Stocking up for your Christmas lunch can be costly. Here I've rounded up where to buy it cheapest.
Morrisons is the cheapest supermarket to buy a Christmas lunch for eight people at £2.88 per person, according to our research.
For the second year running Morrisons boasts the cheapest food basket of eleven different Christmas essentials, coming to a total costs of just £23.07.
This includes items such as a turkey, Brussels sprouts and potatoes along with mince pies, two Christmas puddings and brandy butter.
The cost of Christmas lunch
When looking at cost alone the basket from Morrisons is a whopping £37.51 less than a similar basket from the most expensive shop on the list, Waitrose.
Lidl narrowly misses the top spot with a price tag of £24.89, or £3.11 per head, while Asda is in third place with a lunch of £25.78 or £3.22 per person.
Aldi took second place last year but has slipped to sixth this year, behind Tesco and the Co-operative, with a total bill of £30.74 or £3.84 each. This is largely because of the type of items Aldi is selling. The potatoes from Aldi, for example, are 'specially selected for goose fat roasting' while the parsnips are 'honey glazed' compared to the bog standard of both which most other supermarkets are selling in their most basic range.
[SPOTLIGHT]The vegetables are roughly similar for most shops, but it is the larger items, such as the turkey or the Christmas cake, which make the most difference.
At Waitrose, for example, where the bill comes to £60.58 or £7.57 per head, the cost of the turkey is significantly more. This is because it’s priced by weight and free range. Ocado is also the only other supermarket which has a fresh turkey included.
The shopping bills for each supermarket are not identical as the weights and varieties are not always the same. If an exact product comparison wasn't available, I've used the closest match.
The results
|
Supermarket |
Total price |
Price per head (eight people) |
|
£23.07 |
£2.88 |
|
|
£24.89 |
£3.11 |
|
|
£25.78 |
£3.22 |
|
|
£27.44 |
£3.43 |
|
|
£29.71 |
£3.71 |
|
|
£30.74 |
£3.84 |
|
|
£31.36 |
£3.92 |
|
|
£45.36 |
£5.67 |
|
|
£60.58 |
£7.57 |
Those are the totals, but what about the individual supermarket break down? The table below outlines what each outlet charges for each constituent of the classic Christmas lunch.
| Item | Morrisons | Lidl | Asda | Tesco | Co-op | Aldi | S'bury's | Ocado | Waitrose |
|
Turkey 3.6-4.8kg |
£10.00 | £9.99 | £12.00 | £12.00 | £10.00 | £10.00 | £12.50 | £22.64 | £39.00 |
|
Potatoes 1kg |
£1.18 | £0.95 | £0.65 | £1.18 | £1.50 | £1.39 | £1.45 | £1.00 | £1.45 |
|
Frozen sprouts 1kg |
£1.00 | £0.99 | £1.00 | £1.00 | £1.00 | £3.49 | £1.00 | £1.00 | £1.00 |
|
Parsnips 750g |
£1.00 | £0.69 | £0.90 | £0.90 | £1.00 | £0.99 | £0.90 | £1.19 | £1.50 |
|
Carrots 1kg |
£0.59 | £0.79 | £1.00 | £1.00 | £1.00 | £0.49 | £1.00 | £1.00 | £1.10 |
|
Stuffing 85g |
£0.15 | £0.37 | £0.15 | £0.15 | £0.32 | £1.99 | £0.15 | £0.55 | £0.55 |
|
Cranberry sauce 200g |
£0.82 | £0.65 | £0.82 | £0.50 | £1.00 | £0.65 | £1.80 | £0.99 | £0.99 |
|
Christmas pudding two at 454g |
£1.98 | £2.99 | £1.96 | £1.96 | £4.00 | £3.78 | £1.96 | £7.00 | £5.00 |
|
Christmas cake 900g |
£3.50 | £4.49 | £5.00 | £5.00 | £5.00 | £4.49 | £7.00 | £6.00 | £6.00 |
|
Brandy butter 200g |
£1.85 | £1.49 | £1.00 | £1.75 | £1.59 | £1.49 | £1.60 | £1.99 | £1.99 |
|
Mince pies, two packs of six |
£1.00 | £1.49 | £1.30 | £2.00 | £3.30 | £1.98 | £2.00 | £2.00 | £2.00 |
| Total price |
£23.07 | £24.89 | £25.78 | £27.44 | £29.71 | £30.74 | £31.36 | £45.36 | £60.58 |
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Deals and discounts
Compared to last year all of the supermarkets have upped their prices. Therefore it’s even more important to make the most of special offers, such as the Tesco ClubCard Boost or the Co-op reward scheme, to keep your festive spending down.
Choosing where you buy your Christmas lunch will depend on many things and some shoppers won’t just go for cost alone. To get the best price it’s worth shopping around at a number of retailers (if you've got time) as well as keeping an eye on discounts and offers.
Making things from scratch, such as mince pies and the Christmas pudding, will also cut your costs and our sister website Lovefood.com is stacked full of festive recipes to try out.