The total number of featured space promotions has remained high this week, though it fell back slightly to 1,655 as Christmas trading faded to a distant memory.

Wine kept its place in top spot, but the number of deals on beer and spirits remained well below pre-Christmas levels, with beer at 10th place and spirits 25th.

One category clearly in the ascendant, though, was frozen ready meals, which rose from 4th place to 3rd with 70 offers. It dwarfed 50th-placed chilled ready meals, which had just four featured space deals.

Morrisons had the most frozen meal deals, while Birds Eye was by far the most-promoted brand. It had 29 deals, more than twice second-place Young’s 14 offers.

Some 36 of the 70 deals were half-price or better, with an average saving of 42%. Stocking the freezer with all 70 would cost £101.47, a substantial £74.96 less than the standard retail price of £176.43.

Cream was the only new entrant to the top 50 this week, coming in at 43rd with six offers, up from 58th. Sainsbury's had the majority of the best offers, with 18 of the top 50, but Somerfield offered the biggest saving, £30.66, aided by a hefty £10 off Glenmorangie whisky.

The best deal in the top 50 this week was Asda’s £1 rollback on Oral B mouthwash, a saving of almost two-thirds (66.4%). The biggest cash saving, £13.43, was also to be found at Asda, on its old faithful – the 3-for-£10 wine deal.

Buying this week’s top 50 deals would cost £101.56, a £98.65 saving on the usual £200.21 price tag.