Supermarket wars cut Christmas dinner cost

Shopping around and the rise of the discounters will keep cost of festive fare down this Christmas. Picture: PA

Good Housekeeping said it would be possible to provide the feast for just £2.66 per guest by shopping around supermarkets. It said the drop in cost was a result of the battle between the discounters and the traditional supermarkets pulling prices down.

The magazine’s sixth annual survey revealed that the cheapest Christmas basket is down 3 per cent on last year.

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It found all the ingredients to feed eight on Christmas Day could cost as little as £21.31, the third cheapest basket since the survey began in 2009.

A like-for-like comparison across all ten leading supermarkets found Iceland was cheapest, with dinner for eight people costing £27.84, including fresh vegetables. Last year’s winner Lidl came second at £28.13, followed by Morrisons (£29.12) and Aldi (£32.06). Good Housekeeping consumer director Caroline Bloor said: “It’s a constant struggle for many to keep family food bills under control, but the current battle between the trad itional supermarkets and the discounters is pulling prices down for everyone.

“Even at the most expensive supermarkets, there are still bargains to be found – for example Waitrose’s Christmas cake is 49p cheaper than Aldi’s, and the cost of potatoes and carrots is broadly the same.”

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