A shopper has conducted an investigation into supermarkets to find out once and for all which is the best value for money, and the results are quite surprising.
Emma Gill, from the Manchester Evening News, went to eight different supermarkets and bought the same seven items so she could compare the prices and the products.
She found that Aldi was the cheapest and that Co-op was the most expensive - with the bill for like-for-like items coming in at a whopping 40 per cent higher.
And Emma also discovered that other shops keep the cost down by selling smaller items, as a packet of Pringles in Lidl is only 165g compared to 200g in other stores.
What do you think about Emma's revelation? Let us know in the comments...
Emma said: "Nothing divides us quite like the good old food shop does it.
"While some people simply buy what they need as they go along from a variety of supermarkets, others have their favourite place to shop - and stick rigidly to a tight budget.
"Whether you pay attention to the prices or not, it's clear they differ from store to store - but you might be surprised by just how much more some places are charging.
"We decided to buy the same seven products from eight major supermarkets to see exactly what the price difference is - a Warburtons Toastie loaf, butter, beans, beef mince, eggs, Heinz Tomato Ketchup and Pringles."
Emma said she tried to buy the same products in each store but this wasn't always possible, so she bought like-for-like products where she could.
She continued: "It's only when you scrutinise products in this way that you see the slight differences to products that hit us all in the pocket.
"Like the packs of mince from the Co-op and Iceland being smaller than your typical 500g pack, at 450g and 425g respectively.
"And who knew that large packs of Pringles come in different sizes? Every supermarket had 200g packs, except for Lidl, where the pack was 165g."
Perhaps unsurprisingly Aldi came out as being the cheapest, with the seven items costing £10.24. Tesco, which price matches many of Aldi's products, followed closely with a total of £10.61.
But what was surprising was the price difference to the most expensive, the Co-op, where the £14.35 bill was a staggering 40 percent higher.
This was due in part to the most expensive Pringles of them all - at £3.30 for a tube, more than double the £1.50 price from other retailers.
Their eggs were the dearest too, at £1.85 for six large free range - 85p more expensive than the majority of places.
A spokesperson for the Co-op said: "We always aim to provide convenience alongside value for money to our members and customers, and we are overall competitive, leading the way in Fairtrade, 100% British meat in all our products, cruelty free and many other ethical and sourcing policies.
"However, we're a convenience store, not a superstore or discount retailer, which means we have higher running costs, especially due to the urban locations of most of our stores.
"Equally due to our urban and residential locations, delivery costs can be higher. We don't claim to always be the cheapest, however we do regularly invest to help cut the cost of everyday food, run market leading promotions throughout the year and our Honest Value range consists of many everyday essentials at low prices."
A full breakdown of the cost of the products from each shop is available below.
Aldi
Warburtons Toastie loaf 800g - £1.10
Butter 250g -£1.48
Beans - 30p (+55p for true comparison with Heinz) - 85p
Beef mince 500g pack - £2.59
Eggs - six large free range - 99p
Heinz Tomato Ketchup - £2.79 for larger 800ml, cost for 500ml equates to £1.74
Pringles - £1.49
Total - £10.24
Tesco
Warburtons Toastie loaf 800g - £1.10
Butter 250g - £1.48
Beans - 85p
Beef mince 500g pack - £2.59
Eggs - six large free range - £1.10
Heinz Tomato Ketchup - £2
Pringles - £1.49
Total - £10.61
Lidl
Warburtons Toastie loaf 800g - £1.10
Butter 250g - £1.48
Beans - 30p (+55p for true comparison with Heinz) - 85p
Beef mince 500g pack - £2.29 (only 10% fat available)
Eggs - six large free range - £1.59
Heinz Tomato Ketchup - £1.99
Pringles - £1.49
Total - £10.79
Iceland
Warburtons Toastie loaf 800g - £1.10
Butter 250g - £1.49
Beans - 85p
Beef mince 425g pack - (only 12% fat available) £3
Eggs - six large free range - £1
Heinz Tomato Ketchup - £2
Pringles - £1.50
Total - £10.94
Asda
Warburtons Toastie loaf 800g - £1.10
Butter 250g - £1.48
Beans - 85p
Beef mince 500g pack - £2.79
Eggs - six large free range - £1.50
Heinz Tomato Ketchup - £1.99
Pringles - £1.50
Total - £11.21
Sainsbury's
Warburtons Toastie loaf 800g - £1.10
Butter 250g - £1.48
Beans - 85p
Beef mince 500g pack - £2.79
Eggs - six large free range - £1.10
Heinz Tomato Ketchup - £2.40
Pringles - £1.50
Total - £11.22
Morrisons
Warburtons Toastie loaf 800g - £1.69 (out of stock)
Butter 250g - £1.75
Beans - £1.20
Beef mince (slightly larger 525g pack) - £3.75
Eggs - six large free range - £1
Heinz Tomato Ketchup - £2.70
Pringles - £1.65
Total - £13.74
Co-op
Warburtons Toastie loaf 800g - £1.20 (out of stock)
Butter 250g - £1.70
Beans - £1
Beef mince 450g pack - (only 12% fat available) £2.75
Eggs - six large free range - £1.85 (out of stock)
Heinz Tomato Ketchup - £2.55
Pringles - £3.30
Total - £14.35
Do you have a story to share? We'd love to hear all about it. Get in touch via yourmirror@mirror.co.uk
