BARGAIN buyers have been offered a festive treat after Aldi slashed the cost of a Baileys dupe to less than a fiver.
The cream liqueur can be nabbed for just £4.49 a bottle but shoppers will want to be quick before stock disappears from shelves.
Aldi customers have often got their eyes peeled for a saving with the latest find perfect for last minute festivities with family or even as a gift for stocking fillers.
The Ballycastle Classic Country Cream boasts an “elegant, Irish tipple” and promises a rich, chocolate and vanilla creaminess.
With “toffee undertones” the sweet finish derives from the aptly-named Golden Vale region in Ireland.
Shoppers who opt for the dupe could save a remarkable 73 per cent compared to the pricier original.
With Bailey’s Original Irish Cream Liqueur usually costing £16.50, the similar alternative offers a £12.01 saving.
Those hoping to try some themselves should get their skates on as the drink is already available in stores.
Although it is advised that bargain buyers phone up ahead to avoid disappointment due to stock levels.
Currently, the 70cl bottle has been advertised as sold out online suggesting fans of the drink may want to act quick to save themselves some cash.
The dupe can be served on its own, over ice or stirred into hot drinks for added merriment during winter.
Many have taken to social media to express their thoughts on the tantalising beverage.
One user on X, formerly known as Twitter, said: “Ever so slightly different.
“The quality in 90% of the products are no different to their branded counterparts.
“If the people replying to me where to blind taste Baileys and Ballycastle amongst other cream liquors bet they’d fail to note the difference between the two.”
Another wrote: “Ballycastle is better than baileys mate trust me.”
Somebody else said: “Go to Aldi’s Ballycastle is far cheaper and tastes the same as Baileys.”
A fourth put: “Ballycastle! Bought a bottle for £5.49 yesterday.
“Bit sweeter than Baileys but not bad at all.”
It is not the only cheap bottle the supermarket giant has to offer.
This Laurent Perrier champagne dupe has been tipped as the perfect Christmas drink.
Consumer reporter Sam Walker reveals how you can save hundreds of pounds a year:
Odd boxes – plenty of retailers offer slightly misshapen fruit and veg or surplus food at a discounted price.
Lidl sells five kilos of fruit and veg for just £1.50 through its Waste Not scheme while Aldi shoppers can get Too Good to Go bags which contain £10 worth of all kinds of products for £3.30.
Sainsbury’s also sells £2 “Taste Me, Don’t Waste Me” fruit and veg boxes to help shoppers reduced food waste and save cash.
Food waste apps – food waste apps work by helping shops, cafes, restaurants and other businesses shift stock that is due to go out of date and passing it on to members of the public.
Some of the most notable ones include Too Good to Go and Olio.
Too Good to Go’s app is free to sign up to and is used by millions of people across the UK, letting users buy food at a discount.
Olio works similarly, except users can collect both food and other household items for free from neighbours and businesses.
Yellow sticker bargains – yellow sticker bargains, sometimes orange and red in certain supermarkets, are a great way of getting food on the cheap.
But what time to head out to get the best deals varies depending on the retailer. You can see the best times for each supermarket here.
Super cheap bargains – sign up to bargain hunter Facebook groups like Extreme Couponing and Bargains UK where shoppers regularly post hauls they’ve found on the cheap, including food finds.
“Downshift” – you will almost always save money going for a supermarket’s own-brand economy lines rather than premium brands.
The move to lower-tier ranges, also known as “downshifting” and hailed by consumer expert Martin Lewis, could save you hundreds of pounds a year on your food shop.
CAMERON MENZIES broke down in tears and looked like he was struggling to breath on an emotional exit from Ally Pally.
The Scottish plumber played the final two legs with tears rolling down his eyes as he was beaten 3-1 by American Leonard Gates, who had immense fan support, in the first round of the PDC World Darts Championship.
https://twitter.com/OfficialPDC/status/1868778499328119193
Menzies – the boyfriend of Fallon ‘Queen of the Palace’ Sherrock – is an emotional guy, the sort of person who wears his heart on his sleeve on the TV stage.
Mentally and emotionally, he was clearly struggling as his game imploded and qualifier Gates edged closer to the victory.
The Glaswegian missed 27 of his 32 double attempts and as his game unraveled in front of 3,300 people, as he wiped away the tears from his face, the situation got worse.
The scenes were actually distressing to watch and there was a fear he might not make it through the game – and could even pull out.
Members of the crowd were really poor and were verging on the edge of bullying by ironically cheering Menzies‘ throws even as he was visibly having a hard time.
Glen Durrant, the three-time Lakeside world darts champion, said: “On the floor, Cammy has been the best player in the room. He’s the one that has stood out.
“It feels like it is a different game when you go on stage. It is just not happening for him. He is full of emotion.
“When you look at his preparation, he will have to work out if he is to find a solution about why he doesn’t play on the stage as he does on the floor. He’s extremely talented.
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“But at the end, it was a little worrying, I didn’t know if he was getting upset. If the heat was getting to him. It was a pretty bizarre ending.
“Very, very disappointing. He has people around him but he has to work it out himself. No point feeling sorry for himself. He’s a great darts player. He has to find a way through this.
“The excitement of playing on that stage is there but 16 per cent on the doubles was going to be his Achilles heel.”
Gates, 54, danced on stage after he sunk the final dart – this was match dart No5 – and he now faces Nathan Aspinall in the second round on Wednesday night.
Gates, a Texas lorry driver, said: “I was aware of Cammy. I want my opponent to play the best against me. So, I can see what I can do against them.
“I told him, use the energy, don’t look at it as a negative, look at it as a positive. Just use that energy, play a lot more darts, get better, keep showing the PDC what we can do.
“Nathan is a good darts player. I have to do better than what I did here. I am through. Merry Christmas. What can I say? This is frigging awesome!”
Gates added: “I told him, I hope you can block it out and play the game. Don’t get involved with negativity as someone is cheering against you.
“Focus on what you are doing. Go forward. I use that energy to block it out.
“It’s one of those things, you have to block out certain things. Do what you are there to do, I went back to the basics, throw your darts, check the scores.
“I hope I said things that will help him in his game, personally in life also. He has to figure out what it is. If he needs more help. I hope I said something that will build his confidence.”
THE World Darts Championship is underway at Ally Pally – and there has been a shock exit already!
James Wade became the first seed to get dumped out of the competition courtesy of a 3-0 loss against Jermaine Wattimena.
Gerwyn Price brushed aside Keane Barry in the final match of Monday night.
While teen sensation Luke Littler and his army of fans face a lengthy wait to kickstart his campaign.
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Follow ALL the action from the World Darts Championship with our live blog below…