CHRISTMAS is coming – and it wouldn’t be the same without a turkey on the table.
Farmers have been warning shoppers that they need to secure birds early this year to fears over avian flu and also rising costs.
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The National Farmers Union (NFU) say the poultry sector has experienced a “very difficult year”, which could leave some farmers struggling to keep up with demand.
We have compared prices to crown the cheapest supermarket winners.
Battle of the Birds
We’ve chosen to compare whole, medium sized turkeys where possible.
We based our winners on the cheapest per kg and used the lowest weight that a shopper could buy.
We have worked out the price per kg for each bird using the lowest weight in each range.
This is to make sure you get a fair comparison on bird for your buck.
Supermarkets do offer smaller or different cuts, such as turkey crowns and joins, which may be cheaper, depending on your needs.
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It’s also important to note that the quality of birds will vary, this comparison is purely on prices.
Prices were correct at the time of writing. Remember, to compare prices before you shop.
Lidl and Sainsbury’s will both be revealing their full prices closer to Christmas, although Lidl is selling its frozen range already.
Fresh turkeys
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Aldi is the winner in our fresh category with a bird costing £4.95 per kg.
It pipped Morrisons to the top spot, as the supermarket charges £4.99 per kg.
Closely followed by Tesco and Asda who are both charging £5 per kg.
Unsurprisingly, Marks and Spencer is selling the most expensive with its £7 per kg bird.
Frozen turkeys
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It’s the battle of the bargain retailers in our frozen category with Aldi and Lidl both coming top.
They are both charging £4 per kg, with the bird costing £15.99.
M&S is not selling frozen turkeys this year.
The frozen turkeys are not priced by weight so we have included each supermarket’s total price for each bird.
You can buy your bird now and stick it in the freezer and it will keep for up to three months.
Don’t forget to check defrost times, to avoid a nightmare on Christmas day.
Fancy birds
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If you want to treat yourself this Christmas to a more up-market bird, then Aldi has the cheapest premium turkey.
It is £7.99/kg and costs from £31.96.
We’ve included Iceland‘s Luxury Turkey Crown as it does not have any premium whole turkeys on sale this year, it will set you back £30.
M&S’s British Free-range Pembrokeshire Bronze Whole Turkey is the most expensive at £16 per kg and prices starting at £64.
Most of the major supermarkets have revealed their festive ranges for this year already.
Or if you can’t wait until the big day some chains have released their Christmas sandwich selections too, we’ve listed them here.
