MAJOR supermarkets including Aldi and Tesco have sparked a festive price war by slashing the price of Christmas essentials.
Supermarkets have been squabbling over prices, with a race to offer the cheapest the cheapest fresh turkeys and festive vegetables before the big day.
The price cuts come even though festive food costs have jumped by 9.3% since last year according to research firm Kantar.
And an average meal for four now costs £31, up from £28.36 last year.
But with just six days left to the big day, Aldi, Lidl and Tesco have battled it out to offer customers the cheapest fresh veg and turkeys.
Aldi has slashed the price of its turkeys by 20p per kilo from £4.19 to £3.99.
The budget supermarket was the first to slash the prices of its fresh turkeys this month after originally cutting prices to £4.19 per kilogram on Tuesday, December 13.
And after another price drop today, Aldi’s Ashfields British Whole Turkeys are now just £3.99 per kg and available in three sizes.
For example, Aldi’s Ashfields Medium Fresh Turkeys come are typically 4.495kg and cost £17.94 – down from £18.83.
Lidl has been quick to follow suit and has now price-matched its fresh turkeys with those on sale at Aldi.
This means that Lidl customers will also spend £3.99 per kilogram for its Birchwood small, medium and large whole fresh turkeys.
It comes a day after Tesco cut the price of its fresh whole turkeys to £4 per kilogram yesterday.
As of yesterday, this offer was a whole 19p cheaper per kilogram than the turkeys on offer at Aldi and Lidl – but the budget rivals have now beaten Tesco to it.
But there is a catch when it comes to Tesco’s offer as it’s only available to Clubcard holders.
Those without a Clubcard will pay roughly £5 per kilogram on average – meaning they’ll get a better deal elsewhere if they don’t sign up for the scheme.
The supermarkets have also cut the prices of their turkey crowns – but these remain more expensive than buying a whole bird.
Aldi, Lidl and Sainsbury’s have also gone a step further this Christmas by going head-to-head to offer the cheapest Christmas veg.
German retailer Aldi dropped the price of its “Super Six” vegetables yesterday (December 18) – meaning customers can grab a 2kg bag of potatoes for just 15p – this is the cheapest offer we’ve seen right now.
Lidl and Sainsbury’s has also cut the price of a number of festive staples including sprouts, carrots and parsnips – and they’ll now set you back just 19p.
But remember, these products are only available at these prices while stocks last and you might find that your closest store doesn’t have the turkeys or extra veg in stock.
Shoppers who buy their shopping online should also factor in the minimum spend and extra costs for delivery.
But when it comes to fresh turkey and veg prices combined Aldi beats Lidl by a couple of pence thanks to its cheaper potatoes.
The Sun recently compared turkey prices across a number of major supermarkets.
We’ve also compared in the table above where shoppers can bag the cheapest Baileys, Prosecco and Christmas puddings.
How else can I save on my supermarket shop?
There are plenty of other ways to save on your supermarket shop.
You can try looking out for yellow or red stickers on products which show when they’ve been reduced.
If the food is fresh you’ll have to eat it fast, or freeze it to have another time.
Making a list could save you some money too as you’ll be less likely to make any rash purchases when you get to the supermarket.
Going own brand can be one easy way to save hundreds of pounds a year on your food bills too.
That means going for “own” or “value” type products instead of “finest” or “luxury” lines.
Plenty of supermarkets run wonky veg and fruit schemes as well where you can get cheap prices if they’re misshapen or imperfect.
For example, Lidl runs its Waste Not scheme offering boxes of 5kg of fruit and vegetables for just £1.50.
In other news, B&M shoppers are rushing to buy a White Company “dupe” Christmas decoration that’s only £2.50.
Plus, we tested perfumes from Aldi, Lidl and Superdrug and a £6.99 bottle smells identical to a designer brand costing £295.
