The cheapest Christmas dinner from Aldi, Lidl and Asda

As the festive period creeps closer, the rising cost of living may make the price of Christmas seem more daunting than ever.

For those worrying about juggling the costs of gifts, food and decorations with the already difficult-to-manage expenses of day-to-day life, we have put together a list of the cheapest places to bag each item on your Christmas menu so you can plan your Christmas on a budget.

While people in a pinch may not want to fork out the cash for a lavish feast, we've taken a look at your options at budget supermarkets Aldi and Lidl, as well as Asda, with its new yellow-sticker Asda Just Essentials range.

Based on a family of eight, here is what we've got:

Turkey

Lidl - At Lidl, a medium self-basting turkey, serving 7-11 people, is just £15.99. For just £1 more, at £16.99 a large turkey crown feeding 7-9 people might also do the trick.

Aldi - Similarly, a medium turkey serving 7-10 people costs £15.99 at Aldi, and a large turkey crown feeding 7-9 people is marginally more expensive than at Lidl, at £17.49.

Asda - In Asda, a medium turkey serving 8-10 people would cost £17.50, and a large crown serving 8-10 people costs £18.50.

For your centrepiece of the Christmas dinner, Lidl seems to take the crown as the cheapest option.

Pigs in Blankets

Lidl - At this German chain, a pack of 12 Party Time! pigs in blankets costs £1.99.

Aldi - Identically, a pack of 12 of these festive favourites is also £1.99 at this budget supermarket.

Asda - Here, a pack of 12 in Asda's 'Scrummy' range is £2.40.

While there's not much difference in cost, every penny counts so Aldi and Lidl seem to be the best value for money here.

Sprouts

Love them or hate them, these greens are a staple of Christmas dinner, and luckily you can bag them for fairly cheap.

Lidl - A kilogram of Freshona button sprouts will cost you just £1.09 at Lidl.

Aldi - Unsurprisingly, you can also get yourself a kilogram of frozen sprouts for £1.09 at Aldi.

Asda - At Asda, 95p will get you 500g of the supermarket's sweet and nutty sprouts. While this may have less value for money, if you're not looking to fill up on this divisive vegetable then this may do the trick.

So depending on how many sprouts your Christmas party is likely to eat, you can get more bang for your buck with Lidl and Aldi, which are the same price, or pay slightly less for half as many sprouts at Asda.

Vegetables

Lidl - If you're looking to save money and time, a bag of mixed frozen vegetables will do the trick. At Lidl, 69p will get you a kilogram of veg.

Aldi - This German chain also offers a mixed frozen veg option, coming in ever so slightly more expensive at 89p for 1kg.

Asda - As part of the chain's budget range, 1kg of Asda Just Essential mixed veg will cost you 72p here - marginally pricier than Lidl.

Once again, Lidl comes out top here as the cheapest option.

Parsnips

Lidl - For £1.65, you can get 600g of these glazed festive treats.

Aldi - Just like Lidl, a 600g pack of frozen glazed parsnips will cost you £1.65.

Asda - Here, 680g of ready to roast parsnips will cost you £1.80 - a better value for money but if you're not particularly fussed about this root vegetable you might as well stick with the lighter option.

Lidl and Aldi work out the same here, and Asda gives you slightly more parsnips for slightly more money - overall there's not much in this.

Roast Potatoes

Lidl - For 99p you can get a kilogram of roast potatoes at Lidl.

Aldi - Here a kilogram of Champion roasties will cost just 95p, or you can get a kilogram of mini roasties for just 49p.

Asda - For 88p you can bag 800g of Asda crispy roast potatoes.

Although Asda is cheaper, Aldi has the best value for money for roast potatoes.

Gravy

Lidl - for 95p you can get gravy granules here.

Aldi - just like in Lidl, Quixo granules here will cost you 95p.

Asda - as part of the Asda Just Essentials range, gravy granules here cost just 32p.

For gravy, Asda works out the cheapest.

Stuffing

Lidl - Newgate sage and onion stuffing mix will cost you just 43p for 170g here.

Aldi - Quixo Sage & Onion Stuffing Mix is similarly 43p at Aldi, for 170g.

Asda - For 85g of sage and onion stuffing mix, the Asda Just Essentials range will cost you just 25p.

While Lidl and Aldi have better value for money, if you're not looking for a lot of stuffing in your meal then Asda may be the best option for you.

Yorkshire Puddings

Lidl - just 50p can bag you a 15 pack here as part of the Simply range.

Aldi - As part of the everyday essentials range, you can grab a 15 pack for 50p.

Asda - Asda essentials 15 yorkshire puddings for 50p.

All three supermarkets work out the same here, at just over 3p per Yorkshire Pudding.

Cranberry Sauce

Lidl - for 55p, customers can get 200g of either whole or smooth cranberry sauce.

Aldi - Similarly, the Bramwell range of either whole or smooth cranberry sauce will cost 55p for 200g.

Asda - At Asda, 200g of cranberry sauce comes to 80p.

Again, Lidl and Aldi are the cheapest here.

Desserts

Christmas Pudding

Lidl - this store's cheapest Christmas pudding is a 400g Favorina pud for £1.85.

Aldi - Aldi's cheapest Christmas pudding is 100g in the specially selected range, for £1.25.

Asda - A 100g luxury Christmas pud comes to £1.50, while a 400g Asda essentials version is £1.95, both slightly pricier than the Lidl and Aldi alternatives.

All in all, Aldi is the cheapest for Christmas pudding, but Lidl has the best value for money.

Mince Pies

Lidl - a pack of six mince pies will cost just 99p at this budget store.

Aldi - a pack of six Holly Lane mince pies also costs just 99p.

Asda - a six pack from Asda's bakery line is slightly pricier at £1.25.

Once again, Lidl and Aldi come out on top.

Yule log

Lidl - finally, this classic Christmas treat will put you out £3.99 at Lidl.

Aldi - a yule log in the specially selected range also costs £3.99.

Asda - Asda's Just Essential line's yule log is just £1.85.

With its affordable range, Asda offers the cheapest yule log if this is a staple for your Christmas dinner.

Total:
Lidl - £31.66

Aldi - £31.22

Asda - £30.72

If you rely on these cheap stores the most you will spend is a reasonable £31.66.

If you have all three nearby and won't spend a small fortune on petrol, you might be able to shave a few more pennies off that total by mixing up the brands.

Or, you could cut the cost by dropping some of these staples - who likes sprouts anyway?

In research carried out for the BBC, research firm Assosia found that the cost of Christmas dinner for a family of five, with just a medium frozen turkey, stuffing, roast potatoes, sprouts, chipolata sausages, gravy and mince pies has increased to £30.03 this year, up from £24.67 in 2021.

If you are worried about paying for your festive feast this year, this list might ease your mind.

Do you have any tips on how to save money this Christmas? Comment below.