I compared ‘ready to eat’ avocados from both budget supermarkets and found one was unripe for days, while the other was perfectly soft and creamy
Avocados are one of the nation’s favourite fruits. They had an enormous surge in the 2010s across Britain, driven by the rise of wellness trends, when snapping a photo of your breakfast and sharing it on Instagram was all the rage.
Since then, they’ve remained a staple in countless weekly shopping trolleys, mine included. I eat avocado almost daily, whether paired with scrambled eggs on toast or added into a poke bowl with sticky rice, eggs and veg. Because of this habit, I’ve been on a mission to discover the best value avocados, lately pitting Aldi against Lidl in a head-to-head comparison.
I do much of my grocery shopping at these two retailers, partly because they’re both conveniently located nearby, but also because they’re brilliant for keeping costs down. I’ve discovered both Lidl and Aldi to be excellent for many weekly essentials, including Greek yoghurt, sourdough bread, salmon, eggs, coffee and oat milk.
But when it came to avocados, there was a striking difference in quality. One stubbornly refused to ripen whatsoever for more than a week, staying rock-solid with an unpleasant flavour when I finally got round to eating it. The other was beautifully soft and ready the very next day after bringing it home.
That unfortunate avocado came from Lidl. It cost me 75p, and was labelled as ‘ready to eat’ on the display, so naturally I brought it home anticipating exactly that.
However, that wasn’t the case. Looking back, I should have selected a different one, so I’m partly to blame for making a poor choice. This avocado was anything but ‘ready to eat’, not for at least a week anyway, reports the Express.
It remained rock solid for days on end, and while determining avocado ripeness can be tricky, this one was clearly nowhere near edible. I left it outside of the fridge, as recommended, but that did little to speed up the ripening.
When I finally sliced into it more than a week later, it gave off quite an earthy aroma, instantly signalling it still wasn’t properly ripe. The stone was also enormous, occupying most of the actual fruit, leaving minimal flesh when I scooped it out.
The taste was bitter as well, which I’d unfortunately expected.
In contrast, the Aldi avocado performed a lot better. Priced at 70p, making it cheaper than the Lidl option, it was also labelled ‘ripe and ready’.
Its flesh had a gentle give, without being excessively mushy. An avocado feeling overly squishy usually means it’s past its best, and you’ll discover it’s turned spoiled and brown inside when opened, which is always disappointing.
The line between ripe and overripe avocados is remarkably fine, requiring careful judgement. I cut into the Aldi version the following day after bringing it home, and was delighted to discover it was perfect inside.
It lacked that harsh, strange smell the Lidl version had, and the texture was far creamier as well. I found it simple to mash with a fork, while the alternative needed a lot more work.
How to tell if an avocado is ripe
To save anyone from repeating my error, here’s a straightforward way to quickly determine whether an avocado is ready before purchasing it at the shop.
According to experts at Aldi, when the avocado appears green and feels solid, it hasn’t quite ripened yet but is ideal for bringing home to ripen naturally over coming days.
On the other hand, if the outer layer is darker and gives somewhat under light pressure, that indicates it’s ready to eat right away.
The crucial point to bear in mind is using light pressure while testing firmness to prevent damaging the fruit and ruining its taste.
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