Which are the best supermarkets for people with food intolerances?

So, let me say at the outset that this review  is based solely on my personal experience as a shopper. It reflects my visits to supermarkets in the South West of England. It is both possible and probable that other branches of these supermarket chains will/may stock a different/wider range of goods. Also, as I rarely do internet grocery shopping (since that leads to short expiry dates), the comments below do not take on-line supermarket ranges into account.

Right, disclaimer over...

As you will may know from my first post, our family's shopping has to cater for lactose intolerance, FODMAP intolerance (i.e. wheat, lactose, onion, garlic, beans, etc.) and my current attempt at a sugar free/no added sugar diet (just for me, not Drew and the kids!). This can be quite a challenge in a supermarket and generally involves a lot of label reading, not great when you're a busy working parent. Plus our family budget for food is tight.

So, for the benefit of others who are trying to keep a similar number of plates spinning, the following alphabetical list reflects my experience of trying to find what I need in supermarkets over the past 3 years.

Aldi. Not great. Just a handful of items within an already limited range of products. You could probably find a wheat free bread, one or two lactose and wheat free snacks and an alternative to cow's milk (soya milk) at most visits.

• Other positives: Cheap! Including an inexpensive albeit limited choice of fresh fruit and veg.

Asda. Surprisingly good. They stock a wide range of 'free from' goods including their quite extensive own brand range.

• Lactose free and wheat free: very good. Lots of choice for bread, crackers, flour, pasta, sauces, cakes, biscuits and dairy free chocolate. You can even find lactose free chocolate spread on a good day. (Well, I found it once). Not so good on chilled deserts.
• FODMAPs: nothing specific.
• No added sugar: I haven't spotted any specific products but they do sell a few of the staples you may need if following any of the popular 'Quit Sugar' plans, e.g. nuts, different sugars. I can also find bread without added sugar.
• Other positives:  Generally good for fresh fruit and veg. The only place I have found which sells big bags of whole wheat pasta.

Co-op. Pretty good although the 'free from' range tends to be quite small - possibly a reflection of the the size of the stores. They have their own range and have enough stock to provide necessities with a small element of choice.

• Lactose free and wheat free: A good range, including bread, flour, crackers, pasta, cakes, snacks, pesto. Unlikely to be much in the chilled desert range.
• FODMAPs: Nothing specific
• No added sugar: Some whole wheat products and I have managed to find bread without added sugar (Vogel's).  No specific products. 
• Other positives: Lots of fresh food although not necessarily a wide choice. However, I generally find that my Co-op shopping trips are the least expensive.

Lidl. In my experience, free from 'free from'.

• Other positives: Cheap! As with Aldi, an inexpensive albeit limited choice of fresh fruit and veg.

Morrisons. OK. A limited own brand 'free from' range plus some of the bigger brands. Most of their own range seems to be sweet rather than savoury.

• Lactose and wheat free: All of the staples. Bread, pasta, dairy free chocolate, milk, snacks, cakes and biscuits. 
• FODMAPs: Nothing specific.
• No added sugar: Some whole wheat products and some of their own wholemeal bread doesn't contain added sugar.
• Other positives: Morrisons more than hold their own with their fresh fruit and veg selection. They also stock a good range of fish.

Sainsburys. Very good. A similar range of 'free from' products to Asda,  including a very good own brand range. Good for bread, bread products, pasta, flour, sugars, condiments, cakes, biscuits, snacks, savouries, dairy free chocolate and puddings. Not much in the way of chilled deserts.

• Lactose and wheat free: Very good. See the above list. Sainsburys have really thought about this. My shop of choice for economic lactose-free milk.
• FODMAPs: Nothing specific but their Free From Frozen Margherita Pizza doesn't contain onion or garlic. (It does however contain milk in the form of cheese, so low lactose rather than lactose free).
• No added sugar:  Nothing specific but I can always find brands which don't add sugar, such as Marigold Vehetable Buillion, Sainsburys' own brand reduced salt yeast extract and various bread products. larger Sainsburys stock many of the 'Quit Sugar' staples.
• Other positives: A very good range of fresh fruit and veg. More vegetarian choices in their frozen range than many competitors.

Tesco. Very good. A very extensive 'free from' own brand which Tesco has clearly put a great deal of thought into. Good for everything, but I have to give them a shout out on behalf of Robbie for their new dairy free strawberry and vanilla cones.  Also, while they are by no means my favourite supermarket,  Tesco is definitely King of the Lactose-Free Chilled Desert Mountain. Less positively, these days their fruit and veg seems to have quite short dates, even after rummaging.

• Lactose and wheat free: Really good. Everything you might need, provided you go to a large store.
• FODMAPs: Nothing specific. 
• No added sugar: A larger store is likely to stock most of the 'Quit Sugar' staples.
• Other positives: One of only 2 places you can scan while you shop. A huge time saver. And, if your scanned shop is selected for a random check when you pay, Tesco staff only have to rescan a small number of items, unlike Waitrose where the whole shop has to be rescanned.

Waitrose. A limited range, even in larger stores. Possibly they expect their target customers to prepare everything from scratch? They have their own 'free from' range which includes the usual bread, bread products, pasta, cakes, snacks and biscuits, plus they stock selected items from other brands.

• Lactose and wheat free: Good, albeit with few alternatives in some categories. Their own brand bread products taste delicious,
• FODMAPs: Nothing specific.
• No added sugar: Nothing specific but Waitrose is surely the spiritual home of spelt?
• Other positives: One of only 2 stores where you can save valuable time by scanning as you shop. Their food is always of a high standard and there is, of course, the free coffee for My Waitrose customers.

There are very few store cupboard ingredients out there for FODMAP intolerance, so most of our cooking has to be done from scratch. I will share the few FODMAP friendly products I have found in a later post.