The retailer is working out cheaper than the budget supermarkets for a basket of essentials
Lidl is no longer the cheapest in our weekly comparison(Image: Manchester Family / MEN)
While Lidl and Aldi are still considered to be the cheapest shops for groceries, there’s one supermarket working out cheaper than them both for a basket of essentials.
In fact it’s the seventh time this year that Asda has fared cheapest for the eight items out of the six main supermarkets.
This week it has swiped the crown from Lidl, after the retailer hiked the price of its cheapest mince from £2.69 to £2.89 a pack. Only Tesco and Sainsbury’s are selling it for more, at £2.99, but that’s for the 20% fat version rather than 25%.
Lidl’s increase means it’s fallen into joint second place with Aldi, with both having an overall bill of £12.97, behind Asda’s £12.87. Aldi has also increased the price of its mince to £2.75.
It’s not the only one to see a rise either, as both Sainsbury’s and Tesco have increased the price of their cheapest loaves and Sainsbury’s has followed Aldi’s price match by increasing its Stamford Street tea bags from £1.85 to £1.99.
Lidl has increased the price of its cheapest mince from £2.69 to £2.89(Image: Manchester Family / MEN)
We reported last week how shoppers said they were already struggling to make ends meet without further price hikes, declaring they ‘can’t take anymore’.
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Our comparison has tracked the cost of the same eight essentials at the six main supermarkets for three years now.
The basket includes milk, bread, coffee, tea bags, butter, baked beans, chicken and mince.
Sainsbury’s remains in fourth place at £13.19, followed by Morrisons at £13.23 and Tesco, which is most expensive for the 17th consecutive week, at £13.34.
Despite working out cheapest, Aldi disagrees with our comparison, saying it doesn’t take into account the difference in quality, insisting, for example, that its own Diplomat Red Label tea bags and its coffee are ‘higher quality’ than the comparative products used. The supermarket says its tins of beans are also heavier than some of the others.
An Aldi spokesperson added: “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 four years running.”
When it comes to meat however, our comparison includes the cheapest packs of mince from each place and at Aldi and Lidl, along with Morrisons, it’s a 25% fat pack, whereas the others sell 20% fat, which is seen as better quality.
Asda is cheapest in this week’s comparison(Image: Manchester Family / MEN)
Asda also disagrees 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 Asda spokesperson said: “We’re focussed on delivering Asda Price and started 2025 as we mean to go on by cutting prices on thousands of products for our customers.
“While we’re always pleased to be recognised as the cheapest supermarket in any price comparison, eight products don’t reflect the unbeatable value we offer across our full range, both in-store and online. We would encourage shoppers to come in and see this for themselves.”
Asda
Loaf of white bread 800g – 47p
Milk 2 pints – £1.20
Coffee 200g (2 x 100g) – £2.16
Teabags 160 (4 x 40-pack) – £1.80
Salted butter 250g – £1.99
Beans 410g tin – 28p
Chicken 300g – £2.28
Mince 500g 20% fat – £2.69
Total £12.87
Aldi
Loaf of white bread 800g – 49p
Milk 2 pints – £1.20
Coffee 200g – £1.99
Teabags 160 – £1.99
Salted butter 250g – £1.99
Beans 420g tin – 27p
Chicken 300g – £2.29
Mince 500g 25% fat – £2.75 (up from £2.69)
Total: £12.97 (up from £12.91)
Aldi is joint second cheapest in our price comparison(Image: Manchester Family / MEN)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
Salted butter 250g – £1.99
Beans 420g tin – 28p
Chicken 300g – £2.29
Mince 500g 25% fat – £2.89 (up from £2.69)
Total £12.97 (up from £12.77)
Sainsbury’s
Loaf of white bread 800g – 49p (up from 47p)
Milk 2 pints – £1.20
Coffee 200g – £1.98
Teabags 160 – £1.99 (up from £1.85)
Salted butter 250g – £1.99
Beans 400g tin – 26p
Chicken 300g – £2.44 for 320g / equates to £2.29 for 300g
Mince 500g 20% fat – £2.99
Total £13.19 (up from £13.03)
Sainsbury’s has followed Aldi’s price match by increasing its Stamford Street tea bags from £1.85 to £1.99(Image: Manchester Family/MEN)Morrisons
Loaf of white bread 800g – 47p
Milk 2 pints – £1.25
Coffee (2 x 100g) – £2.30
Teabags 160 (2 x 80-pack Savers) – £1.80
Savers Salted butter 250g – £1.99
Beans 410g tin – 26p
Chicken 300g – £2.65 for 330g, equates to £2.41 for 300g
Mince 500g 25% fat – £2.75
Total £13.23
Tesco
Loaf of white bread 800g – 49p (up from 47p)
Milk 2 pints – £1.20
Coffee 200g (2 x 100g) – £2.30
Teabags 160 (2 x 80-pack) – £1.80
Salted butter 250g – £1.99
Beans 420g tin – 28p
Chicken 300g – £2.44 for 320g, equates to £2.29 for 300g
Mince 500g 20% fat – £2.99
Total £13.34 (up from £13.32)