It’s no secret that the price of meat has skyrocketed. Whether it’s beef, lamb, chicken, or turkey, expect to shell out almost double what you would’ve done last year for a smaller cut. In updating our article on whether you could do a BBQ for four people for under a tenner, I found myself wincing every time I saw the price of the burgers change from £2-3 to £4-£6.
It’s these price hikes that might be putting you off buying your roasting meat for your Easter lunch. I’d like to point out that, for certain items, buying directly from your local red meat farmer is cheaper than going to the supermarket; if you don’t know where that is, Produce and Provide‘s clever map can tell you.
In this guide, I’ll run through the current cost of lamb, beef, and pork roasting joints at each supermarket, as well as whether any have begun cutting their prices. For each meat, I’ll keep things fair by comparing the price per kilo. Hopefully this will help you save money over an already-expensive Bank Holiday – have you seen the price of Easter Eggs this year?!
Cheapest supermarket for buying a leg of lamb
Right – let’s start with the cheapest. That’s what you’re all here to find out, after all.
Annnnnd… it’s a tie. Aldi and Lidl are joint cheapest at £5.95 per kilo. Not far behind them is worthy competitor Morrions:
2nd – Morrisons: Whole Lamb Leg for £5.97/kg until the 5th of April
3rd – Tesco: Leg of lamb at £6.50 per kilo (due to a Better Than Half Price promotion only with a Clubcard)
4th – Asda: Tender leg of lamb with a special offer of £7 per kilo
5th – Sainsbury’s: British or New Zealand leg of lamb at £7.85 per kilo (also due to a Better Than Half Price promotion, only with Nectar)
6th – Ocado: Whole leg of lamb at £10.97/kg (Easter offer of saves you 1/3 per kilo, was £16/kg)
7th – Waitrose: British whole leg of lamb at £12.66 per kilo (another Save 1/3 deal)
Cheapest supermarket for buying a beef joint
Again, there’s a tie. And you won’t be surprised to hear it’s Lidl and Aldi with the cheapest beef joints (both named ‘XXL Beef Roasting Joint’) costing £6.19 per kilo.
2nd – Morrisons: British beef roasting joint at £6.47 per kilo
3rd – Sainsbury’s: British or Irish lean beef roasting joint, £7.50/kg
4th – Tesco: British beef roasting joint better than half price at £7.75 per kilo
5th – Asda: Large beef roasting joint for £7.77 per kilo
6th – Waitrose: British large beef topside, and like the lamb, save ? and get it for £14.66/kg
7th – M&S: Organic beef roasting joint save 20% for Easter, spend £18.40 per kilo
Cheapest supermarket for a pork joint
Of all of the joints you can buy, pork is always the cheapest option. But which supermarket is cheapest for pork this Easter?
There’s one clear winner here: Lidl. The shop’s XXL British Pork Leg Joint is £3.49 per kilo.
2nd –Tesco: Pork loin joint half price at £4.00 per kilo (only with Clubcard)
3rd – Sainsbury’s: British large pork crackling joint is £5/kg with Nectar
4th – Asda: Roasting boneless pork leg joint for £5.55 per kilo
5th – Aldi: British pork leg crackling joint is £5.29/kg
6th – Ocado: British pork crackling loin joint at £7.50
7th – Waitrose: Free-range pork crackling joint at £8.44 per kilo (with a 25% off deal)
Keep an eye out for cheap vegetables
It’s not just meat you need for a Sunday roast, and handily, as it’s Easter, many supermarkets are selling off cheap vegetables. Lidl is selling a kilo of carrots and potatoes for 8p, leeks for 15p, and 50p for a kilo of shallots. Asda is offering a select set of veg under a ‘Any 5 for £1’ deal. Sainsbury’s and Tesco’s Better than Half Price promotion for loyalty card holders isn’t just for meat, but for vegetables and a range of drinks and household or bathroom items.
That was just to name a few; head to your local supermarket to see more. Just make sure they’re open before you go (if in doubt, order a delivery).
