Aldi's £20 cast iron casserole dish is back - after owning one for 5 years, it's the specialbuy I'd recommend over all others

I have been writing about Aldi's latest homeware and kitchen drops for around 6 years now, so it won't come as a surprise that you will find quite a few Aldi Specialbuys dotted around my home. I'll admit some buys have lasted only a few months, but others have lasted years, and that's the case with my Aldi cast iron set I bought five years ago.

This weekend, the cast iron casserole dish is back at the bargain price of £20 in three new colours: a warm grey, green and blue. I have used mine almost weekly for five years, I think it's one of the best cast iron cookware pieces you can buy on a budget, not to mention one of Aldi's best specialbuys.

The Aldi cast iron casserole dish and roasting pan from the set proved so popular that they have been brought back every year, and sold separately in new trending colours.

The Aldi cast iron Dutch oven, also known as a casserole dish, is by far one of the cheapest versions on the market. It is often considered an affordable Le Creuset alternative as it's £280 cheaper than the iconic Le Creuset cast iron casserole, available for £305 at Le Creuset.

Over the last five years, I've been lucky enough to test a ProCook cast iron casserole dish (£55 at ProCook) and a Staub Pumpkin Shaped (£319 at John Lewis). Despite the price difference, I couldn't tell them apart in cooking ability from my £20 Aldi version.

The big differences lie in the looks, durability and size. While Aldi has launched new colourways, compared to Le Creuset or Staub's massive ranges, you usually only have one to three colours to choose from at a time. I'm currently stuck with a now-untrendy millennial grey colourway, which is the main reason I'm itching to upgrade my Aldi set.

Next up is the durability. Yes, the Aldi casserole dish has lasted me five years, but the enamel has acquired many chips, dents and black cooking marks in that time. In comparison, my Staub casserole dish, which lives on the same shelf and gets the same amount of knocks, still looks like new. The same can be said of my Mum's Le Creuset dish, which is older than me, but the enamel coating is chip-free.

The other thing to note about the Aldi Cast Iron Dutch oven is the size. If you're expecting it to be identical in size to the most popular 4.2-litre Le Creuset Cast Iron Casserole, you might be disappointed by the 4-litre capacity of the Aldi version. The size is enough to make a stew for three to four, but not suited to big batch dinners.

Despite these drawbacks, for £20, Aldi's Dutch oven has been brilliant value for money and an entryway into the world of cast iron pans for me. If you've been tempted to try adding a cast iron pan to your collection, I'd recommend finding out if you like it first with an affordable version like Aldi's first. It will never be as good a quality as a £300 Le Creuset, but it's a brilliant starting point if you're on a budget.

However, if you don't have a store nearby, here are a couple of other affordable options you can buy online.