For countless British households trying to manage their budgets, Lidl has become an indispensable destination for the weekly grocery shop. The German discount supermarket chain is renowned for its ultra-competitive prices, drawing in savvy shoppers from across the country.
The Quest for Value in the Weekly Shop
Keeping the cost of your weekly food bill under control requires strategic thinking about where you choose to spend your money. After years of comparing various supermarkets to determine where I get the absolute best value for money, Lidl consistently emerges as the clear winner. I am fortunate to have a branch practically on my doorstep, which means I am a regular visitor and have sampled a vast array of products from across the store.
The One Item I Simply Cannot Live Without
If I had to select just one product that is an absolute non-negotiable on my shopping list, the choice is incredibly easy. According to my personal Lidl app data, it was my most-purchased item throughout the entire last year. I use it daily, and the best part is that it costs less than £3. The cornerstone of my morning routine is brewing a perfect coffee to enjoy before the workday begins. While investing in a coffee machine has undoubtedly saved me hundreds of pounds on takeaway coffees, the pods themselves can often be surprisingly expensive.
That is, unless you shop at Lidl. In my experience, their own-brand espresso pods are seriously underrated gems. I have tried numerous brands over the years, from premium names like Lavazza to Starbucks, and Lidl's offering consistently holds its own. Even when stacked against other supermarket own-brand pods, Lidl's version comes out on top. They produce a full-bodied, velvety, and genuinely tasty coffee that forms the ideal base for a morning flat white.
Where to Find Them and What They Cost
As you would expect, you can locate these pods in the tea and coffee aisle. They are available under the Bellarom brand in several different options, such as Ristretto and Lungo, catering to various coffee preferences. Crucially, these capsules are the most affordable I have encountered in any supermarket. A standard pack of 20 is priced at just £2.89, which works out to a remarkably low 14 pence per pod.
To put this into perspective, a pack of 10 Starbucks pods currently retails for £4.15 at Sainsbury's. I have enthusiastically recommended these pods to many friends and family members, and the feedback has always been overwhelmingly positive. Other supermarket-brand pods I have sampled often taste weak and watery, which is far from ideal when you need a robust pick-me-up at 6:30 in the morning.
Compatibility and Environmental Considerations
It is important to note that these Bellarom pods are compatible with coffee machines that use the older-style, non-round Nespresso capsules. If your machine fits this description, I strongly urge you to give Lidl's own brand a try. You will be hard-pressed to find them cheaper anywhere else, especially within a supermarket environment.
Even when buying in slightly larger bulk quantities from online retailers like Amazon, which I used to do, Lidl's price point remains more cost-effective. For example, a bulk pack of 100 pods might cost around £15 online, working out to 15 pence per pod, making the in-store Lidl option still the better deal.
I am fully aware that single-use coffee pods are not the most environmentally friendly choice. Consequently, I am keen to upgrade my machine to a more sustainable bean-to-cup model in the near future. When that day arrives, I will be heading straight to Lidl to try their coffee beans, and I have very high expectations for their quality and value based on my experience with their pods.
