In our series, Supermarket Swap, we challenge a family to change where and how they do their weekly grocery shop. Can they save money by trading old habits for new – and will they decide to switch to another supermarket as a result? If you want to take part, email money@inews.co.uk.

This week, we speak to Abby Knight, 59, of Malden, Essex, an event planner who loves to entertain, and often has her grandchildren to stay. She’s a huge fan of Aldi’s themed country weeks and its “middle aisle” deals. But with Iceland cutting more prices, can she pick up some bargains?

Supermarket swap

Old supermarket: Aldi

New supermarket: Iceland

New bill: £109.88

Equivalent in old supermarket: £85

Saving: £24 more expensive

In both her professional and personal life, Abby Knight has a lot of mouths to feed, so finding a good deal on tasty treats is top of her list when it comes to grocery shopping.

Abby’s shopping trolley is certainly full, between shopping for her husband, 65, and youngest son, 25, and buying for the guests she loves to entertain every week. Then there’s making sure the fridge is full for when her grandchildren come to stay, and catering for the festivals she runs with her events company, Great Idea Events.

For that reason, Abby is a big fan of Aldi – not only for its competitive prices, but for its special offers, such as its surprise “middle aisle” deals, or its Italian and American-themed weeks, when gourmet items from those countries will be available.

“We bought a little place in Spain during the lockdown, so we go there quite a lot. We get inspired by all the lovely food there and try to recreate it when we get home. Last month in Aldi was Spanish month, and it was so good for buying different paella seasonings,” says Abby.

Shorts

Scroll to previous short

Scroll to next short

While Abby is the main cook in the household, also opting for Italian dishes like risotto, pasta and caprese salads, her husband is a keen barbecuer, and she likes to head to the discount supermarket to stock up on meat, burgers and sausages.

For her son, who likes to get his fill of protein, Abby is sure to include plenty of chicken and protein bars – which she says are particularly good value in Aldi. Its sourdough bread is also a winner, as is its plentiful biscuit selection.

During a recent baby product promotion, Abby also picked up a baby changing bag for her oldest son, who recently welcomed a new baby. They found it such good quality and value that she went back to buy more for her daughter, who has gifted the bags to friends.

When her children were younger, Abby would often shop at Iceland for school to serve them and their friends after school – an “Iceland buffet”, as she reminisces.

She recalls the brand’s advertising with I’m a Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here, and it being her go-to for party food, too. As her children grew up, the family grew out of Iceland, switching to Aldi, and sometimes M&S and Tesco.

Now, with Iceland discounting 200 frozen products, in offers including a £1 pizza, £2 ice creams and half-price big brands, Abby thought it was time to return to check what she could get for when her grandchildren next come to stay – and to pick up food for her husband’s next barbecue.

In the barbecue department, Iceland didn’t disappoint. Abby picked up two six-packs of sausages for £5, and a pack of bread rolls for £1.50. For dessert, two 540-gram cheesecakes came in at £5.50 for both.

Abby also saved £4 on “mix-and-match” deals on dips, salads and vegetables, and saved £2.50 on a “buy-two, get-one-free” deal on pre-mixed cocktails in a can. She left behind some ready-made paellas, and frozen pizzas, but made a note to come back another time for those.

She was also pleased to note that the frozen selection of children’s favourites like chicken nuggets, fish fingers and chips remained good value.

Abby’s total Iceland bill came to £109.88, which she felt was good value. She was also impressed with Iceland’s helpful and friendly staff.

But she found the shopping experience a little lacklustre compared with Aldi, which she says she finds fun and interesting. Ultimately, Abby wasn’t convinced that Iceland is cheaper than Aldi.

Indeed, an online price comparison of Abby’s receipt against the same or similar items in Aldi revealed that the equivalent basket would have cost £85.45 in Aldi – or £24.43 cheaper.

While there were many good deals to be had in Iceland, overall, Aldi has generally lower prices more consistently across more of its range, as Abby observed.

“Aldi is really handy. But the grandkids are coming to stay with us in August, so I’ll definitely go back to Iceland for its ice creams and pizzas – it suits that kind of occasion,” says Abby.

“I imagine if you had a big family to feed, Iceland would be a great option.”