I tried ‘Magnums’ from Aldi and Lidl – 1 tastes better than original

So far this summer, temperatures have reached close to 40°C in parts of the UK. It can be a struggle for many to cool off in hot weather, and sometimes there is just no better way to cool down than by enjoying a delicious ice cream – and I think I’ve found a bargain choice to beat the heat without compromising on taste.

The classic chocolate Magnum has always been a firm favourite of mine year-round. But with the cost of living driving up prices, I wanted to see if a cheaper alternative could cover the difference at a lower cost.

On average, a standard box of Magnum milk chocolate ice cream costs close to £3.50, which seems pretty steep to me. I usually shop around at Aldi and Lidl for bargain food anyway, given how expensive a weekly shop can be elsewhere.

But I’ve never tried the bargain ice cream alternatives from Aldi or Lidl. And, with the hot weather predicted to last where I live for much of the weekend, it seemed like a good time to try.

Aldi – £1.79 (four pack, 44p each)

Looking at both packs, Aldi seemed to be the clear winner in terms of value. When broken down to individual ice creams, Aldi’s options are a bit cheaper than Lidl’s.

The ice creams themselves were not too dissimilar compared to an authentic Magnum. The chocolate had a nice flavour, and the ice cream was pleasant, but it lacked a real vanilla kick and tasted more like a plain glass of milk.

The main positive for Aldi was that it offered more variety, such as white chocolate and almond-infused (both also £1.79 per four-pack). This was something Lidl lacked – at least in my local store.

Lidl – £2.69 (six pack, 45p each)

At face value, Lidl loses points for costing more per pack, but that extra 90p gives shoppers two more ice creams than Aldi. In the shops, I assumed that the ‘bigger’ pack would mean smaller ice creams.

But, when put side by side, there was very little difference in terms of size. The taste of the Lidl ice creams is, in my opinion, much nicer than Aldi’s, making that slight extra spend much more worthwhile.

The chocolate had a decent snap and flavour, while the ice cream itself had a strong vanilla flavour that didn’t push it too far into becoming overwhelming. I’d go so far as to say these were on par, if not better, than Magnums – and could convert me long-term (or if the next heatwave sees the supermarket freezers cleared).