Supermarket cheapest for groceries after rival's 18% price hike

A supermarket has regained its position as the cheapest following its rival's price hike.

We reported last week how Lidl had swiped the cheapest crown from Aldi for a basket of essentials, which we've monitored the price of since 2022.

The change came because of an offer on the Lidl Plus card, which slashed the price of its cheapest tea bags by 18%, bringing a box of 240 down from £2.79 to £2.29.

Read more: The 'from 49p' Aldi range that's 'nicer than M&S'

The reduction brought the comparative cost of a 160-pack down to £1.53 and its overall bill for the eight items - including bread, milk, butter, coffee, beans, chicken and mince - to £11.80, the cheapest of all the supermarkets, including Aldi, Morrisons, Lidl, Sainsbury's, Asda and Tesco.

But now the offer has ended, with Lidl putting the price back up, which means that once again Aldi is working out cheaper, with a bill of £12.12.

Lidl is only a penny more, but it supports one of Aldi's arguments that Which? has named it the UK’s Cheapest Supermarket every month this year, even with loyalty prices taken into account.

It also says that our comparison doesn’t take into account like-for-like products or ‘the higher quality’ of its products - something that was highlighted in last month's Panorama investigation.

For example, the supermarket says that its beans are 20g heavier than Sainsbury's and that Aldi tea bags are 'better quality than the comparative products used'.

Sainsbury's is now working out as third cheapest behind Aldi and Lidl, with a bill of £12.31, followed by Tesco at £12.33 and Morrisons at £12.45.

Despite reducing the pack of its chicken breasts from £2.65 to £2.35, Asda remains the most expensive for the basket for a third consecutive week, coming in at £12.47.

It too disagrees with our weekly comparison and says that our small sample of products does not represent the fuller picture of prices and does not account for its deals. The supermarket says that, across the board, its Just Essentials range is the largest and cheapest available, alongside Aldi's.

An Aldi spokesperson said: "Our promise to customers is that they will make significant savings every time they shop with Aldi, which is why we’ve been named Which? Cheapest Supermarket of the Year for three years running. Which? has also named Aldi the UK’s Cheapest Supermarket every month this year, even in its latest analysis including loyalty prices."

The full list is as follows:

Aldi

Loaf of white bread 800g - 47p

Milk 2 pints - £1.20

Coffee 200g - £1.99

Teabags 160 - £1.85

Salted butter 250g - £1.79

Beans 420g tin - 28p

Chicken 300g - £2.25

Mince 500g 25% fat - £2.29

Total £12.12

Lidl

Loaf of white bread 800g - 47p

Milk 2 pints - £1.20

Coffee 200g - £1.99

Teabags 240 - £2.79 / equates to £1.86 for 160 (up from £2.29 / equates to £1.53 for 160)

Salted butter 250g - £1.79

Beans 420g tin - 28p

Chicken 300g - £2.25

Mince 500g 25% fat - £2.29

Total £12.13 (up from £11.80)

Sainsbury's

Loaf of white bread 800g - 47p

Milk 2 pints - £1.20

Coffee 200g - £1.99

Teabags 160 - £1.85

Salted butter 250g - £1.79

Beans 400g tin - 27p

Chicken 300g - £2.40 for 320g / equates to £2.25 for 300g

Mince 500g 20% fat - £2.49

Total £12.31

Tesco

Loaf of white bread 800g - 47p

Milk 2 pints - £1.20

Coffee 200g (2 x 100g) - £2

Teabags 160 (2 x 80-pack) - £1.84

Salted butter 250g - £1.79

Beans 420g tin - 29p

Chicken 300g - £2.25

Mince 500g 20% fat - £2.49

Total £12.33

Morrisons

Loaf of white bread 800g - 47p

Milk 2 pints - £1.20

Coffee (2 x 100g) - £1.98

Teabags 160 (2 x 80-pack Savers) - £1.60

Savers Salted butter 250g - £1.79

Beans 410g tin - 27p

Chicken 300g - £2.65 for 330g, equates to £2.41 for 300g

Mince 500g 25% fat - £2.29

Total £12.45

Asda

Loaf of white bread 800g - 47p

Milk 2 pints - £1.20

Coffee 200g (2 x 100g) - £2

Teabags 160 (4 x 40-pack) - £1.80

Salted butter 250g - £1.89

Beans 410g tin - 27p

Chicken 300g - £2.35 (down from £2.65)

Mince 500g 20% fat - £2.49

Total £12.47 (down from £12.77)