Groceries in London: A Complete Guide to London’s Cheapest Supermarkets
London has a particularly vibrant grocery scene, with a range of stores and produce, from local food markets to huge global chains.
We are also lucky to have access to a huge diversity in food products in the city due to London’s multicultural nature; you can find almost any food your heart desires in London!
In this complete guide to food shopping, I’ve included some of the best budget supermarkets to buy your groceries in London and the UK, as well as great online options and coupon apps to check out. We’ve covered it all! Let’s get cracking…
Which Supermarkets are the Cheapest in London and the UK?
According to Which, who compare supermarket prices in the UK every month, Aldi has come out on top as the cheapest supermarket every month this year, closely followed by Lidl.
Of the larger supermarkets, Which rated Tesco as the cheapest supermarket, and Waitrose as the most expensive (unsurprisingly).
However, particularly in London when many of us rely on public transport, we can tend to shop at the supermarkets that are closer or more convenient to access.
Here are some of the best supermarket options to consider when buying groceries in London, depending on your location:
Aldi or Lidl
These no frills supermarkets sell all of your grocery basics you could need at a very decent price. You might struggle to get more niche ingredients or specific branded items, but for your every day food products, including fresh fruit, veggies, cereal, snacks and cupboard items, they have everything you need.
The bakery aisles are also really great value. Try not to get sucked in by the middle aisle mystery bargains!
Iceland / The Food Warehouse
Iceland, (also known as The Food Warehouse) focuses on their frozen foods, but they sell a range of regular refrigerated groceries, snacks, baking items and more. Some of the best bargains are products you can buy in bulk; again living in London, space tends to be limited, but if you have room you can grab some great multi buy offers or gigantic super saver products.
I tend to visit my local Iceland Warehouse every few months to stock up on freezer items, particularly as we eat lots of veggie food, and they tend to sell a great selection. The novelty ice creams, along with the selection of exclusive branded frozen ranges are great for a budget fakeaway; pick up branded items from TGI Friday, Greggs, Cathedral City, Harry Ramsden’s and more. For pure fun factor, Iceland Food Warehouse gains some additional points for it’s creative frozen food offerings.
There are some great offers up for grabs now and they change regularly, so it’s worth a look!
Farm Foods
Farm Foods are the best store for budget novelty snacks, and you can find items at a really noticeable discount here compared to other supermarkets.
Farm Foods tend to sell lots of limited edition, seasonal and brand new flavours of snacks, sauces, spreads, ice cream, cereal bars and more. Although they sell regular groceries too, I tend to just focus on the best deals and unusual finds when shopping at Farm Foods.
It’s a good idea to visit different supermarkets for different types of food; you could visit Farm Foods for your frozen food, snacks and cupboard staples, but head to Aldi for your fruit and veggies, for example.
How to save more money on your Groceries in London
Make the most of New Customer Offers
Several delivery services have special new customer offers which are fab value, and definitely worth taking advantage of!
Meal delivery boxes are a great example; Gousto are currently offering 65% off for new customers, so right now you can grab a box of 6 meals for £11.12, or 8 meals for just £13.04! Incredible value, and the meals are really nutritious too. Bag your Gousto discount and add some new recipes to your repertoire.
Rakuten – Free £25
Rakuten are currently offering new customers £25 in cashback when they spend £60+ (£50 excluding VAT) through their website!
If you’re making a planned purchase, or even want to order your weekly food shop, you can get £25 back, plus cashback on your purchase too. Fantastic!
Sign up to Rakuten, make your purchase and wait for your £25 bonus to drop into your account. You can then refer friends for a £25 bonus too, so once you’ve signed up, send on to your family members or mates.
This is a fab deal and one that I’m sure won’t be around for long, so make the most of it!
Brand Allies
I’ve recently been converted to using Brand Allies, a product review platform with opportunities to try brand new foods and leave written reviews on supermarket websites.
Participants are compensated the cost of the item, as well as an additional fee per item! It’s super quick to complete each review too, just snap a photo, attach a copy of your receipt and submit your honest review.
Sign up to Brand Allies here if you want to try product reviews and taste some yummy new foods!
Buying food via Cashback apps
Cashback apps offer great grocery offers for new customers, so if you’ve never shopped online at any of the larger supermarkets, it’s definitely worth checking the available rates.
As an example, the current cashback rates via Quidco for each of the biggest supermarkets are:
- Sainsburys – Earn up to £5.60 cashback
- Morrisons – Earn up to £3.20 cashback
- Tesco – Earn up to £8 cashback
- Iceland – Earn up to 6.4% cashback
On top of this, you can earn £20 by signing up to Quidco when you earn £5 in cashback, so you can stack both offers at once. Even better!
If you haven’t joined any cashback apps yet, sign up and see how much you are able to save on your food shops.
Grab a free recipe box from Simply Cook
Simply Cook is a recipe delivery box service slightly different from the rest – they offer ingredients to make the sauces and spices for you to make new and exciting meals from cuisines across the globe.
You can expect to receive pastes, rubs, marinades, garnishes and spice mixes packed with lots of flavour – and you can get a box for 4 meals for free – just pay £1.98 postage!
Click here to claim your first box, and try for yourself for just £1.98! (Remember that this is a subscription, so you will have the option to pause or cancel once you have received your first box, if needed).
I’ve been making Simply Cook meals for over 5 years now and have always been pleased. I honestly don’t think I’ve ever had a bad meal, and there are always new recipes being added. I’ve written a whole Simply Cook review here if you want to read more!
Online supermarkets selling food close to its Best Before Date
There several online supermarkets that sell food close to, or even past, its best before date. If you haven’t tried them before, have a browse as there are some fantastic bargains to be found! Some of the online discounted stores include:
It’s quite unlikely you could do an entire big shop via these websites, but they can be great for cheap snacks, condiments, drinks and even toiletries and cleaning products.
Apps to get free groceries in London
Triyit Product Discovery
Sign up to product testing website Triyit and when you are selected for a campaign, you’ll receive a box of goodies straight to your door!
You can read my Triyit box review, as well as a sneak peek into my latest box and tips for being selected for new campaigns.
Coupon Apps
As well as shopping at the cheapest supermarkets, you can bag additional discounts by using coupon apps. Simply buy the products, upload a copy of your receipt and scan your item, and you’ll receive money back on your items.
Some of the best apps to get free or reduced groceries in London and the UK, include:
- Shopmium (use my referral code AMUYHAFY for a free tube of pringles to get you started!)
- Greenjinn
- Checkout Smart
Olio
Olio is an app which allows you to collect surplus food for free that’s close to its best before date, which has been donated by local businesses or residents.
This fantastic app is ideal for those looking to slash their grocery bills, and helps to reduce food waste too! Download the app and check to see which local supermarkets or local food waste heroes are signed up – you could even sign up to become a food waste hero yourself.
Too Good to Go
Reserve a Too Good To Go magic bag filled with goodies at a heavily discounted price. Lots of well known brands participate, such as Costa, Greggs and supermarkets such as Morrisons, as well as independent cafes and restaurants. The contents of the bags are a surprise, but they are always yummy!
This is particularly great for those that aren’t fussy eaters, as you never know what you’ll get, and if you do get your hands on a big magic bag, utilise your freezer as much as possible!
Want more free stuff in London?
If you’re looking to save more money in London, then look no further; these guides will help…
- Grab a free gym pass in London and work out for free
- Take a look at some of the best ways to get a free hot drink in London
- Want free theatre? Of course you do! Sign up to be a seat filler in London
- Save money on dining out and grab a free alcoholic drink whilst you’re out, too
- Bag the cheapest cinema tickets in London if you fancy seeing a movie
- See how much time and money you can save switching bills using this free bills switching service
Final Thoughts: Groceries in London: A Complete Guide to London’s Cheapest Supermarkets
I hope these tips help you to save a little more money on your weekly shop when buying groceries in London! There are lots of frugal food hacks to save money on your big shop, so make sure you are always getting the best bang for your buck.
Check out these free money offers for the best freebies and deals around, and follow me over on Instagram & Twitter for daily money saving tips and tricks!
You can also sign up to my freebie club newsletter for the latest free stuff, deals and hacks… see you there!