Supermarket price wars as Aldi and Tesco launch Christmas dinner deal for under £2 a head

Aldi has unveiled a budget-friendly Christmas dinner package, providing a full turkey feast for six people at just £11.45, equating to £1.91 per person. The eight-item bundle includes a small fresh British turkey priced at £8.85 and a selection of vegetables - Nature's Pick potatoes, brussels, carrots and parsnips, all priced at 15p each.

The package also features Quixo Sage and Onion Stuffing Mix at 45p for 170g, Quixo Gravy Granules costing £1.09 for 300g, and a 15-pack of Everyday Essentials Yorkshire Puddings for 46p.

This move comes as supermarkets initiate their Christmas price wars, with other retailers also dropping the prices of some festive vegetables also to 15p. Sainsbury's led the charge, announcing last week that Nectar Card holders could avail of discounted Christmas vegetables from December 18 to Christmas Eve.

The discounted items include a 2kg bag of Sainsbury's white potatoes, reduced for Nectar customers from £1.35 to 15p, and 500g of British parsnips, marked down from 75p to 15p. Tesco followed suit, announcing a price cut on traditional Christmas Dinner for Clubcard members. From December 19, they can serve a festive meal for six on Christmas Day at only £1.84 per person, reports the Mirror.

In a bid to alleviate the financial strain on households, Tesco has unveiled significant discounts on its festive offerings. The supermarket is set to lower the price of small, fresh turkeys by 40%, bringing it down to £3 per kilogram for Clubcard holders.

Moreover, it will be reducing the prices of essential Christmas vegetables, including carrots and parsnips, to a mere 15p per bag. The price of sage and onion stuffing will also be slashed to 40p for loyalty card holders.

These discounts will enable customers to prepare a Christmas dinner for six people at an affordable cost of just £11.05. Following Aldi's lead, Lidl and Asda will also be offering select vegetables, including sprouts, broccoli, carrots, and parsnips, for 15p starting from December 19.

Consumer experts have warmly welcomed the announcement of these discounts. Martyn James noted: "Even though the cost of food is skyrocketing, the supermarket wars mean there are bargains to be had for the crafty shopper. For some reason, we are often conditioned to believe we can only do the Christmas shop a few days before the 25th. Whereas if you pick up a few key items now from different stores, you can save a fortune and be fully prepared in advance."

Additionally, Scott Dixon of The Complaints Resolver praised the move, stating: "Grocery prices being lowered is great news at this time of year, and will be welcomed by hard-pressed households after a tough year with budgets being continually squeezed. Aldi have stolen a march on competitors with their incredible value Christmas dinner package, although some may question portion sizes and how a small turkey can feed six people."

He continued, "Savvy households are likely to take advantage of these deals to batch cook and fill their freezers, so I would recommend shoppers do the same and shop early so they get the freshest produce as stocks are likely to sell out fast."

Market research firm Kantar anticipates that grocery spending in the run-up to Christmas will exceed £13 billion over December's four weeks for the first time in history. This surge in expenditure is believed to be a result of consumers' willingness to splurge as the pressure from the cost of living begins to alleviate.