Aldi, Asda. Tesco and Lidl among cheapest supermarkets in UK

The experts at Which? released their latest monthly analysis from August, revealing that Aldi was the cheapest supermarket for a regular shop, while Waitrose came in as the most expensive.

Each month Which? compare the prices of 37 popular grocery items, including potatoes, chicken and milk, at major supermarkets in the UK.

In August they found that Aldi came in cheapest at £65.21, beating rival Lidl by just £1.32.

Aldi, Lidl, Tesco and Asda were named among the cheapest supermarkets in August (Image: Which?)

The same basket of items at Waitrose came in at £79.51, a 22% increase compared to Aldi.

Asda was the cheapest of the “big four” supermarkets according to Which?, followed by Tesco, Sainsbury’s and then Morrisons.

Which? said: “Our basket of 37 items included Albert Bartlett Rooster potatoes, own-brand chicken thighs and full-fat milk.

“Aldi was the cheapest supermarket in August overall: our shop cost £65.21, meaning it pipped its discounter rival Lidl to the post by £1.32.

“The same basket of items at Waitrose would have set you back an average of £79.51 – that’s 22% pricier than Aldi, on average.

“When it came to the Big Four supermarkets, our comparison revealed that Asda was the cheapest for our basket, at £71.48.

“We look at the prices of hundreds of grocery items at eight major supermarkets every day throughout the month, using an independent price comparison website.

“For each supermarket, we calculate the average price for each item across the month, before adding those up to get each store’s average price for our basket and trolley of products.

“To keep things fair, we include special offers, but don’t incorporate multibuys or loyalty-scheme discounts into our analysis.”

The news comes as the Bank of England warned food prices would remain high for the rest of the year.

The Bank said there was “quite wide agreement” that food price inflation had now peaked and was expected to be significantly lower by the end of the year at “perhaps around 10% or slightly lower”.

It said that cost inflation experienced by food producers had fallen, but still remained much higher than usual, and could take longer for some producers to see lower pressures, particularly where there were annual contracts with suppliers or group-buying arrangements.

Many food producers were also facing significant cost pressures from wages and energy.

Which? head of food policy Sue Davies said: “It’s worrying that food prices are expected to remain high for the rest of the year as people continue to struggle.

“This means they will continue to put huge pressure on millions of families and people on low incomes who have struggled to cope with rising costs month after month.

“Supermarkets can take meaningful action to help customers who rely on more expensive convenience stores by ensuring they stock a range of budget products that support a healthy diet, as Which? research has found these items are rarely, if ever, on sale in smaller branches.

“The Competition and Markets Authority recently agreed with Which? that grocery pricing can be unclear, so supermarkets must also act immediately to make it easier for shoppers to compare prices, while the Government must fulfil its promise to close the loopholes that are making it too easy for supermarkets to confuse shoppers.”