using it, it would be them. Twenty minutes of cranking the almost impossible to budge handle, to make half a cup of broken ice. When the Chill Factor arrived with us yesterday for review, Mister Frostie was the first 'person' who sprang to mind. As my son bounced about excitedly deciding which flavour of ice cream to create first, I thought to myself, 'this is Mister Frostie's revenge'.

Nevertheless we stuck the cone in the freezer overnight, and picked up the ingredients we needed to make Oreo Ice cream this morning. All we actually needed was 100ml of cream, and some crushed biscuits. In fact all the recipes suggested in the Chill Factor instructions are two or three ingredients long. That means you know exactly what's going into your home made ice cream, sorbet or frozen yoghurt. No additives, and you can flavour using fresh fruit.

For £14.99 it's a very reasonable price for something that doesn't take up a whole cupboard to store, like a large ice-cream maker, and can help you with healthy eating as you control the ingredients. I love it. I'm freezing it up again as I type, I'm going to make myself some frozen toffee yoghurt to have while I watch tv tonight.

Let me know if you get one yourself, and which recipes you come up with.

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12 Reasons Why Lidl Should Become Your New Local Deli in 2014

Everyone is too broke to be snobby about Lidl anymore. But take a trolley around the cut price supermarket & you may be pleasantly surprised at the range of products available. One of the reasons I visit Lidl once a month, is to feed my habit for loving the new and unusual. Each visit to my local Bangor store brings a new selection of treats I haven't seen elsewhere. As well as European foods, Lidl NI offer great priced local produce, their meats are especially good quality.

Here are 12 products that may tempt the foodies amongst my readers to try their local Lidl store. 

1.  Pear Balsamic Vinegar, also available in Apple.

2. Jalepeno pepper relish. This would be awesome on crackers with mature cheddar.

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3. Irish Pea and Ham Soup. This is amazing, one of my repeat purchases. Probably not a suitable soup if you're on a diet (such as the Limmy porridge and soup diet) as it's made with cream. 

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4.  Lemon Curd Yoghurt.

5. Devon Style Toffee Yoghurt. These are 59p each. If I've been at Lidl before you there will be no toffee variety left because I LOVE them. They have little toffee pieces through it. 

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6.  Toffee Spread

7. Coconut Spread. If you follow me on Twitter you'll know I'm addicted to this stuff. You know the white versions of Ferrero Roche? This tastes like the inside of those. I currently have three jars of this stock piled. 

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8. A big pile of smoked salmon for £2.69, yes please.

9. Smooth Irish Cheddar with Seaweed. SEAWEED! 

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10. Black Forest Ham. This is a Parma ham style meat and at a fraction of the price you would pay in a deli or posh supermarket.

11. Honey cure bacon

12. Lardons. I honestly can't get these anywhere else. Super handy for in omelettes or pasta dishes.  

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The Award for the Most Obscure Monthly Subscription Box Goes to.... Jangneus

Here's a unique subscription box idea. Jangneus, a Swedish-design led brand have a dishcloth or a tea towel monthly delivered to your door. Each month a pack of fresh, hand-printed, classic design dishcloths arrive to refresh your kitchen. You can pick by colour, to match the Swedish chic to your own kitchen, or go for a mix and match colour pack. Dishcloth subscription box for the year costs £35 and for a whole year of beautifully designed tea towels, it's £55. Some of the prints are too nice to use, and could be used as kitchen wall hangings.

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Darling Spuds' Sweet & Salty Popcorn Tastes Exactly Like Cinema Popcorn

I could tell you all about how Darling Spuds' new Sweet & Salty popcorn is gluten free, vegetarian, and lower in fat than other similar snacks. I could also mention the corn is popped in small batches and flavoured with simply sea salt & cane sugar. Or that there are no GMOs or other artificial ingredients and each snack pack is under 40 calories.

The real important part to me is- does it taste good? We tried it out and it tastes exactly like cinema popcorn. Some sweet popcorn can be a bit too sugary, and nothing like cinema style, but Darling Spuds is spot on. Adding in the subtle salt to the mix makes it extra delicious.  

You can buy online here, or watch out for packs in your supermarket. 

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Sneaky Homemade Starbucks Iced Mocha, Made with the GAT Winner Espresso Pot

I simply can't afford to buy coffee from the big chain cares any more, but that doesn't mean I have to go without iced mochas this summer. ​

With the GAT Winner Espresso Pots you can make espresso on your stove top as a base for your iced coffee recipe. Once you have your super strong, concentrated espresso, you can add cocoa powder, or as I do a big pump of Sweetbird Mocha Syrup. You can store this mix in the fridge in a mug, then when you want to make your iced coffee just pour out a little bit of your mix, add milk and ice and you have what tastes exactly like the in store blend you pay £3 for.​

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Another cool idea is use a little bit of your mocha mix in contracted form, add it to a tin of condensed milk, pour into lolly moulds and freeze. Coffee lolly pops!

The GAT Winner Espresso Pots are available from Top Gourmet.​

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Hand painted Kitchen Mixers, A Worktop Work of Art

Check out these fantastic hand painted, customised Kitchen Aid mixers. Enough to make me want to start cake making.​

For the best offer online to get your stand mixer, try Groupon, who have long term great deals as well as daily bargains and great deals in Dublin and beyond.