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The average household has seen a 4.4% jump in the cost of their food shop in the 12 months to May 2025, according to the Office for National Statistics. With living costs still high, many of us are looking at ways to keep our food costs down.
Some UK supermarkets are more expensive than others, but with prices rising across the board, you might be surprised to see how the cost of popular items compares.
Consumer association Which? has analysed thousands of grocery prices to find out the cheapest places to shop. Here’s what its research found.
Which food prices are rising most sharply?
Prices of certain foods rise more sharply than others over any given period. This can be due to all sorts of different factors, including whether the weather has affected certain crops negatively, and on labour, energy and import costs.
Which? looks at 20 different food types each month to see which has seen the highest inflation.
The price of chocolate rose fastest in the 12 months to May, The sharp increase in costs is primarily due to a surge in cocoa prices, which have been heavily impacted by poor harvests in West Africa.
Biscuit prices have also risen sharply, due to several different factors, including steeper ingredient costs, particularly for cocoa and dairy, and unfavorable weather conditions hitting crop yields, such as wheat, barley, and oats.
| Type of food or drink | Annual inflation for the three months to end May 2025 | Annual inflation for the month of May 2025 |
| Chocolate | 16.4% | 17.5% |
| Biscuits | 9.8% | 10.1% |
| Butters and spreads | 9% | 9.4% |
| Cakes and cookies | 7% | 8.8% |
| Energy drinks | 4.1% | 5.8% |
| Juice drinks and smoothies | 5.1% | 5.5% |
| Meat | 3.5% | 4.5% |
| Water | 3.8% | 4.5% |
| Cheese | 4% | 4.3% |
| Fish | 4% | 4.2% |
| Chilled ready meals | 3.2% | 3.8% |
| Milk | 3.5% | 3.7% |
| Fizzy drinks | 2.5% | 3.6% |
| Bakery | 2.5% | 3.5% |
| Yogurts | 2.4% | 3.3% |
| Savoury pies, pastries and quiches | 2.3% | 3.2% |
| Vegetables | 2.9% | 2.9% |
| Fresh fruit | 3% | 2.9% |
| Crisps | 2.1% | 2.9% |
| Cereals | 1.5% | 2.4% |
Which supermarket is cheapest this month?
According to Which? Aldi was the cheapest supermarket in June 2025, charging £131.52 on average for the association’s shopping list of 79 branded and own-label groceries.
Products on the Which? shopping list include everything from own-label milk, bread and cheese, to branded products such as Heinz baked beans and Mr Kipling cakes.
Its data is supplied by an independent price comparison company, but where supermarkets don’t show online prices, Which? sends out researchers to gather prices.
Lidl came a close second on the list of cheapest supermarkets, with non-loyalty members paying £131.89 for the same list of 79 items, or £131.87 for Lidl Plus loyalty app users.
Asda is e in third place, with the same list costing £144.82, but this was £33.82 less than Waitrose, which was the most expensive supermarket with the same basket of goods costing £178.64.
| Supermarket | Average price for 79 branded and own-label items |
| Aldi | £131.52 |
| Lidl with Lidl Plus | £131.87 |
| Lidl | £131.89 |
| Asda | £144.82 |
| Tesco with Clubcard | £146.69 |
| Sainsbury’s with Nectar | £148.29 |
| Tesco | £149.19 |
| Morrisons with More | £152.91 |
| Morrisons | £153.37 |
| Sainsbury’s | £153.78 |
| Ocado | £165.51 |
| Waitrose | £178.64 |
Source: Which?
Finally…
While shopping around definitely pays off in some cases, if you’re grabbing a pint of milk or a bag of onions, rest assured that the difference in cost between these items from different supermarkets isn’t likely to break the bank. If you’re looking for other ways to keep food costs down, have a look at our articles 21 ways to save money on your food bills, 5 ways to cut energy costs when you cook and 12 inflation-busting foods.
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