As Easter 2026 approaches, shoppers across the UK and Ireland are being greeted by a wave of supermarket price cuts, with Aldi leading the charge as the UK’s cheapest supermarket according to new data released by Which? on April 3, 2026. The analysis, which compared the cost of 95 everyday grocery items, revealed that Aldi customers paid significantly less than those shopping at rival chains, offering some much-needed relief to households grappling with high living costs.
Which? found that a typical basket at Aldi was £26.75 cheaper than Tesco, even after factoring in Clubcard discounts, £28.47 less than Sainsbury’s with Nectar prices, £29.70 cheaper than Morrisons, and a staggering £64.38 less than Waitrose. Even Ocado shoppers could save nearly £50 per shop by switching to Aldi. Over the course of a year, these savings could add up to more than £2,500 for regular Aldi customers, a sum that’s hard to ignore for families watching every penny.
The timing of these findings couldn’t be better for consumers, with major retailers including Aldi, Lidl, Morrisons, Asda, and Co-op slashing prices on a range of products in the run-up to the Easter bank holiday. The competition is fierce, and the deals are eye-catching: some vegetables are being sold for as little as 4p, and full Easter dinners are being offered for less than £2 per person. But there’s a catch—many of these offers are short-lived, with supermarkets warning that stock could run out quickly as demand surges.
Among the headline deals, Aldi’s traditional Easter vegetables are hard to beat. Shoppers can pick up British white potatoes (2kg) for just 8p, British carrots (1kg) for 4p, XL garlic for 8p each, brown onions (1kg) for 8p, British swede for 4p each, and British parsnips (500g) for 4p. Not to be outdone, Morrisons has matched the 4p price for carrots, parsnips, and swede, with savings of up to 96% compared to usual prices. According to Which?, these offers are only available for a limited time in the days leading up to Easter, so those hoping to snag a bargain will need to act fast.
The savings extend beyond vegetables. Aldi is advertising a full roast for four at just £8.01 total, while Lidl is offering an Easter dinner from £1.63 per person. Asda is also getting in on the action, with over 50% off select meats such as lamb, pork, and salmon. Core ingredients for these meals include whole leg of lamb from around £6 per kilogram, vegetables at rock-bottom prices, and sauces for under £1. Supermarkets are expecting to sell millions of vegetables and a whopping 17.5 million Easter eggs, with branded eggs reduced to 99p—a tempting proposition for anyone with a sweet tooth.
Across the Irish Sea, a similar trend is unfolding. On April 3, 2026, retailers including Lidl, Aldi, Tesco, Supervalu, and Centra announced reductions on their own-brand milk and butter products. Lidl, for instance, lowered the price of its Coolree 1-litre milk cartons by 4 cent (from €1.19 to €1.15) and its 2-litre cartons by 10 cent (down to €2.25). Its Dairy Manor 454g butter dropped by 40 cent, now selling for €2.99. Tesco quickly matched these cuts, with similar reductions on its own-label milk and butter, including a 10 cent drop on 2-litre milk cartons and 40 cent off 454g Irish creamery butter. Supervalu and Centra followed suit, cutting the price of their 454g own-brand butter to €2.99 and reducing 227g packs to €1.99, while also lowering 2-litre milk cartons to €2.25.
Aldi, never one to be left behind in a price war, confirmed immediate reductions of up to 14 cent on milk and 40 cent on its Kilkeely Pure Creamery Butter 454g pack. Niall O’Connor, Country Managing Director of Aldi Ireland, emphasized the retailer’s commitment to affordability, saying, “The latest price reductions on butter and milk are part of our ongoing commitment to lowering the cost of the weekly shop. We will continue to absorb costs where possible, protect consumers, and support our suppliers.”
These reductions are being promoted as part of broader efforts to shield customers from the pressures of the cost-of-living crisis. However, not everyone is celebrating. The Irish Farmers’ Association (IFA) has voiced strong concerns about the impact of these price cuts on the agricultural sector. Henry Dunne, the IFA’s Liquid Milk Chair, didn’t mince words: “This week we have huge spikes in fertiliser and energy costs and yet the supermarkets have made these cuts this morning. The cuts are tone deaf and a kick in the teeth for farmers.” He went on to explain, “The reality is that farmers who are set up to produce fresh milk, and therefore have higher costs, have had a very difficult winter with prices falling and costs rising.”
Dunne warned that these short-term price drops could have long-term consequences, accelerating an exodus from fresh milk production. “Now instead of passing back a modest increase to farmers the supermarkets have started a price war on milk and butter. Farmers are exiting fresh milk production in significant numbers. Today’s announcement will speed up the exodus. Soon, we will not be producing enough milk during the winter months,” he said, according to The Irish Times.
The backdrop to these price wars is a complicated economic landscape. While the Central Statistics Office reports that the average cost of a 2-litre carton of milk in Ireland has actually fallen by 2 cent over the past year, butter prices have crept up by 3 cent, alongside increases in items like bread and cheese. These fluctuations come amid warnings that food inflation could rise sharply in the coming months if the disruption caused by the Iran war persists—a worry that’s keeping both consumers and retailers on edge.
It’s not the first time supermarkets have slashed prices in response to economic pressures. Irish retailers previously reduced the price of own-brand milk in October 2025 and dropped the cost of butter in January 2026. But with the latest round of cuts, the tension between supporting consumers and sustaining farmers has rarely been more pronounced.
For shoppers, the message is clear: now is a good time to hunt for bargains, especially with Easter just around the corner. But for those producing the food, the picture is far less rosy. As supermarkets battle for market share and consumers rush to fill their baskets with discounted goods, the question remains—how long can these low prices last before the cost is passed on somewhere else in the supply chain?
While the Easter price war is delivering some of the cheapest shopping in years for families, it’s also highlighting deep divisions in the food industry—between retailers eager to attract customers and farmers struggling to stay afloat. As the shelves empty and the savings add up, both sides will be watching closely to see what the next round of price cuts brings.