The best Xmas food bargains

Christmas is an expensive time of year, so if you're looking to save money on your food bill, here's where to pick up the best bargains...

It's not only presents that can make Christmas such an expensive occasion. If you've got a lot of family and friends coming round for Christmas dinner, then you're probably dreading hitting the shops and having to spend spend spend.

In fact, according to price comparison website mysupermarket, the cost of a Christmas dinner has increased despite plummeting food prices in Europe. This month, families are expected to pay up to 4% more than last year for their Christmas dinner and the average Christmas meal will cost £81.50. Eek - that sounds like a lot of money to me!

However, I've had a good hunt around for some fabulous supermarket bargains (thanks to mysupermarket), and I've discovered that if you're prepared to shop around you can feed the family for just £20.90.

So let's take a look at what I've found...

(It's worth noting that I've plumped for mid-range deals - so I've avoided value ranges. I've also only mentioned the best supermarket deals in each section, so not all the major supermarkets will be referred to each time.)

Turkey

Most supermarkets won't have fresh turkeys in stock until 20 December, so unfortunately prices are a little hard to come by right now. However, if you need a turkey early, your best bet is to plump for a frozen one.

At Asda, for example, you can pick up a medium turkey (5kg) for £13 or a large turkey (6.6kg) for £17. If you've got even more mouths to feed, you can also get your hands on an extra large turkey (8.4kg) for £20.

Stuffing

In my opinion, stuffing is the best part of the Christmas dinner (well, that and parsnips). So if you're looking for a bargain, both Asda and Tesco are offering 85g packs of sage and onion stuffing for just 28p.

However, if you're after something a little more festive, Tesco is also offering a 125g pack of winter spiced stuffing mix for 86p and Sainsbury's has a 113g pack of cranberry and orange stuffing for 76p.

Potatoes

If you want a bag of potatoes for roasting, Waitrose is offering a 2.5kg bag of white potatoes for £1.23 and Asda is offering the same for £1.24, or two bags for £2.

Tesco and Sainsbury's are also offering a 2.5kg bag of white potatoes for £1.24 and £1.28 respectively.

Alternatively, if you want to follow Delia Smith's recommendation for the best variety of potato for roasting, Asda has a 2kg bag of Desiree potatoes for £1.98.

Parsnips

For the sake of ease, I am using packaged parsnips. But it's worth bearing in mind that it might work out cheaper to buy loose vegetables, rather than packaged.

Waitrose and Asda are offering a 500g bag of parsnips for 98p, while Tesco's offering comes in at 99p.

Brussel sprouts

You either love them or you hate them... At Waitrose, you can pick up a 500g bag for 99p, and at Asda and Tesco you can get your hands on the same sized bag for £1.

Carrots

At Waitrose, you can get a 500g bag of carrots for 44p, and at Tesco and Asda it will cost you 58p. Meanwhile, the cheapest offering at Sainsbury's is a 750g bag of organic carrots for 93p.

Gravy

Calling all gravy fans... At Asda, this 170g tub of gravy granules for meat is just 58p, while at Tesco, you can enjoy a 200g tub of chicken flavour gravy granules for 61p.

Cranberry sauce

For the final touch, you definitely need some cranberry sauce! And at Tesco and Asda you can pick up a jar for 68p. At Sainsbury's and Waitrose you'll have to pay slightly more at 79p.

Mince pies

Christmas wouldn't be complete without a few mince pies. And at Asda you can get your hands on a pack of 6 mince pies for 88p, while Sainsbury's is currently offering a pack of 6 mince pies for £1 - reduced from £1.19.

Christmas pudding

You can pick up a 100g Christmas pudding at Asda and Tesco for 84p, while at Sainsbury's it will cost you £1.19.

Chocolate log

Finally, if there are any chocoholics in your family, a chocolate Yule log is a must. And at Asda, Sainsbury's and Tesco you can enjoy one for just £1.

The cheapest meal

Having gone through the results above - and using the cheapest item in each case - I've worked out that you can get a family meal for the grand total of £20.90! That's almost £60 less than the average Christmas dinner is expected to cost! Not bad.

Of course, if you want to get the very best offers available, you might find yourself going to several different supermarkets. So if that sounds like a lot of hassle, and you fancy knowing which supermarket is the cheapest for your Christmas dinner, I can tell you that the winner is Asda - totalling just £21.06.

Tesco won the second prize at £24.13, and the Sainsbury's basket totalled £25.37.

Waitrose/Ocado was the most expensive at £31.08 - and that was excluding the chocolate log as unfortunately there weren't any available.

Keep your eyes peeled!

Exactly what you buy will vary from family to family and if you're buying for a lot of people, it always works out cheaper to buy in bulk. But hopefully this shows that with a little bit of shopping around, you really can pick up some fabulous bargains.

It's also worth noting I haven't included deep discounters Lidl and Aldi in the above research - so if you've got one near you, don't forget to check out their special offers as these can be far cheaper than the major supermarkets.

Similarly, have a look around your local food market, if you have one - often you can find a bargain there, too. And check out the supermarkets at the end of the day, just in case anything is reduced.

Finally, it's well worth adopting this goal: Cut your food bills and having a wander over to Q&A and ask other lovemoney.com members for hints and tips about what worked best for them.

And of course, if you have any further food tips, please don't hesitate to post them in the comments boxes below.

Happy eating!

More: 30 affordable gifts that you won't find on the high street | 20 ways to save money this Christmas