Kitchen Garden Forum

The seeds are in at Lidl - 29p and 49p per packet, including several F1 types.

Our Local "Wilkinsons" have seed Buy one [you know the rest]

Hi Tigger

This is the first year we have had a Lidl. Went in half an hour ago and was stunned at the price of seeds there - just regret having bought most of mine already. Anyway couldn't resist a packet or two at 29p. Is the germination rate OK?

Chris

Before Lidl gets any more free publicity on this forum, perhaps I can redress the balance by asking you Lidl admirers to look at

http://www.redpepper.org.uk/KYE/x-kye-Mar2005.htm

I came across this on the Wikipedia entry for Lidl (references at the bottom of the article).
Or you could Google Lidl (and while you're at it ASDA/Walmart) to read about their appalling treatment of staff here and throughout Europe.

Personally I wouldn't go near a Lidl if they were giving the stuff away.

Thanks Alan

I've read the Red Pepper article. I now regret having given Lidl any publicity and feel pleased I payed realistic prices for the seeds - but are companies like D T Brown any better? Where do you shop and where do you reccommend? Is there a supermarket that is sufficiently ethical apart from the Co-op? I'm a member of the Co-op but would have to drive seven miles to a medium sized store which is poorly stocked, passing a Tesco Extra on the way. I do use local shops (had good fish from the Lossie Fish Shop yesterday) but the convenience and choice of a supermarket often wins.

Chris

Well - I asked the staff at my local (to work) Lidl about this and they had a very different point of view. Like the staff at Aldi, they are very well paid in comparison to many of their other supermarket retail colleagues and they did not report any negative actions.

They had no idea why I was asking them questions about their employer and I conducted the exercise outside the supermarket.

Back to the seeds ( and indeed their veg ) I have always found them to be very reliable and fresh.

Alan

Any comments?

chris
youre not goading are you?
thats like red rag to a bull and most uncalled for

No offence taken. You're stirring Jopsy But I should have commented.

I admit I don't like Lidl - or rather I don't much rate the stuff they sell. I offered the links as general information. I think we should all keep our (and other people's) eyes open to what the big companies are up to, be it supermarkets or the factory farmers.

Yes we do shop at Tesco. It's a dilemma: they treat suppliers badly; they also sell a wider range of food than we could find elsewhere.

We shop locally where the shops have stayed in business and have what we want: local fishmonger in town, butcher across the road, farm shop up the road (home-cured bacon, game), farm shop on Anglesey.(meat, poultry, vegetables, local cheese etc)

As for seeds I try to use smaller companies rather than the big conglomerates. They keep available the less common varieties that make for diversity.

In the further interests of information I offer the following - worth a read -

http://www.thisismoney.co.uk/supermarketwatch

Alan

sorry alan i was in a mischievous mood

Hi

I'm a bit misceivous too - you know I don't drive past Tesco to go another 6 miles to the Co-op - just interested that others do the same. Here in N. East Scotland we are seeing the slow death of small town shopping centres which are a direct result of the supermarkets. Local people seem to like the sense of catching up with the 21st century after years when the options were little changed from the 1960's.

The small town of Huntly is a case in point where in the last year both Tesco and Asda have opened on the outskirts and the small shops will suffer. From the point of view of a nostagic visitor this is a loss - but I suspect that this is not the view of most residents except the small shopkeepers.

And it might be a good thing in one way. Before the supermarkets opened people from Huntly would have driven ten or twenty miles to the nearest supermarkets. Now they just drive a mile or so to get the same stuff.

It's a good job we're all different!

I buy meat, cheeses, fish and any veg/fruit I need (a rare occurrence, of course) locally, either from small shops, the weekly market or directly from the farmers. Spices and unusual fruit/veg/ingredients from the Asian shops near to where I work. I buy all my staples (baked beans, tinned tomatoes, butter, cream etc) plus some fruit and veg at Lidl and Aldi. Then I get the usual necessities of life, plus a few treats and some specialist products from Waitrose and Sainsbury.

I find Morrison's untidy and scruffy and I don't like the quality of goods in Asda. I never use Tescos because I don't agree with their way of managing the market. Occasionally I'll go to Somerfield but we only have little ones in our area, so the stock is very limited.

It's a 40 mile round trip for us to shop at Waitrose, but we only do that once very month. Our local shops/farms are in a 7 mile radius and that's where we do our weekly shopping.