I’m a food editor – seven great buys I found at Asda, including pasta and butter

If you’re a half-deaf middle-aged woman with children hanging off you and a migraine developing, an Asda store is not the place to spend a happy few hours. The lights are unbearably bright and the noise reverberates off the walls as if I’m in a warehouse with no insulation. That said, some of the prices are impossible to ignore. Mrs Elswood Pickles were discounted to £2 recently; I usually pay close to £3. Small boxes of Coco Pops (295g) were somehow on sale for 59p, for a product that usually costs £8 or £9 a kilo. I suspect they’ll shift somewhat more quickly than the pallet of garden gnomes languishing in a corner, though these are all also on sale. Asda isn’t technically a discount retailer; not in the same way as market disruptors Aldi and Lidl. It has navigated a turbulent few years following its sale from Walmart in 2021. Currently, Aldi is snapping at Asda’s heels, beating the chain to become the UK’s third-biggest retailer after Tesco and Sainsbury’s. I’ve never been a regular Asda shopper, but I do go in occasionally. I would go far more if the shopping experience was marginally more pleasant. The staff are wonderful, I should point out. Ever helpful, usually smiling, typically knowledgeable. But I don’t know if I could do a whole shop here as I’m yet to be convinced by the fruit and veg. The avocados I bought recently were inedible. But if Asda continues to improve its own brand ranges, I could be tempted to visit more often. Asda chairman Allan Leighton, who led the business in the 90s, is back at the helm and recently told The Guardian that its prices are between four and seven per cent cheaper than the other non-discount supermarkets, Tesco, Sainsbury’s and Morrison’s. Lower prices are enough to get me through the door, and came away with some unexpected finds. Shorts New Exceptional dried pasta It’s a really smart move for Asda to throw its weight behind improving its own premium line, Exceptional. The just-launched dried pasta range, bronze-die extruded shapes made in Italy, includes linguine, fusilli and conchiglie as well as on-trend shapes like mafalda corta and casarecce. At £1.90 for 500g, these bags are cheaper than both Taste the Difference and Tesco Finest pasta, both usually £2.15. Butter is one of those products that soared in price during the worst months of food inflation and has remained high. Manufacturers have tried all sorts of approaches to befuddle us over price, in particular playing around with the size of both blocks and spreadable tubs. Asda is a good place to find well-priced butter. I found 200g blocks of Kerrygold for just £2 and felt almost fancy using its own brand Sea Salted Spreadable with West Country Butter (£3.16) over Aldi’s Nordpak. I ate it with Asda’s own ciabatta, £2.62. Tasty, textured and springy, I’d buy it again. Award-winning wine I don’t think of Asda first when looking for great supermarket wine, but on closer inspection it has a wide range of award-winning bottles. Look out for Exceptional by Asda wines including the Cava (£7.75), Margaret River Cabernet Sauvignon (£7.50) and Barbera D’Asti (£8), all of which have won gold awards in the Decanter World Wine Awards. Children’s books I’m a firm believer in supporting writers and independent bookshops, but sometimes bagging the brilliant discount on mass market products is the best way forward. There are a few children’s authors that pocket most of the money in that market, and you can find their books at rock bottom prices in Asda. Last week we picked up a ‘Cozy Cuties’ colouring book for £4.97, which usually retails for £7.99. Sushi Most supermarket sushi is somewhat suspect and Asda was the last place I was expecting to pick some up that at least looked edible. Bigger Asda stores have ‘Panku Streetfood’ counters preparing fresh Japanese, Thai and Korean ready-to-eat food and the sushi selection, which we were also offered a taste of while in store, is pleasantly uncomplicated. My daughter dragged me there and picked up what she always does: a tray of salmon, avocado and cucumber nigiri and maki. It’s not outstanding but it does the job. Rollback offers Like all the other supermarkets, Asda hopes to tempt shoppers with their regular Rollback offers, which are significant discounts on popular products. I bought my usual 2l bottle of Yeo Valley whole milk for just £2.24, whereas I usually pay from £3.15. Asda Exceptional Peruvian bar with 70% cocoa When I did a taste test of dark chocolate bars earlier this year, I didn’t expect one of the cheapest bars to come out on top. But the Asda Exceptional Peruvian bar with 70% cocoa impressed not only me but my industry expert. At £2.28 for 100g, this is much cheaper than most other supermarket ranges, which are around £30/kg at Co-op, M&S and Waitrose and £28.50 at Sainsbury’s, though Tesco Finest is comparable at £2.28.