The supermarket is the cheapest place to buy groceries, although prices for essential foods have increased

Despite a 4% increase since last week, a supermarket is still the cheapest price for a basket of essentials.

It is the sixth week in a row that Aldi has taken the top spot in our weekly comparison, which examines the cost of the same eight staples across the six biggest supermarkets, including Lidl, Tesco, Sainsbury’s, Morrisons and Asda.

Since last week the company has increased the price of its cheapest 500g pack of mince from £2.29 to £2.39, an increase of 4.4%.

The bill for the shopping basket, which also includes chicken, butter, bread, milk, tea bags, coffee and beans, comes to £12.12.

Read more: We tried mince pies from every supermarket – this one at 21p was the star of the show

It’s not the only time product costs are rising this week. At Morrisons, the same pack of mince has risen from £2.29 to £2.49 – a rise of almost 9%.

Sainsbury’s, Tesco and Asda were already selling it at the higher price of £2.49, with only Lidl charging less at £2.29 and now the second cheapest behind Aldi with an invoice price of £12.23.

Morrisons has fallen to third place at £12.31, followed by Sainsbury’s at £12.40 and Tesco at £12.43.

Asda, which still charges almost 20% more for its pack of chicken breasts than almost everyone else, is the most expensive for the tenth week in a row.

Although Aldi was found to be the cheapest company, it has been disputing the results of our comparison for some time, saying that it does not take into account comparable products or the “higher quality” of its products.

For example, the supermarket claims that its beans are 20g heavier than Sainsbury’s and that Aldi tea bags are “of better quality than the comparable products used”.

Asda also disagrees with our comparison and says our small selection of products does not reflect the full price picture and does not take its offers into account. The supermarket says its Just Essentials range overall is the largest and cheapest on the market alongside Aldi’s.

An Asda spokesman said: “A limited price comparison of just eight products does not show the true value that customers receive every time they shop with us.” Asda is consistently ranked as the best traditional supermarket in independent price comparison surveys, including Which? Excellent value for money. Big Shop’s price survey compares the costs of 165 branded and own-label ranges in major supermarkets.

An Aldi spokesman said: “We promise our customers that they will make significant savings every time they shop at Aldi. That’s why we have the name Which? receive. Voted the cheapest supermarket of the year three years in a row. Which? “Aldi has also named Aldi the UK’s cheapest supermarket every month this year, even in its latest analysis which also takes loyalty pricing into account.”

The full list is as follows:

Aldi

Loaf of white bread 800g – 47p

Milk 2 pints – £1.20

Coffee 200g – £1.79

Tea bags £160 – £1.85

Salted Butter 250g – £1.89

Beans 420g can – 28pcs

Chicken 300g – £2.25

500g 25% fat chop – £2.39 (was £2.29)

Total £12.12 (was £12.02)

Lidl

Loaf of white bread 800g – 47p

Milk 2 pints – £1.20

Coffee 200g – £1.99

Tea bags 240 – £2.79 / equivalent to £1.86 for 160

Salted Butter 250g – £1.89

Beans 420g can – 28pcs

Chicken 300g – £2.25

500g 25% fat chop – £2.29

Total £12.23

Morrison’s

Loaf of white bread 800g – 47p

Milk 2 pints – £1.20

Coffee (2 x 100g) – £1.98

Tea Bags 160 (2 x 80 packs) – £1.60

Saver Salted Butter 250g – £1.89

Beans 410g can – 27p

Chicken 300g – £2.65 for 330g, equivalent to £2.41 for 300g

500g 25% fat chop – £2.49 (was £2.29)

Total £12.31 (was £12.11)

Sainsbury’s

Loaf of white bread 800g – 47p

Milk 2 pints – £1.20

Coffee 200g – £1.98

Tea bags £160 – £1.85

Salted Butter 250g – £1.89

Beans 400g can – 27pcs

Chicken 300g – £2.40 for 320g / equivalent to £2.25 for 300g

500g 20% ​​fat chop – £2.49

Total £12.40

Tesco

Loaf of white bread 800g – 47p

Milk 2 pints – £1.20

Coffee 200g (2 x 100g) – £2

Tea Bags 160 (2 x 80 pack) – £1.84

Salted Butter 250g – £1.89

Beans 420g can – 29p

Chicken 300g – £2.25

500g 20% ​​fat chop – £2.49

Total £12.43

Asda

Loaf of white bread 800g – 47p

Milk 2 pints – £1.20

Coffee 200g (2 x 100g) – £2

Tea Bags 160 (4 x 40 pack) – £1.80

Salted Butter 250g – £2

Beans 410g can – 28pcs

Chicken 300g – £2.65

500g 20% ​​fat chop – £2.49

Total £12.89