I’ve tried dozens of Lidl items but I buy the same staple every week

When you need to keep the cost of your weekly shop down, you have to be smart about where you’re going. I’ve spent years trying out different supermarkets to see where I get the most for my money, and it’s often Lidl that comes out on top. 

I’m lucky enough to have a Lidl just around the corner from where I live, so I’m basically never out of there. And because of this, I’ve tried my fair share of the offerings that line the shop shelves. But if I had to narrow it down to one thing I couldn’t live without, it’s easy – the cupboard staple was my top-purchased item last year according to the Lidl app, I use it every day, and it’s less than £3. 

The absolute highlight of my morning is making a coffee and enjoying it before I start work. Investing in a coffee machine has no doubt saved me hundreds of pounds on takeaways, but the pods themselves aren’t always the cheapest. 

Unless you go to Lidl, that is. I think their espresso pods are so incredibly underrated, and I’ve tried so many brands over the years from Lavazza to Starbucks. 

Even when comparing them to other supermarket-brand pods, Lidl has always been the clear winner. They’re rich, smooth and delicious, perfect for making a flat white in the morning. As expected, you’ll find them in the tea and coffee aisle, and they come in a few different varieties such as Ristretto and Lungo depending on how you like your coffee. 

The Bellarom capsules are also the cheapest I’ve seen, in supermarkets anyway. A pack of 20 costs just £2.89, making each one work out at just 14p – which is so impressive, considering a pack of 10 Starbucks pods costs £4.15 at Sainsbury’s. 

I’ve told so many people about these pods, and they have always been as impressed as I am. Other supermarket-own pods I find to taste quite watery and not very strong, which is never ideal when it’s 6.30am and you’re basically falling back asleep as you switch the coffee machine on. 

If you’ve got a coffee machine that’s still compatible with the older-style Nespresso pods – so not the round ones – then you need to give Lidl’s own brand a go. You will not find them cheaper anywhere else, especially not in a supermarket. 

Even on Amazon when you’re buying them slightly more in bulk, which I used to do, they’re still cheaper. For example, a pack of 100 will set you back £15, so 15p per pod, making Lidl’s more affordable still. 

I know pods aren’t the best for the environment, so I am keen to upgrade my machine to a bean-to-cup one at some point soon. And when that time comes, the Lidl beans will be the first thing on my list, and I have high hopes for these too.