For a company that five years ago few had ever heard of, the reputation of Lidl appears to have spread like bushfire since the German supermarkets' arrival in Ireland two years ago.

With new branches springing up all over the place, including one recently opened beside Blanchardstown Town Centre in Dublin, the company is set to corner an ever increasing share of the food market.

Yet in spite of its success, the company remains low key and doesn't seek publicity. Interestingly, there are no listed telephone numbers available for any of its outlets; the only available contact is through its Kildare branch.

Not to be confused with that other German retail giant, Aldi Lidl runs its business on the same principle - top quality, low price food.

To hold prices on the low side, Lidl saves money where it can and uses its massive buying power to ensure margins are kept to a minimum.

As you would expect given the tight profit margins, the dΘcor and general layout of a Lidl store are fairly basic; shopping there is almost like being in a warehouse, with long aisles and cardboard boxes.

The first thing to note is that there are no shopping baskets, only trolleys - a cost cutting exercise or a clever ploy to entice you to fill it up? Next, you'll notice that you won't be familiar with most of the products on sale and so close attention to detail is needed. If this is your initiation into German shopping, it won't be your usual supermarket whiz- around.

Much like shopping abroad, you need to take time in order to find what you're looking for.

The savings are huge at face value, but is the quality as good as your normal brand? To counteract any reluctance on the part of the Irish shopper, Lidl offers a money back guarantee (with proof of purchase) to anyone who doesn't like the taste of something they buy there.

Take the wines for instance: a Bulgarian Chardonnay costs £3.29 (€4.18), Australian Chardonnay, £4.19 (€5.32) and a Chilean Cabernet Sauvignon £3.99 (€5.07) - cheaper than your average cooking wine, and if it happens to be good enough to drink, it would be hard to beat the price. Beer is the same: French lager beer with a little kick (4.1%) is £9.99 (€12.68) for 24 x 25cl.

Breakfast cereals are also slashed. Cornflakes cost £1.49 (€1.89) for 1kg; for the children, Choco Flakers are £1.49 (€1.89) for 1kg. The Vitafit fresh orange juice "with bits" is very good and great value at £0.69 (€0.87) for l litre; Vitafit apple juice is £0.63 (€0.79). Soft drinks, if you're on a diet, are £0.28 (€0.35) for a litre of Diet Cola or lemonade, and if you prefer regular coke, it's £0.59 (€0.74) for a litre of Freeway's.

A large jar of Marlene clear honey is £1.29 (€1.69), while the Maribel marmalade is £0.59 (€0.74). Half a dozen eggs are £0.69 (€0.87) and milk is £0.94 (€1.19) for two litres.

A generous single size pizza is £0.59 (€0.74) and a large four cheese pizza is £1.59 (€2.02). Tubs of cottage cheese are £0.49 (€0.62) and a loaf of bread is £0.39 (€0.49). If you're in the mood for Italian there is a reasonable selection of dried pastas, with a large box of Penne Rigate £0.87 (€01.10) and tins of chopped tomatoes for £0.25 (€0.31). A prepacked salami selection of generous proportions is £1.19 (€1.51), while Mozzarella prepack standard size was £0.69 (€0.87). Other cheese on offer was Emmenthal slices £1.59 (€2.02) and Gouda slices £1.59, great for toasted sandwiches and extra virgin olive oil is £2.49 (€3.16) for 750ml.

For children's treats there is a good variety - big bars of Swiss chocolate are £0.35 (€0.44) and a 12 pack crisp selection bag is £1.19 (€1.51).

However, on a recent visit, the fruit and vegetable section wasn't great - bags of mixed peppers had seen better days and the bananas were already browning. Pre-packed meat slices on the other hand offer a good choice and appeared to be good value.

Be prepared when it comes to the checkout. Lidl may not accept credit cards, only laser or cash, and also charge for the carrier bags. But at 9p for a large bag, it's relatively good value as they are strong and can be re-used.

It's all part of the cost cutting exercise.