UK's cheapest supermarket revealed and it's not Aldi for once

The UK's cheapest supermarket has been crowned this month - and it's not Aldi.

The discount supermarket giant has topped the cheapest supermarket charts for 19 months in a row, until this month, according to new figures released by consumer magazine Which?.

Which? found that fellow German budget retailer Lidl is actually cheaper than Aldi this month, seeing Aldi drop to second place for the first time in 20 months. The magazine compiles an analysis of the cost of 76 equivalent staple items at every major supermarket each month. The list of 76 items included both branded and own-brand items, such as Birds Eye peas, Hovis bread, milk and butter.

In July, Lidl was the cheapest supermarket, with the items costing £128.40 on average, or £128 on the nose for those who took part in its loyalty scheme Lidl Plus. Aldi was 85p more expensive, coming in at £129.25.

Which?'s second analysis, which looks at a larger basket of 192 items, some of which are not available in Lidl and Aldi, showed Asda was cheaper than Tesco, even for Clubcard holders.

The longer list at Asda cost £474.12, cheaper than Tesco with a Clubcard by £7.47 (£481.59).

Waitrose was the most expensive on average, with the bigger shop costing £538.33 - a difference of £64.21 compared to Asda - 14 per cent more.

Waitrose was also the most expensive supermarket for a smaller list of items this month, totalling £170.91 on average. That's a difference of £42.51 compared to Lidl (with a loyalty card) - 34 per cent more.

For those using a Sainsbury's Nectar card, July's shopping list of items averaged £144.21, which is £16.21 more than at Lidl with a loyalty card. Without a Nectar card, the same items at Sainsbury's cost £149.55.

Reena Sewraz, Which? Retail Editor, said: "Lidl has bagged the top spot as the UK's cheapest supermarket for the first time in 20 months, according to our latest price analysis, showing that it can beat Aldi even without loyalty prices.

"The bigger trolley of groceries shows that Asda continues to be the cheapest non-discounter supermarket - beating membership prices at Tesco, Sainsbury's and Morrisons.

"Households are still contending with high food prices but our analysis shows it pays to shop around, simply choosing one supermarket over another could save you 25 per cent."