Supermarket regains cheapest crown after 10% price cut

A supermarket has regained its title as the cheapest of the six main supermarkets after cutting the price of a shopping essential.

Over the last few weeks Lidl, Aldi and Morrisons have all earned the top spot in our weekly comparison, which has tracked the prices of the same eight items since 2022.

Last week Morrisons topped the list, with a bill of £12.01 for the basket of basics, which includes bread, milk, butter, tea bags, coffee, beans, chicken and mince.

Read more: I did a Tesco shop using the little-known rule and saved a fortune on my groceries

But this week Aldi has swiped the cheapest crown after cutting the cost of its coffee by 10% since last week. Its 200g jar of Alcafe Rich Roast has been reduced from £1.99 to £1.79, making it the cheapest coffee price across the board.

The only other change for shoppers this week is a rise in the price of butter at Tesco, which has increased its 250g block to £1.89, the same price as Lidl, Sainsbury's and Asda. Only Aldi and Morrisons are selling it for the lower price of £1.79.

Morrisons is working out second cheapest for the overall basket with a bill of £12.01, followed by Lidl at £12.23, Sainsbury's at £12.41 and Tesco at £12.43.

Asda is the most expensive for the basket for a fifth consecutive week, coming in at £12.48.

Despite working out as cheapest, Aldi has, for some time, disputed the findings of our comparison, saying that it doesn’t take into account like-for-like products or ‘the higher quality’ of its products.

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'.

Asda also disagrees with our 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 - £1.79 (down from £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 £11.92 (down from £12.12)

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 £12.01

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 - £1.89

Beans 420g tin - 28p

Chicken 300g - £2.25

Mince 500g 25% fat - £2.29

Total £12.23

Sainsbury's

Loaf of white bread 800g - 47p

Milk 2 pints - £1.20

Coffee 200g - £1.99

Teabags 160 - £1.85

Salted butter 250g - £1.89

Beans 400g tin - 27p

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

Mince 500g 20% fat - £2.49

Total £12.41

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 - £1.89 (up from £1.79)

Beans 420g tin - 29p

Chicken 300g - £2.25

Mince 500g 20% fat - £2.49

Total £12.43 (up from £12.33)

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 - 28p

Chicken 300g - £2.35

Mince 500g 20% fat - £2.49

Total £12.48