Sainsbury's value christmas dinner

Sainsbury’s has upped the ante in the Christmas dinner wars by undercutting Tesco and Asda – with a deal that includes a fresh turkey, not a frozen one.

Sainsbury’s deal comes in at £23.90 for Christmas dinner for six people, working out at £3.98 a head. Tesco and Asda are offering deals for five for £25 and £22 – or £5 and £4.40 per head – respectively.

Sainsbury’s deal also undercuts Iceland’s, which is £18.60 for four, or £4.65 per person, and Poundland’s, at £25, or £5 a head.

The only deals coming in cheaper than Sainsbury’s are Heron Foods’ £15 deal for four, working out at £3.75 a head, and one from Aldi feeding six for £23.88, or £3.98 a head.

However, unlike all those deals, Sainsbury’s is fresh, including the bird. Sainsbury’s shoppers also get a whole bird, while Tesco and Poundland’s deals feature a turkey crown and Heron Foods and Iceland’s a turkey joint.

In full, Sainsbury’s deal consists of a 3kg fresh turkey, carrots (1kg), brussels sprouts (500g), parsnips (500g), white potatoes (2.5kg), gravy granules (170g), sage & onion stuffing mix (85g), pigs in blankets (260g), Yorkshire puddings (132g), cranberry sauce (250ml) and fruit sherry trifle (900g).

The turkey on its own costs £12.75 – 75p cheaper than it did last year according to Sainsbury’s. The sage & onion stuffing mix, Yorkshire puddings and fruit sherry trifle are also cheaper than last year, while everything else on the list is the same price.

“Through its relentless focus on price, Sainsbury’s has been able to hold the price of a traditional fresh Christmas dinner against last year, so customers can be reassured they will not be paying more for their traditional roast dinner despite current levels of inflation,” said a spokeswoman.

She said Sainsbury’s was investing a further £50m in low prices by March 2023, taking the two-year total to over £550m, and including £15m into low prices at Christmas.

Sainsbury’s CEO Simon Roberts said: “We understand that millions of households are having to make tough decisions this Christmas and our job is to do everything we can to help with the rising costs of living. We are accelerating our commitment to being the best value, investing a further £50m in lowering prices and doing everything we can to fight inflation and help our customers enjoy celebrating this year.

“We know everyone wants to enjoy a special Christmas meal together which is why we’re keeping inflation at bay and offering Christmas roast dinner for less than £4 per head – cheaper than it was last year.

“I would like to thank every one of my colleagues who are working tirelessly to deliver a brilliant Christmas for our customers. Our entire team at Sainsbury’s are working together to offer the best value, innovative new products and leading customer service. We’re all looking forward to welcoming our customers into stores and online at this special time of year.”

Sainsbury’s Christmas dinner deal will be available in stores – excluding Locals – from 19 to 24 December.

Aldi’s £23.88 deal for six includes a frozen small turkey (1.5kg-1.9kg), brussels sprouts (1kg), sliced carrots (1kg), honey glazed parsnips (600g), garden peas (900g), roast potatoes (1kg), pigs in blankest (240g), Yorkshire puddings (230g), sage & onion stuffing mix (170g) and gravy granules (300g).