Supermarket spends second week as 'cheapest' for essentials after swiping crown from Lidl

A supermarket is spending the second week running as cheapest for a basket of essentials after swiping the crown from Lidl.

In our price comparison of the same eight basics at the six main supermarkets, it's Lidl that has come out on top throughout much of the cost of living crisis.

But in recent weeks, it's been pipped by Aldi, which is working out cheapest for the second week running for the basket of items, which includes tea bags, coffee, milk, bread, butter, beans, chicken and mince.

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Prices have fluctuated over recent weeks with every retailer increasing the price of its cheapest loaf and last week Asda was under fire for a 13% hike in the price of its Just Essentials tea bags.

This week it's better news for shoppers, with just one price change at Sainsbury's, which has reduced its tea bags from £1.89 to £1.85 as part of its Aldi Price Match. Aldi and Lidl remain just a penny apart, with Aldi's basket costing £12.02 and Lidl's £12.03.

Morrisons is third cheapest at £12.31, followed by Asda at £12.40, Sainsbury's at £12.59 and Tesco at £12.64.

Aldi disputes the results of our weekly comparison, saying that it does not take into account like-for-like products or ‘the higher quality’ of its products. The supermarket says, for example, that Aldi beans are 20g heavier than Sainsbury's and that Aldi teabags are 'better quality than the comparative products used'.

Asda also disagrees with our comparison and says that our small sample of products does not represent the fuller picture of prices and does not account for its deals. The supermarket says that, across the board, its Just Essentials range is the largest and