Asda Christmas food: what will it cost you?
Asda Christmas food has a reputation for being the cheapest of the big four supermarkets. That's not to say that the heaving table of festive favourites won't set you back a small fortune, but over the years it has tended to undercut its rivals, offering relatively cheap Christmas food.
But how does it compare this year? In our series examining the cost of Christmas food at each of the major supermarkets, we looked at the price of a trolley of Christmas food and drink at Asda. For the sake of a fair comparison, we include a well-known brand name for each (where it's available), and a mid-range own-brand too.
At Asda, a trolley of traditional food comes at £65.74. If you buy the branded products where they're available it will cost £68.26. This is cheaper than Sainsbury's for own-brand food, but comes in as 46p more than the Tesco price. When the fresh turkeys are on the shelf, Asda may re-take the lead as the cheapest for Christmas, but for now it seems to have slipped.
Turkey
The fresh turkeys are yet to hit the shelves, although it's worth noting that the ASDA frozen bird is priced at a particularly competitive £16 for around 4.8 kg. With that in mind we will use a typical fresh turkey price of £37.50 for the calculations.
Sprouts
500g of fresh sprouts (bagged) £1.25
This comes in as more expensive than all the other major supermarkets - most of which have chosen to sell this at £1. There's a good chance the supermarket will price-match closer to the time, but it's a good example of how no supermarket is cheapest for everything.
Potatoes
White potatoes (2.5 kg) £1.69
This is currently part of a mix-and-match deal on vegetables offering any 2 for £3. Typically Asda tends to be the most competitive on white potatoes, but at the moment deals at Sainsbury's and Iceland mean they are undercutting the brand even with the mix-and-match promotion.
Carrots
1kg carrots (bagged) 57p
Asda is cheapest for carrots of all the supermarkets apart from Aldi (which is running a promotion at 49p). It constitutes a serious discount on the Tesco price of 80p for the same quantity of carrots.
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Peas
ASDA Chosen By You Garden Peas (1kg) £1.38
Birds Eye Field Fresh Garden Peas (800g) £2
For own brand peas Asda competes impressively against the big players, but loses out to the discounters and the likes of Iceland, which are selling similar quantities for well under £1. The price difference is enough to make you consider making a specific trip for the cheaper products. Meanwhile, the branded peas match the price at Tesco and undercut the store's other competitors - and is some 30p cheaper than the same product at Sainsbury's.
Gravy
Asda Gravy Granules for Chicken (200g) 78p
Bisto for Chicken Gravy Granules (300g) £2.10
The own brands tend to settle around the 80p mark, so Asda has chosen a slightly lower price to keep it at the top of the best-buy tables. Meanwhile, at full price, Asda is competitive among the major players for the Bisto brand. However, at the moment a deal at Sainsbury's makes it 60p cheaper than its nearest competitor.
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Christmas pudding
ASDA Extra Special 6 Month Matured Luxury Christmas Pudding (100g) £1
Asda doesn't do a classic Christmas pudding at the smaller size, but its posh range competes impressively with the mid-ranges elsewhere, and the 454g classic pudding is only £1.89, which constitutes good value for money. It doesn't do a branded Christmas pudding either - and offers a relatively limited range at this stage.
Brandy butter
Asda isn't selling brandy butter just yet, so for the sake of comparison, we will add in a mid-table cost of £1.70
Mince pies
ASDA Chosen By You rich fruit mince pies 89p
This is a clear example of the kinds of baffling prices you can find at supermarkets if you take the time to compare what's on the shelves. The standard mince pies cost the same as most other stores - £1. However, the slightly higher-end pies are cheaper. It's another example of why it always pays to check. However, it has chosen not to sell any branded mince pies yet, so for the sake of comparison we'll add on a mid-table £1.80.
Tin of Quality Streets
Nestle Quality Street Tin (780g) £5
True to form Asda is charging the same as all the other supermarkets for this Christmas staple. However, Tesco has just launched a promotion offering tins for £4, and you can expect something similar elsewhere before the month is out.
Crackers
ASDA Silver & White Cube Cracker £4
The entry point for supermarket crackers tends to be £4 and Asda is no different. Its premium range is cheaper than most, however, with a large number priced at £5.
Wrapping paper
ASDA Christmas Pudding Roll Wrap £2
The starting point for wrapping at most supermarkets seems to be £2 - with prices rising along with the quantity and quality of the wrapping. There's a deal on at the moment offering 3 for £5 on some wrapping - although it's not as generous as the 3 for 2 deals available at Sainsbury's and Tesco.
Sparking wine
ASDA Extra Special Mas Miralda Vintage Cava Spain (750ml) £7.98
This is surprisingly expensive for an own-brand Cava. Of course, in this area you are not comparing like-with-like, so comparisons should not be made on price alone. It doesn't sell the Codorniu Brut Vintage Cava we are using for comparisons, so we'll use a typical price of £7.65 in our calculations.
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