Everything is really expensive right now, and WhatsApp group chats are rapidly turning into a place to shriek about how much more a food shop costs and how much smaller everything you buy seems to be getting.
With the cost of living crisis still front of most people’s minds, a few have been crunching the numbers on which supermarkets are the cheapest overall, and where to find certain luxuries for less. The Which? monthly UK rankings typically show Lidl, Aldi and Asda as being the three cheapest places to get your groceries – but when it comes to buying your Christmas feast there is one clear winner in the cheap eats race.
According to new analysis shared by both Adventrum and Webretailer, Aldi is the cheapest place to buy Christmas dinner ingredients for both veggies and carnivores alike. This is based on a review of Aldi, Tesco, Asda, Morrisons, Sainsbury’s and Waitrose – so it does exclude Lidl, who by my own calculations come in at a near enough identical price to Aldi, if you don’t mind having a nut roast instead of a Quorn one.
If you want your Christmas dinner to include all of the following:
- A Quorn vegetarian roast (not vegan, sadly)
- Maris Piper potatoes
- Sage & onion stuffing mix
- Brussels sprouts
- Carrots
- Parsnips
- A dozen ready-made Yorkshire puddings
- Cranberry sauce
- Gravy granules
- Mince pies
- Christmas pudding
- A Cadbury’s selection box
- A litre of Bailey’s
- Own brand mulled wine
And assuming you opt for own brand (bar the Cadbury’s and Quorn) and look at the same packet weight for each store, from cheapest to most expensive, the supermarket veggie Christmas dinner chart goes:
- Aldi – £28.20
- Tesco – £32.84
- Asda – £33.22
- Morrisons – £33.71
- Sainsbury’s – £34.60
- Waitrose – £40.39
(The original data shared with me cited the Waitrose cost as £53.24, but this was based on a typo in the cost of a Quorn roast from that retailer)
What about vegans?
If you’re vegan rather than veggie, you’ll want to swap out the litre of Bailey’s (£12-13) for something else. (I’d recommend two £5 bottles of the M&S vegan chocolate and coconut liqueur!) And rather than a £3.25-£3.75 Quorn roast, make a beeline for Aldi’s vegan beetroot and broccoli rostis which are only £2.99.
Options for mains at other stores come in a little higher (unless you stick to nut roast, but, meh) for example Asda has a vegan ‘no turkey’ joint for £6, and Sainsbury’s do a good meat free wellington for £3.75 (or £3.40 if you have a Nectar card).
The chart above doesn’t include vegan/veggie pigs in blankets either, which you can buy at Asda at £3 for a pack of 10. Alternatively, their vegan trimmings selection is £3.70 and includes pigs in blankets, stuffing balls and cocktail sausages.
Sainsbury’s Plant Pioneers ‘pups in blankets’ are £4 for 15, or £3.60 with a Nectar card – which is quite a leap up from the £2.99 they cost when I was doing last year’s list! Particularly given Asda’s trimmings are actually cheaper this year for a higher weight – down from £4 for 279g to £3.70 for 366g.
If you’ve found any great veggie or vegan Christmas bargains in the shops this year, let me know in the comments below!