re: dishwasher powder – I use the Lidl 5-in-1 tabs, they work fine and they’re significantly cheaper that Finish etc even when the latter are on semi-permanent special offer.
… the fact that a product is made at the same factory (ie. same coding) does not mean that it is the same product.
The ‘own brand’ may just have different/cheaper packaging, it may have different quality ingredients, it may be fabricated using a different process………
And sometimes they can be identical…
taste and test!
Grainne, it’s usually on the side or base of the paquet, in a circle or oval. An example would be: IE 1092 EC
You’ll find that most butters bear the same code, showing that they have been manufactured by the same company. I know that doesn’t mean the quality is the same, but taste wise, I’ve found that butters don’t differ much. Then, you can buy “real country butter” which is a mile tastier (and pricier!).
I also find that for flour or sugar, the taste difference is minimal.
Wednesday 31 October, 2012 at 11:36 am
Claire, you mentioned that tip before and it’s proved very handy. I noticed that the butter in Lidl is the same manufacturer as KerryGold…
Wednesday 31 October, 2012 at 12:47 pm
re: dishwasher powder – I use the Lidl 5-in-1 tabs, they work fine and they’re significantly cheaper that Finish etc even when the latter are on semi-permanent special offer.
Friday 2 November, 2012 at 11:48 pm
… the fact that a product is made at the same factory (ie. same coding) does not mean that it is the same product.
The ‘own brand’ may just have different/cheaper packaging, it may have different quality ingredients, it may be fabricated using a different process………
And sometimes they can be identical…
taste and test!
Monday 5 November, 2012 at 12:45 pm
What is the manufacturer’s code, and how can you find this magical fingerprint?
I’ve been wandering around supermarkets since you posted that, trying to figure out where this code is on products. đŸ™‚
Monday 5 November, 2012 at 2:18 pm
Grainne, it’s usually on the side or base of the paquet, in a circle or oval. An example would be: IE 1092 EC
You’ll find that most butters bear the same code, showing that they have been manufactured by the same company. I know that doesn’t mean the quality is the same, but taste wise, I’ve found that butters don’t differ much. Then, you can buy “real country butter” which is a mile tastier (and pricier!).
I also find that for flour or sugar, the taste difference is minimal.
Monday 5 November, 2012 at 2:36 pm
If the nutritional information is the same, then the chances are the quality of the ingredients is the same too.
Monday 5 November, 2012 at 4:29 pm
Great, thanks for the tip, and the always helpful content here.