Giles Hurley, chief executive officer of Aldi UK and Ireland, has said the retailer will ‘beat rivals’ on the price of traditional Christmas dinner.
As the cost of living remains stubbornly high, research (survey of 2,000 people carried out by OnePoll in November 2025) shows that shoppers are being more frugal this Christmas, with 30% planning to shop earlier than usual to spread the cost. While one in five (21%) are said to be preparing elements of their festive meals ahead of time to make the big day feel less pressured.
Almost a quarter (23%) are adopting a ‘less is more’ attitude, streamlining the variety of products in their baskets.
“Shoppers are anxious about how the Budget may affect their finances, and many families have been cautious about spending. We want to take the guess work out of affordability by locking in the lowest prices now – whatever cost pressures come our way – on Christmas dinner veggies, turkey and the trimmings to make Christmas as affordable as possible," Hurley said.
“We’re already the UK’s cheapest supermarket – and have been for four years – but this promise gives our customers complete confidence that they’re getting the very best value on everything they need for their festive feast – this Christmas and every Christmas to come."
Marks & Spencer also saw Christmas shopping starting earlier, with more than 56,000 orders placed on the first day it opened its Christmas Food to Order service (pre-orders kicked off 23 September 2025) – a 7% increase on the year.
Early bestsellers included the Collection Rolled Sirloin & Ribeye of Beef Roast, the Collection Salmon & Prawn Terrine, and the Oakham Turkey Breast Joint. The Collection Dashing through the Snow dessert was the most clicked-on product on M&S.com.
Whilst shoppers are being cautious this year, the OnePoll results found that more than half (52%) are still planning to pick up some premium products, with Christmas usually a time of indulgence.
M&S launches £8 all-in-one Christmas dinner, as £195 beef wellington sells out
M&S meanwhile appears to be straddling two strategies – with a raft of high-ticket items including a £195 beef wellington created by celebrity chef Tom Kerridge – and its more affordable all-in-one offering.
While some have voiced their outrage online over the price of some of its items, if you break it down it isn’t as eye-watering as it first appears. The beef wellington weighs 2100g and serves up to six people – that’s £9.29 per 100g. If six people were to divide this dish equally, they would get a 350g portion for £32.50.
A visit to the M&S website also shows the Christmas showstopper has sold out - so it’s evidently paid off.
Still, the retailer has launched a counter offer, with its two all-in-one dinners priced at £8 each. This includes a range of meat, vegetables, roast potatoes and stuffing bulls inside a Yorkshire pudding.
Lidl’s under £12 Christmas dinner
Lidl has also weighed in on the Christmas price wars with its £11.85 offering which serves eight people. It features a Birchwood Whole Turkey, a platter of veggies: sprouts, carrots, potatoes and parsnips, Yorkshire puddings, stuffing and gravy.
This follows a £250 million investment from Lidl to cut prices of everyday items in an effort to help shoppers save in the run-up to Christmas.
Supplier impact: Who forks the bill?
“I remember last year the cut price vegetables at front of store in lead in to Christmas, and my reaction was – who is paying for this?" Charles Baughan, managing director of Westaway Sausages told Food Manufacture.
“All retailers will have a strategy to get as many people as possible to do their big Christmas shop in their stores. I think these headlines are just this, and these offers will need to be funded.
“It will be interesting to know the average spend on a family big shop in the run up to Christmas. I suspect it will be 5% higher than last year as food inflation impacts and as people buy the offers but still spend on the expensive impulse items as well.”
Aldi boss Hurley has assured its cheap as chips prices won’t be impacting its suppliers, however.
“Being the cheapest for shoppers doesn’t affect the fair prices paid to our suppliers. The discount is our commitment, at our own cost,” he said.
