When the week is finally over and Friday night arrives, there's nothing better than a good old takeaway to save the slog of cooking.
There's just one problem, though - takeaways can be incredibly expensive. With the cost of virtually everything going up, even a Friday night pizza can sadly feel like a stretch nowadays.
I've been a loyal fan of Domino's pizza for years, and often flit between Papa Johns and Domino's depending on who has the best deals. A large 'Pepperoni Passion' at Domino's will set pizza lovers back a whopping £22.99, and that price combined with delivery just doesn't seem appealing to me anymore.
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For a pair of greedy guts like me and my partner, a large Domino's pizza could easily be shared between us, instead of its recommended 3-4 people serving size. Of course, not everyone has a big appetite like me, but I've been after an affordable alternative for a long time.
I recently visited my local Aldi when I was on the hunt for some Friday night goodies, and I came across some absolutely massive looking pizzas. I genuinely had to double take when I saw the price, because the Carlos Stuffed Crust Pepperoni Pizza at 697 grams cost £3.99.
If I'm being completely honest, I wasn't entirely sure what to expect with this pizza because it was such a bargain, but I ended up being actually amazed. I can't believe I've visited Aldi so many times and missed this hidden gem of carby goodness.
The pizza
Since discovering the Aldi Carlos Pizzas I've tried two different toppings - 'The Double Pepperoni Stuffed Crust' and the 'Fully Loaded BBQ Chicken'. It's important to note that both pizzas are absolutely huge, so you don't need to worry about differences in size.
Both pizzas are incredibly easy to cook, and required around 10-12 minutes in the oven. For me, this is absolutely perfect for a Friday night treat, because there's nothing worse than ravenously ordering a takeaway and having to wait over an hour for your food.
With Domino's Pizza and Papa John's, you're looking at an extra fee for stuffed crust, but this Aldi Pepperoni pizza already has it, and it's a good hefty amount of cheese in the crust too too - not a miniscule amount like some pizzas have.
After 10 minutes in the oven, both pizzas were deliciously gooey and oozing with cheese. They weren't that greasy either, which can often be a bit off-putting for me when it comes to Domino's pizza.
One criticism I have for the BBQ chicken pizza is the fact that it could do with a bit more cheese, but that's easily solvable with a pack of mozzarella or parmesan if you're feeling fancy. For those who don't like messy eating, the BBQ Chicken 'fully loaded' pizza is a bit of a challenge, but I love that you get so much topping for your money.
The Aldi Pepperoni Pizza tastes just as good, if not better than Domino's. Although the stuffed crust isn't quite as herby as Domino's, it still has a fresh and slightly garlicky flavour.
On the BBQ chicken pizza, the ordinary crust is pretty good, but can get a little hard and crispy if you have the pizza in the oven for too long. In terms of toppings, the meat on the pizza tastes fresh and full of flavour, as does the pepperoni on the stuffed crust pizza.
I also think that you get way more pepperoni on the Aldi version as opposed to Domino's. Although the pepperoni slices at Domino's are a little bigger, Aldi's version still tastes just as good.
It's important to note that in the image of my Aldi pepperoni pizza extra cheese was added (of course) so if you're a big cheese lover like me, you might want to add some more too. Each slice of Aldi pizza was incredibly moreish, and it's now become a regular staple in my household for a cheeky Friday night treat.
The verdict
I'm not overexaggerating when I say that I've officially swapped my Friday night takeaway to an Aldi pizza. Instead of ordering a Papa John's or a Domino's, we now take the trip to Aldi instead for our pizza fix.
It saves us so much more money, and still satisfies our stomachs just as much as a large Domino's pizza would. The 'fully loaded' pizza is a real winner for me, because you get so many different toppings including chicken, bacon, red peppers, green peppers, and BBQ sauce.
If you're after a more affordable substitute for a naughty dinner, Aldi is the place to be. You can view both pizzas on the Aldi website here and here.
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