Cheapest Christmas dinner ever - thanks to Aldi

Supermarket prices may be rising around the country, but bargain-hunters can still get their hands on an incredibly cheap Christmas dinner - as long as they shop cleverly and do the bulk of their shopping in Aldi.

See also: Is this a Fortnum's hamper - or something rather cheaper?

See also: Aldi named best value supermarket for second year

The experts at Good Housekeeping have put together their annual Christmas dinner index - by hunting down the cheapest options at 10 supermarkets. They have revealed that this year you can feed eight people for under £20 - or £2.48 per head. This is 10.8% less than when the index was launched eight years ago.

Aldi was key to many of the price drops. If you want to get the whole Christmas meal in one shop, it's your best bet, because all 11 items come to just £22.03. Lidl takes second place at £24.57 and Iceland is third at £24.81. This might come as a bit of a blow to Iceland fans who saw the store take second place last Christmas.

"Supermarket shoppers will be relieved to see Christmas essentials are still so affordable," said Caroline Bloor, Consumer Director of Good Housekeeping. "While five of the supermarkets have cheaper baskets this year, it's mainly thanks to the big decrease in the cost of these groceries at Aldi and Lidl that the overall basket is significantly cheaper. So think carefully where you shop or you could end up paying twice as much."

The ten supermarkets in order of price
1. Aldi
2. Lidl
3. Iceland
4. Tesco
5. Asda
6. Morrisons
7. Co-op
8. Sainsbury's
9. Waitrose
10. M&S

The difference between the cheapest and most expensive was fairly dramatic - with Aldi coming in at £22.03 and M&S at £49.40.

Cheapest way to shop

If you are dedicated enough to visit the cheapest supermarket for each individual item, you'll need to make four trips:

Asda, for the turkey and stuffing (the stuffing costs the same in Morrisons but would mean a fifth trip).

Aldi for potatoes, Brussels sprouts, carrots, parsnips, Christmas pudding and brandy butter (although the last two are sold at the same price in Lidl if you prefer).

Lidl for Mince pies and cranberry sauce (although you can get the sauce for the same price in Asda if you're going).

Iceland for Christmas cake.

But what do you think, are you driven by price for your Christmas food, or will you always shop at your favourite supermarket for festive favourites? Let us know in the comments.