No chocolates, wine, or red roses? I guess that, when it comes to Valentine’s, Dunnes are as curmudgeonly as me. Special offers this week include:
-
- Flora Buttery Spread (500g) - €2.06, buy one get one free
- Oral B Professional care 6000 Power toothbrush - reduced from €54.99 to €27.49
- Fresh Irish minced beef (800g) - €2.85
The offer expiry dates vary. Click here to see them all.
SnackBox has returned to Mississippi with his band Hoarsebox to record an album. Every Monday, he’ll be spilling his guts on the oft-overlooked cuisine of America’s deep south.
Mississippi burnin’ in my a…
So I’m back in Mississippi. I’m officially eating too much spicy, smoked, chilli-related foodstuffs. BUT I CANT GET ENOUGH. Couple this with a bowl of raisin bran and four cups of coffee every morning and I’m flowing like the Galway floods of 2009. Where’s Gormley to put sandbags against my behind?
Hmm, don’t need him, Obama is deft at blocking hot air. Today I ate at Oby’s diner in Lafayette County, Mississippi, a fast food restaurant which specialises in New Orleans cuisine. To start I began with a Gumbo soup with a roux-less base, shrimp, seafood, veggies, and okra served over rice. To be honest, it tasted like brown socks. Not for my palate. In fairness though, it cost about a euro (I can hear my mother turning in her grave right now saying something like, ‘if poison was on special would you drink it?’ Mother! Get out of that grave, you’re not dead!).
It’s that time of year again: time for people to do as they’re told and love their loved one that little bit extra, in unison with the rest of the western world. And if you really love them, you’ll spend all your money on them.
A quick straw poll: who observes Valentine’s Day? Would you be hurt or disappointed if your partner ignored this made-up day? And isn’t it all just an excuse to get away with not being as good to your lover the other 364 days of the year?
An otherwise thoroughly cynical friend of mine disagrees and claims that Valentine’s is worth marking, as its a communal celebration of the joy of love, both platonic and romantic. Indeed, she believes that we don’t go far enough with it.
Anyway, all the supermarkets will probably be promoting some kind of Valentine’s offers this week, and it’s no different at SuperValu, where specials include:
- 12 red roses - €4
- Pierre Darcy champagne (75cl) - reduced from €37.99 to €18.99
- Lily O’Brien’s 30 piece chocolate collection (360g) - reduced from €16 to €8
Offers valid until February 14. Click here to see them all. Fresh cut flowers available from Thursday February 11.
You’ll also find the ingredients for a family dinner for under €7 here.
05 Feb, 2010
Beware the cheap cocktail
Posted by: peter in: Bad Value | Bargains & Special Offers | Drinks
Cocktail offers have suckered me twice now. Last year, I was at a friend’s birthday and we all piled into Alfie’s on South William Street for the €5 cocktail deal. After ordering a round, we found that the alcohol content was pretty puny. One person went to complain to the barman and was met with the expected answer: what do you expect for €5? Needless to say, we didn’t go back for more.
I’ve come across this in a few other Dublin bars: cocktails on special offer that seemed higher on mixer and lower on alcohol than we might expect. A cautionary tale: sometimes special offers are not all they seem.
Mince is one of the things that’s most frequently on offer in supermarkets, and I picked up two packs for the price of one in Superquinn the other day, thanks to Peter’s tip-off. I made a batch of spaghetti bolognese with the first pack and was looking for something a bit out of the ordinary to do with the second pack. I so often fall back on chilli, bolognese or shepherd’s pie with mince (not that there’s anything wrong with any of those dishes), but then remembered a delicious minced beef curry that Maria Crispy made for us once before.
The recipe came from our friend Riaz, and it’s a good one - the curry is warm and aromatic and very easy and quick to make. You do need to use extra lean mince, although if you only have cheaper mince you could brown it and drain it before adding it to the tomato sauce. The original recipe came with North American measurements, as Riaz is a Canadianer, but I’ve adapted it so you don’t need to use cups to measure the ingredients.
Read the rest of this entry »
It’s no secret that I’m addicted to fried chicken. Since that exposé in VIP magazine, my secret shame has been all over the tabloids. So when I heard there was a new dealer in town I had to make my way to Sufi’s on Lower Stephen’s Street in Dublin incognito.
Chicken Piri Piri originates from Africa but it was those 15th century Portuguese murderers, sorry I mean adventurers, that brought piri-piri to the world. Piri-piri is in fact a small hot chilli.
Weekly food offers at Lidl include:
- Conference pears (1kg) - reduced from €1.69 to 69c
- Cillit bang power cleaner (750ml) - reduced from €4.15 to €3.15
- Muller Vitality probiotic drink (6 x 100g) - reduced from €2.45 to €1.45
Remember there’ll be a new set of food offers in Lidl from next Monday. Click here for current deals.
Special offers this Thursday at Lidl include household/ DIY items such as:
- Hair dryer - €14.99
- Allen key set - €2.99
- Cordless steam iron - €19.99
Click here to see them all.
From next Monday February 8, Lidl gets romantic with special buys including:
- Calvin Klein Truth perfume - €18.99
- Ladies camisole - €8.99
- Valentine DVDs - €3.99
Click here to see them all.
Still on the theme of romance, you’ll find a selection of red roses, priced from €2.99 for a single rose and €34.99 for a deluxe dozen grand prix roses. If you don’t love them that much, you’ll find a dozen cheap red roses for €5.99.
Finally, you’ll find the four Super Saturday offers for this February 6 here.
04 Feb, 2010
Special Offers in Aldi
Posted by: peter in: Bargains & Special Offers | Product Reviews
It’s a birdwatcher’s paradise this Thursday at Aldi, with special buys including:
- High energy bird food - €4.99
- Pedestal bird bath - €12.99
- Camera nest box kit - €6.99
Bird-feeders might be advised to buy now, as I suspect snow will come again this year. But am I the only one who finds the camera nest box kit a little sinister? Aren’t birds entitled to their privacy too? Click here to see all specials.
Also at Aldi, the Super6 is a selection of fruit and veg for just 69c. This week’s offering includes pineapple, green apples, and peppers. Click here to see them all.
Finally on Aldi: I was served a fantastic collection of cheeses last week, at least some of which were from Aldi. Their Specially Selected range of cheese is really fantastic and excellent value: try the smoked applewood and the brie. Just €2.99 each, top quality and Irish produced.
This week’s specials at Tesco include:
- Any three meats from a choice of ten, for €10
- Beck’s beer case (18 bottles) - 69c per bottle
- There’s also a sandwich meal deal - a drink, packet of crisps, and a sandwich for €2.50
Offers are valid until February 7. Click here to see them all.
I’m not a Tesco fan and generally avoid it. However, my sister Cathy shops there and she thought it was getting much cheaper. Lately, she’s noticed that many of Tesco’s much-heralded price cuts have been reversed. In some cases, the prices have doubled. So treat Tesco’s specials with a cautious eye.
Have you noticed price rises in Tesco?
News just came in via @lunchblock on Twitter that Carluccio’s have closed their Dublin branch. I thought their meal deal (€12 for a starter, pasta and a coffee) was one of the best around, although people left mixed reports here previously on their service. The notice in their window suggests that high rents were the issue, and this definitely seems to be a problem for many in the sector.
Will you miss Carluccio’s?
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