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Asda secured only its second win of the Grocer 33 year, setting up a three-way tie with Morrisons and Tesco in week seven of the annual competition. With a £4.33 gap on its £59.82 basket versus nearest rival Sainsbury’s Asda still had to issue a money-back voucher (£3.14), mind, as it wasn’t 10% cheaper.

While consistency was key in its win this week, with 23 items at the cheapest price, Asda’s competitiveness on the half leg of lamb made the biggest difference. Asda has actually increased its price per kilo by 7.7% in the past year (see right), but it was still £2 cheaper than Tesco and Morrisons and £4 cheaper than Waitrose.

The lamb was also crucial to Sainsbury’s second place. At £7.85, the average price per kilo across the past year has been lower at Sainsbury’s than even Asda (£7.92), and it’s fallen 9.5% yoy - though a recent price hike has taken the price to £8.50. It was also exclusively cheapest on six items (way more than Tesco and Morrisons), with an £8 deal on the Oyster Bay wine also influential, and was the only retailer whose basket was cheaper both mom and yoy.

The price of the lamb has fluctuated wildly at Morrisons in the past year, but it was off promotion this week, and with a promo on the Oyster Bay also expiring, its £65.80 basket rose £4.27 - almost as much as the £4.33 margin of difference versus first-placed Asda.

Tesco has been there or thereabouts for weeks in the Grocer 33, but you can’t say that about the price of its leg of lamb, or its Oyster Bay wine, and its £66.46 basket was £6.64 more expensive than Asda’s, despite being £1.04 cheaper than last month.

Waitrose has a 25% sale on its Waitrose 1 range for the next couple of weeks, but it was miles behind here, offering the cheapest price on only one item, and with Asda’s basket 22.7% cheaper.