Can shopping be cheap - and cheerful? Food WHERE do you go for the weekly shop, Asda, Morrisons, Tesco, Sainsbury's? How about cut-price supermarket Aldi? ANN EVANS takes a store tour to see what we could be missing out on.

Byline: ANN EVANS

SOME people may turn up their nose at shopping at Aldi, but last November the store hit gold at The Quality Food Awards.

The annual industry event has been recognising quality and excellence within the grocery sector for the past 28 years, with more than 60 independent judges, from top chefs and restaurateurs to food writers and nutritionists, involved in selecting winners.

Aldi managed to beat competition from the big four - Tesco, Asda, Sainsbury's and Morrisons - to take the gold Q award for its Specially Selected Italian Stone Baked Romagna Pizza (pictured) which judges hailed as outstanding.

With three category wins added to the list, plus other accolades that include International Wine & Spirits Competition and The Grocer Own Label Excellence Awards, Aldi has come a long way since its first store opened in the UK in 1990.

Over the past 17 years, the store has become the fastest-growing grocery retailer in the UK with more than 339 stores nationwide.

At the heart of the store's success is its commitment to bringing quality products at affordable prices to families.

So I took a trip to Aldi to find out what all the fuss is about.

Ann's verdict

AS it is not one of the major stores, the lack of crowds makes shopping more relaxing with room to browse. There is certainly plenty to browse around - it is just the familiar brand names that are lacking.

But if brand names don't bother you, Aldi does cover all the essentials - most of which give a saving of a few pence up to 40p and 50p.

The down side is that there is less choice - until it comes to certain products.

Drinks are in abundance, there are so many different fruit juices, customers will be spoilt for choice. There is also a good range of wines, starting at pounds 2.49 for a bottle of Liebfraumilch or pounds 3.29 for a Chardonnay to a couple of Champagnes at modest prices.

Real ale drinkers have quite a range to choose from and the spirits are reasonably priced, but if you are after a favourite brand, chances are you won't find it here.

What the store does seem to offer is the opportunity to try something different.

Cheese is another great product. Aldi has a wide range, including speciality products, such as cheese cubes in oil with herbs at pounds 1.29 for a 375g jar.

The choice of fish also came as a big surprise. As well as the usual fish in breadcrumbs, batter or sauce, there were interesting specials in the freezer section, such as whole rainbow trout at pounds 2.99 for 600g.

Or you could treat yourself to Scottish whole langoustines at pounds 8.99 for 800g, a whole Canadian lobster at pounds 3.99 for 375g, or 100g of halfshell mussels for pounds 1.99.

However, Aldi is not just a food and drink store. It has a small selection of fashion, stationery, home-decorating products and gardening items. Not only a selection of bedding plants and shrubs but tools and compost too.

You could also buy an electric lawn mower for pounds 64.99, a variety of power tools, an exercise bike for pounds 59.99 or a 42-inch HD LCD TV for pounds 569.99.

Be prepared at the check-out however - credit cards are not accepted, so it is a debit card or cash only.

WE TRIED

Specially selected chocolate chip tear and share brioche (pounds 1.49): A real winner in the office. Absolutely gorgeous.

Specially selected beef wellington (pounds 7.49): A huge success. Our tester loved it so much, they went out and bought some more.

Grandessa strawberry conserve (65p): A bargain - and no one noticed the difference when we swopped it for a much more expensive brand.

Specially selected beef quarter pounders with blue stilton (pounds 1.59): Really tasty and a fantastic price.

CAPTION(S):

BARGAIN BUYS... Ann Evans outside Aldi, which is taking on the big four supermarket chains. Picture: Darryl Smith DS020408ALDI2; WINNING LINES... Aldi products (from top) chocolate chip brioche, beef quarter-pounders, Grandess strawberry conserve and beef wellington.