Valentine Dining for Two with Aldi Review

Reviewed by Louise Totton

Money being a little tight this year, and the fact that my husband is working on Valentine’s night, we decided to forgo our usual £25 supermarket Valentines Dine in for Two on Valentine’s night in favour of putting together a more economical selection from Aldi almost a week early.

I didn’t expect my £10 budget to go far, so was pleasantly surprised that I managed to put together a pretty reasonable looking 3-course meal within budget.

We started off by sharing a whole Roi Detrefle Camembert cheese (£1.29), simply baked in the oven for 20 minutes so it went gooey and fondue like, served with toasted wholemeal pita (49p) and Cucina Fresh Ciabatta rolls (49p).

This was a total triumph, and as easy to get on the table as a ready prepared starter available from other supermarkets. My husband in particular enjoyed the creamy, gooey cheese and sharing it on a platter with the toasted breads made it a perfect couple’s starter for Valentines. The cheese itself was as good as a branded Camembert that usually cost more than double the price of this one.

For our main meal, we chose a ready to cook Hunter’s Chicken (£2.99), a bag of baby new potatoes (69p) and the Four Seasons Green Vegetable Mix (79p) from the freezer. The chicken was really simple to cook, it came in a foil tray ready to bake, and it was simply a case of popping it in the oven. The veg steamed in the microwave in a few minutes, and the ready prepared baby new potatoes cooked in boiling water at the same time as the chicken was in the oven, whilst we were enjoying our starter.

Plated up, the meal looked impressive and although the chicken breasts did shrink slightly, they were still more than large enough for both me and my husband. The chicken did stay deliciously moist, there was not a hint of it drying out and the BBQ sauce was tasty not at all artificial tasting. The microwave vegetables were excellent; there was a good selection and a generous amount. They cooked perfectly in the time specified and were as good as fresh, with the added convenience of being able to keep ready in the freezer. And on the super 6, at 69p, the salad potatoes were great, ready to pop in the steamer and couldn’t have been easier.

Finally we finished our meal with Aldi’s Specially Selected Raspberry Panna Cotta (£1.99). It was presented beautifully, in clear ‘glasses’, a layer of creamy white vanilla pannacotta topped with a sweet red raspberry coulis. The presentation of this was perfect, and it tasted delicious. In all honesty, I did think there was possibly a little too much raspberry topping compared the quantity of vanilla cream, but this is a minor complaint, the overall taste and presentation was top notch.

Overall, I would say our Valentine’s meal was just as successful as the more expensive and better-advertised alternatives. OK, so there wasn’t quite the same level of choice, and I had to think a bit harder to put the meal together, but it was well worth it for the savings we made. I will certainly be going down the Aldi route next year for Valentine’s night (the joys of having young kids and no babysitters!).

At just £8.73, it felt like an indulgent evening in without the indulgent price tag.

Rating: 4.5/5

For more information on Aldi’s product range visit www.aldi.co.uk or even better, pop into your local store!