Aldi has narrowly beaten Lidl to take the top spot, with it being the cheapest supermarket for seven consecutive months from June to December 2022 while Lidl was the cheapest in the first five months.

Consumer champion Which? tracked the price of everyday items such as bread, milk and eggs across the UK’s eight major supermarkets (Aldi, Asda, Lidl, Morrisons, Ocado, Sainsbury’s, Tesco and Waitrose) each month in 2022.

It found a basket of 48 groceries averaged £81.63, just beating Lidl’s cost of £83.24.

Waitrose was more than £30 dearer than Aldi (£112.62) and was consistently the most expensive supermarket across the year.

Which? also tracked the price of branded goods such as Cathedral City cheddar and Andrex toilet paper – items which aren’t always available in the budget retailers.

It found Asda was the cheapest of the traditional supermarkets in December – and each December in the last three years.

A trolley of 149 products came out at £355.65, followed by Sainsbury’s (£368.97) and Tesco’s £375.97. Waitrose was £50 more expensive at £406.95 for the larger shop.

Inflation has ramped up the price of goods across the board, and a Which? tracker shows own-brand and budget lines had higher price rises than branded and premium items.

It is calling on supermarkets to do more to ensure own-brand budget lines are widely available in all branches, including smaller convenience stores.

Reena Sewraz, Which? retail editor, said: “With food and drink prices putting huge pressure on household budgets, it’s no surprise to see many people turning to discounters like Aldi and Lidl when our research shows they could save up to £31 on a typical shop.

“As well as choosing a supermarket that is cheap overall, you can save in other ways by swapping from branded to cheaper own-brand products and by sticking to a shopping list.”

“Which? believes all supermarkets have the ability to make a real difference to hard-hit households by ensuring everyone has easy access to basic, affordable food lines at a store near them, particularly in areas where people are most in need.”

Morrisons under fire over price hikes

While Which? revealed Morrisons to be around £20 more expensive when comparing 149 items from the traditional supermarket, separate research from credit rating agency Moody’s suggested it “rapidly” increased prices in June.

These price hikes were more than any other major grocer in the last year, which resulted in it losing customers in greater numbers than their rivals.

In fact, Aldi sales have been boosted by Brits looking to cut back on their shopping bills and in September last year, it knocked Morrisons off the spot as the fourth-largest supermarket for the first time.

Moody’s also warned that Lidl could overtake Morrisons in the near future.