Asda has bounced back from last week’s £6 drubbing by Morrisons to retake the cheapest retailer title by a comfortable £2.02 margin. It was only beaten on price on seven of the 33 items, giving it a clean sweep despite a basket that was 1.2% more expensive than last week’s. Several items shot up in price due to promotions ending: oranges rose 9p, lemons 8p, Dairy Milk 38p and Paxo stuffing 17p. These were partially offset by new deals on ice cream and tinned spaghetti, which dropped 7p and 1p respectively.

Second-place Morrisons’ basket was also more expensive this week than last, as expiring promotions piled 89p onto frozen prawns, 17p on chopped tomatoes, 35p on strawberry jam and 50p/kg on white seedless grapes. The retailer dropped the price of four items – Birds Eye chicken dippers, new potatoes, ice cream and tinned spaghetti, but not by enough to offset the rises.

Tesco stayed in third place with a basket £1.45 more expensive than Morrisons. However, Tesco’s basket was 2.4% cheaper than last week, as it cut the price of four items and increased none. It knocked £1.15 off Birds Eye chicken dippers (an offer matched by Sainsbury’s). It also permanently knocked 5p off its French baguettes, 1p off Lurpak organic and 1p off tinned spaghetti. Sainsbury’s spent another week in fourth place, but did close the gap with third-place Tesco to 77p. It cut three prices this week – as well as its offer on chicken dippers, it permanently trimmed 11p off fresh pasta and 6p off ice cream.

Sainsbury’s basket was 2.5% less than last week. Bringing up the rear was Waitrose, its basket exactly £7 more expensive than Asda’s. It had this week’s biggest price hike as its offer on chicken dippers expired – but did cut the price of six other items to deliver a basket 1.3% cheaper than last week.

Asda and Morrisons might be cheapest now, but their rivals are closing the gap.