The Complete Guide to Grocery Shopping in the UK

As a newly arrived person to the UK, one of my top priorities was figuring out how to feed myself in this new country. Knowing where to buy affordable food and do grocery shopping was totally new to me. From the variety of supermarkets to ordering groceries online, it took some time to understand the different choices available to shop for essentials in my neighbourhood.

In this blog, I’ll compare the main grocery stores based on my personal experience, highlight the value offerings for shoppers on a budget, and share tips for saving money on food as a newcomer to the UK. Whether you’re a new arrival or just want to find the best deals, read on for my insights after months of British grocery shopping experimentation!

The Main UK Supermarket Contenders for Grocery Shopping

There are countless grocery store options in the UK, but a few major chains dominate based on their nationwide reach and variety. Here are the main players I’ve sampled:

Aldi

Have you ever wondered why every single supermarket label some of their products as “Aldi-Price Match”? This is because Aldi is the symbol of cheap and cost-worthy in the UK!

Aldi is my all-time favourite as it is the cheapest supermarket you can find to save costs. All branded products you can find in Aldi is significantly cheaper than those in other groceries, but Aldi’s store is generally in smaller size and have a relatively limited selection (though more than enough if you are not looking for anything special, such as international food), remember to check if the item you want is stocked in Aldi!

The best timing to shop at Aldi is at around 5pm, because it starts to mark down those fresh products that have an expiry date of that particular day. The mark down frenzy ranges from 20% to 50% off for products like vegetables, meat and fish. Can you believe that a beef sirloin steak that normally costs £4 becomes £2 after the reduction? I can’t at first but it is all real. Be sure to use those reduced products on that day and store them into the freezer, as they will quickly go bad after the day from my own experience.

The only major issue with Aldi is that it does not offer a loyalty card nor delivery service. However, considering that it provides the cheapest option among all supermarkets, I am always willing to pay it a visit in store for my weekly grocery shopping.

Sainsbury’s

Sainsbury’s is my another go-to for grocery shopping. Despite its price being constantly ranked as the second highest just below Waitrose, Sainsbury’s has a wide range of collections and high-quality products. I mainly use Sainsbury’s to supplement things that I cannot buy in Aldi, such as international foods that I need to cook a home recipe, or rarer parts of meat like beef short ribs.

Considering its high-quality, I also buy food that is labelled as “Aldi-Price Match”, as they often have a better quality than Aldi but are priced equally. One that I buy most often is the £1 chicken wings. Unlike Aldi, Sainsbury’s food doesn’t tend to go bad immediately after the expiry date and can be used more safely in case you forget to cook it on time.

Sainsbury’s also offer an attractive delivery option, which I typically choose the saver slots that only cost 50p to £1. They usually span through a less user-friendly time and a longer waiting time-slot, such as from 6pm-10pm, which explains why the saver slots are significantly cheaper than the ordinary delivery cost of £1-£5.5. However, you must purchase more than £40 to qualify for the cheaper cost, or else you will have to pay a standard delivery fee of £7 even if you choose the saver slot.

I also tried out the Click and Collect from Sainsbury’s too due to an offer promoted by TopCashBack – a cashback website that provided me more than £10 bonus to reward me for trying this new service. It is a seamless process in which I just have to order all the items I want online, then head to the Sainsbury’s store I chose to collect in a carpark.

Morrisons

Morrisons has been a go-to when I want quality meat and freshwater produce. Similar to Sainsbury, it has a wide collection of many different types of food, but in a slightly cheaper price. They have great budget options through the Savers brand, which sometimes offers much cheaper food than Aldi. For example, I often buy my spaghetti from its Savers brand at just 38p, the cheapest I can find among all the supermarkets!

The major characteristics that brought me into Morrisons are its unique butcher and fishmonger stores. You can often find fresh rarer meat parts in its butcher store, such as oxtail, ox cheek, and pork rib that cannot be found in any other groceries unless you go to the wet markets (unfortunately there’s only one in my city and it’s very expensive). Similarly, Morrisons’ fishmonger counter provides a collection of fresh fish and other seafoods. I often buy sea bream, sea bass, salmon heads and king prawns from its fishmonger, their freshness makes the taste unlike any other groceries.

To save even more for your grocery shopping, don’t forget to download your Morrisons More Card and shop at the butcher counter on Saturdays, and the fishmonger counter on Fridays for a 20% off!

Tesco

With over 3,400 stores, Tesco is one of the largest supermarkets in the UK. Its prices are in mid-range, slightly cheaper than Sainsbury’s but more expensive than Aldi. I would argue that it is very much similar to Sainsbury as it also has a wide range of products, large fresh produce section, delivery option, click and collect service, and a loyalty scheme called Clubcard which provide exclusive Clubcard prices. As there isn’t a real difference between Tesco and Sainsbury’s, I would suggest going to the one that is closer to your home for your grocery shopping.

Asda

Asda is famous for its significantly cheaper price than its major competitors, like Sainsbury’s, Tesco and Morrisons. Many of my classmates do their weekly shop exclusively at Asda just because of this, though I personally prefer Aldi more as it is ranked as the cheapest supermarket in 2023 by which.co.uk for 11 months of the year, which matches with what I personally experience when doing my grocery shopping in both.

However, depending on where you live, Asda’s stores can be a lot more massive than Aldi’s. I once managed to find an outdated printer ink at a cheap price from Asda but not anywhere else. Hence, if you want to buy something cheap and relatively rare that can’t be found in Aldi, Asda may be the best option for you!

Lidl

As you may have guessed from its name, Lidl is very much similar to Aldi as a German discount store. Both of them have similar small inventory stores with rotating products and very competitive low prices. However, Lidl has its own loyalty scheme called the Lidl Plus, which provides coupons to customers based on how much they spent each month.

Depending on where you live, I’d use either Lidl or Aldi for grocery shopping based on which one is closer as there isn’t significant difference between them.

Co-op

I usually go to Co-op for convenience when I just need a few items quickly as it is usually located in more deprived areas where I can’t find any other supermarkets nearby. I find the food prices in Co-op quite expensive, probably because it is located in more remote places with a lack of options, and the food quality isn’t that great (found worms in my raspberries on the day of expiry which gave me nightmare). I would recommend against grocery shopping here on a regular basis, but it is still a good option when you urgently need to grab something nearby.

Waitrose

Waitrose is known as the most premium supermarket in the UK with many high-end gourmet, organic and imported specialties. I seldom visit Waitrose for grocery shopping due to my limited budget (they often sell the same branded product at a much higher price, which I view this as a rip off), but I have to admit that their fresh produce quality is amongst the best in all grocery stores, and their customer service is stunning.

My family sometimes go to Waitrose specifically just to enjoy a free cup of coffee after purchasing an item at any amount using their myWaitrose card.

Iceland

As implied by its name, Iceland is my top pick for frozen foods and ready meals when I don’t have time or energy to cook. It is very budget-friendly and often have discounts like 3 for £10 mix and match in over 500 selected products. My usual mix and match choices are Iceland Luxury 12 Macarons, Iceland Clams in a Mediterranean Style Tomato and Garlic Sauce and Kanikama Luxury Sushi Collection. Yummy yummy!

My advice is to avoid fresh produce and any non-frozen food (unless they are branded) completely from Iceland, I did that once and I regretted utterly due to their low quality.

Conclusion

While some ingredients are pricier than I’m accustomed to, there are also new affordable options to enjoy like hearty root vegetables, brussels sprouts, black beans and more in grocery shopping. The fun part has been finding budget-friendly substitutes for traditional dishes by embracing local offerings.

Here’s a summary of my recommendations overall for grocery shopping:

• Cheap groceries: Aldi, Lidl, Asda
• Wide variety of quality products and mid-range price: Sainsbury’s, Morrisons, Tesco
• In-store butcher and fishmonger counter: Morrisons
• Convenience if you are in remote area: Co-op
• Frozen food: Iceland
• Premium and quality: Waitrose

The abundance of grocers and specialty food shops has ensured I’ve been able to find all the essentials (and indulgences) needed to settle into UK life comfortably. And over time, I’ve discovered ways to trim costs and adapt to British food culture through wise grocery shopping by downloading their loyalty schemes. Though trying out different supermarkets initially felt foreign to me, it now feels like home as I’ve developed helpful habits to thrive as a savvy shopper in my new homeland.

Let me know which is the go-to supermarket that you do your grocery shopping most often and the reasons behind by commenting below!