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.

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 £21.76.

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

You’ll have to wait until a few days before Christmas if you want to get your hands on a fresh turkey for the day. So if you want to get your turkey in place a bit earlier, you will have to settle for a frozen one.

At Sainsbury’s at the moment, you can get your hands on a Bernard Matthews Golden Norfolk Small Basted Whole Turkey (which will serve between six and eight people) for £13. Or you can treat yourself at Tesco with the Tesco Finest Bronze Whole Frozen Turkey, which serves between six and ten people, which is currently half price at just £20!

Stuffing

Stuffing is, by a distance, the best bit of Christmas dinner for me.

Asda and Tesco are your best bet if you’re after some Paxo sage & onion stuffing, with an 85g pack costing just 40p.

Asda is also the place to go if you fancy some festive chestnut & cranberry stuffing, at £1.53 for a 150g pack. However, should you want to stock up, then Ocado is offering the packs at two for £2.45!

Potatoes

If you’re after a bag of potatoes for roasting, then Asda, Tesco, Waitrose, Sainsbury’s and Ocado are all offering a 2.5kg bag of white potatoes for £1.12, though you can get for two for £2 at Asda.

If maris piper potatoes are more your cup of tea, then for £1.74 you can get 2.5kg from both Asda and Tesco.

And finally, if you want to stock up on frozen roast potatoes, then over at Tesco you can get a 700g bag of Aunt Bessie’s Special Roast Potatoes for £2 from Tesco.

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.

Asda is by far the cheapest place to go, with a 500g pack of parsnips just 83p, compared to £1 at Sainsbury’s and £1.09 at Ocado.

Brussels sprouts

There’s not much to choose between the big names, with Asda, Sainsbury’s, Waitrose and Ocado all offering a 500g pack of brussels sprouts for £1.

Carrots

 Yet again, Asda is the place to go for carrots, setting you back 94p for a 1kg pack.

Gravy

Three supermarkets – Sainsbury’s, Asda and Tesco – are all offering a 200g pack of gravy granules for meat for 64p. However, Sainsbury’s is your best bet if you’re having more than one big dinner over the holiday period, with two packs for £1.

Cranberry sauce

You can’t have a turkey roast without a dashing of cranberry sauce on the side! Asda offers the best value, at just 68p for a 200g pot.

Mince pies

It wouldn’t be Christmas without a few mince pies. At Asda you can get your hands on six rich fruit mince pies for £1, while six Tesco Finest mince pies will set you back £1.25.

Christmas pudding

If you’re after a smallish Christmas pudding, then at Tesco you can get a 100g pudding for just £1. You can get three for £2 at Sainsbury’s if you need to stock up, too.

Chocolate log

Once again, Tesco is the place to go for your Chocolate Yule Log, as it’s just £1.15, compared to £2 at Asda.

The cheapest meal

Having gone through the results above, if you were to buy the cheapest item in each case, you could get a stonking family meal for a grand total of £21.76. Pretty good I reckon!

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 £21.90.

Next was Sainsbury’s at £22.56, with Tesco coming in at £26.45. Ocado would set you back a whopping £34.21, and that would be without the Yule log!

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. If you want to work out just how much your own Christmas food shop is likely to set you back, be sure to make use of the marvellous Mysupermarket.

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.

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

Happy eating!

This is a classic article that has since been updated for 2011