Which? reveals the cheapest supermarket for buying your festive feast this Christmas

Aldi has pipped its rivals to the post in the battle to be the cheapest supermarket for buying Christmas dinner, according to Which? research.

The German discounter is one of four stores – along with Asda, Lidl and Tesco – where all the essential items for a festive feast for six can be picked up for under £30.

The research saw eight of the biggest supermarkets pitted against each other to see how their prices of 10 Christmas dinner ingredients compared.* Analysts looked at the costs of festive essentials, including turkey, stuffing, Brussels sprouts and Christmas pudding.

The snapshot analysis found the basket of festive food was £28.17 at Aldi – £15.35 (54%) cheaper than Waitrose. Aldi was also £1.29 (5%) cheaper than its fellow discounter rival Lidl.

Asda was second cheapest for this year’s turkey and all the trimmings, with the list of essentials costing £28.49, just 32p (1%) more than Aldi.

Meanwhile, mid-market stores including Tesco and Sainsbury’s fared well on price, with their baskets costing less than £5 more than Aldi. Tesco’s selection was £28.88, 58p (2%) more expensive than Aldi and a basket at Sainsbury’s came in at £32.90, £4.73 (17%) more than the cheapest option. 

At the other end of the spectrum, Ocado (£38.28) and Waitrose (£43.52) were the most expensive supermarkets for Which?’s list of festive fayre.

While Waitrose was the most expensive option for seven products in the basket, Ocado was the priciest for three. The pair also had identical price points for items such as cranberry sauce, parsnips and Christmas pudding.

Ele Clark, Which? Retail Editor, said: 

“Many households will be feeling the pinch this Christmas due to pressures on the cost of living, so it’s worth knowing that you can make significant savings depending on where you buy your festive food. 

“While Aldi was the cheapest supermarket in our analysis, Asda, Tesco and Lidl were hot on its heels, meaning most people are likely to live reasonably close to a store where they could pick up their turkey and other festive essentials for under £30.” 

Notes to Editors

• *Own-label items are not exactly the same at different supermarkets, but we’ve used experts to ensure that the products are as comparable as possible based on a range of factors, including weight, quality and other industry data. In addition, price is just one factor when you’re deciding which supermarket to shop at. We also survey shoppers on their experiences of supermarkets’ product quality, customer service, store experience, online deliveries and a range of other factors to reveal the best and worst supermarkets each year.
• Prices correct as of 18th and 19th November 2021
• For a full itemised list of Christmas groceries email kundai.musara@which.co.uk.
  

About Which?

Which? is the UK’s consumer champion, here to make life simpler, fairer and safer for everyone. Our research gets to the heart of consumer issues, our advice is impartial, and our rigorous product tests lead to expert recommendations. We’re the independent consumer voice that influences politicians and lawmakers, investigates, holds businesses to account and makes change happen. As an organisation we’re not for profit and all for making consumers more powerful.

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