'I did a Morrisons big shop to see if it really was cheaper than Aldi and Lidl'

It's well known that budget retailers Aldi and Lidl typically offer lower prices than the big four supermarkets.

The Manchester Evening News' comparison of basic groceries such as bread and milk has consistently shown either Aldi or Lidl coming out on top each week since they began tracking prices in March 2022.

However, Morrisons took the lead last week, despite being the priciest option just five months ago.

The reason for this price drop is due to a significant expansion of its More Card scheme, similar to Tesco's Clubcard and Sainsbury's Nectar card, which offers exclusive prices on numerous products and allows customers to accumulate points that can be converted into vouchers.

This month, the supermarket has introduced hundreds of additional More Card prices, with discounts on over 2,000 of its top-selling and branded items - including a 15 per cent reduction in the price of its 330g pack of chicken breasts, which helped it snatch the title of cheapest supermarket from Aldi last week, reports the Manchester Evening News.

After getting herself a More Card, Emma Gill, Parents Editor for the Manchester Evening News decided to do a big shop at Morrisons to see how it stacked up against the likes of Aldi and Lidl. Here's what she had to say about the experience.

"The empty shelf where that bargain chicken should be was a sure sign that the reductions are proving popular with shoppers.

"And it's not just the More Card luring shoppers in. The larger 1kg pack of chicken breasts I bought was £6.49, the same as at Aldi and Lidl as part of Morrisons' price match with both retailers, which launched in February.

"But I earned 400 points on them too, along with hundreds more points on five other items. For every 5,000 points you collect, you get a £5 voucher to spend in store.

"I saved almost £13 with More Card offers overall and was seriously impressed with some of the reductions, including honeydew melons down from £1.89 - the price at Aldi and Lidl - to £1.50 each, and Pot Noodles reduced from £1.20 each to 65p."

Emma continued: "Lots of the discounts applied to big brands too and I picked up a 605ml bottle of Heinz Ketchup down from £3.90 to £3, a 300g tub of Bisto gravy down from £3.79 to £2.50, a pack of seven Gold bars down from £1.75 to £1 and tins of Ambrosia Custard down from £1.99 each to £1.50 for two.

"A decent five for £5 frozen deal meant I was able to stock up some of the kids' favourites like Alphabites and Birds Eye Crispy Chicken too.

"I didn't need any beans, but it was good to see a four-pack of Heinz down to £3 with the More Card and cereals like Rice Krispies (430g), Frosties (470g) and Shreddies (630g) down to £2.50 a box.

"The 200g jars of Kenco coffee, down from £7 to £5, are the lowest price I've seen for a while."

Emma said she rarely buys Magnum ice cream lollies because of the price, but picked up two three-packs in Morrisons for just £1.58 a box, half the usual £3.25. 

She explained: "The lower prices meant I was able to buy some other treats that I've tended to leave out of the trolley these days too.

"I don't have to tell you how much chocolate has risen in cost, so it was a novelty to see Cadbury packs on offer for two for £3. The Wispa Gold and Dairy Milk packs I picked up would usually cost £1.75 each at Asda and Tesco.

"I also got a packet of Rowntree's Safari Mix, down from £1.50 to £1.

"Aside from the More Card and the Aldi and Lidl Price Match, there were so many other reductions that helped me save too, like a six-pack of Seabrook crisps for £1.25, Mr Kipling Angel Slices down from £2.50 to £1.50, two loaves of Hovis bread for £2.50, large packs of biscuits on offer at two for £1.20 and a pack of Extra Large Young's Chip Shop Fish Fillets down from £3.25 to £2.50.

"But it's the extra touches that Morrisons has that I like too.

"We love their fresh pizzas from the counter and I got a huge 14 inch pepperoni one for £4.75.

"I picked up a pack of four large Lincolnshire sausage rolls from the pastry counter for £2 and then there's the fresh bread from the bakery, with a pack of six wonderfully soft, large tiger rolls costing me £1.30."

Emma explained that thanks to a combination of special offers and the More Card, she saved a total of £24.72 on a £160 shop.

Morrisons may not have clinched the Which? accolade of the UK’s Cheapest Supermarket just yet, but with its More Card scheme, price matching promise and other deals, it's certainly pulling in more customers than ever right now.

Aldi disputes the results of Manchester Evening News' weekly comparison and says that it doesn’t take into account like-for-like products or ‘the higher quality’ of its products.

An Aldi spokesperson said: “Our promise to customers is that they will make significant savings every time they shop with Aldi, which is why we’ve been named Which? Cheapest Supermarket of the Year for three years running. Which? has also named Aldi the UK’s Cheapest Supermarket every month this year, even in its latest analysis including loyalty prices."