A Lidl state of mind

It is the order of the day. Whenever I’m talking to a fellow student, the “Omg I’m so broke” sentence will always stumble out of my mouth or theirs. Unfortunately, this fake-it-till-you-make-it lifestyle is something we can all relate to. Student loans don’t last forever.

However, I find it very ironic when they follow up by saying that they shop at Sainsbury’s. Well, hello? Of course you are broke! There is nothing worse that having to spend £1.50 for a bunch of small mushrooms. Not to mention, that the average shop of a Fallowfield student includes way more expensive items than some vegetables. Indeed, salmon and classy wines can be found amongst the ‘essentials’. But are they really essential? When I say that my £30 food shop will last me over two weeks, people look at me in amazement. How is this possible? Simple! Lidl.

Their slogan says it all: Big on quality, Lidl in price. Now, some may say, “Yeah fair enough, but is the quality really that good? It’s no ‘Taste the Difference’ is it?” Well, no. The pasta might go directly from raw to over-cooked without passing through the al dente phase and there might not be any Salmon & Ginger fishcakes but I never had any dysentery from eating Lidl food, and I have always found what I was looking for around its aisles.

Can dozens of drunken, annoying students really afford to be picky on food? There might not be as much choice at Lidl, but Sainsbury’s (at least the one in Fallowfield) is definitely bigger than any other Lidl I have seen. And alright, Lidl will never be a place for gourmet food, but if you are a nifty chef then I think you can transform any kind of food into a delicious dish. Or if you are not, I would still rather spend £0.35 on a pre-made tomato sauce than a £2 jar of pesto. At least this way I’ll still have the money to treat myself to a drink (or two) in Turtle Bay.