Best-value Christmas food and drink for 2025

Looking for ways to cut your Christmas costs? Our taste tests have uncovered great value festive fare to help you celebrate for less.

Whether you’re looking for superb smoked salmon, a cheap and cheerful cheddar, or a budget-friendly fizz for less than £15, our independent supermarket food and drink taste tests have uncovered the best items to pop in your trolley this Christmas.

We've found that you can bag tasty versions of festive favourites without spending big from supermarkets including Aldi, Sainsbury's, Tesco and more. Discover some of our top picks below.

Best cheap champagne

• Lidl Comte de Senneval Champagne Brut Champagne, 82% – £13.99 for 75cl. Available from Lidl (in-store only)

Looking to kick-start Christmas celebrations with some budget-friendly bubbles? 

Lidl's champagne was awarded a Best Buy, impressing our experts with its inviting nutty aroma, juicy apple flavours and hints of lemon meringue.

As the cheapest champagne on test, it's a fantastic festive fizz that offers outstanding value for money.

See the full results from our champagne taste test, plus discover top-rated prosecco and crémant in our guide to the best sparkling wine.

Best cheap smoked salmon

• Aldi Specially Selected Mild & Delicate Smoked Salmon, 70% – £3.09 for 100g. Available from Aldi (in-store only)

Aldi’s mild and delicate smoked salmon was the joint-highest scorer in our taste test, and costs less than £3.50 a pack.

Our tasters enjoyed its gentle smoky flavour, balanced saltiness and good thickness. 

Whether you're serving it as part of festive brunches or canapés, it's a great choice for Christmas.

See the full results from our smoked salmon taste test.

Best place to buy your turkey and trimmings – find out which supermarkets were rated best by shoppers, including turkeys, stuffing and pigs in blankets

Best cheap cheddar cheese

• Aldi Specially Selected West Country Mature Cheddar Cheese, 74% – £3.39 for 350g. Available from Aldi (in-store only)

For a crowd-pleasing cheese that won't break the bank, Aldi's delicious mature cheddar is our Great Value pick.

It was the cheapest on test and finished in joint third place overall, scoring higher than Cathedral City and Pilgrims Choice.

It's a fantastic choice if you're looking for a tasty cheddar to serve alongside crackers and chutney on a Christmas cheeseboard.

See the full results from our mature cheddar taste test.

Best cheap Irish cream liqueur

• Sainsbury's Taste the Difference Irish Cream Liqueur, 77% – £13.25 for 70cl.  Available from Sainsbury's

Baileys is a classic festive tipple, but if you’re looking for ways to indulge without spending big this Christmas, switching to a cheaper supermarket own-label could cut costs.

Our tasters thought Sainsbury's Irish Cream Liqueur tasted just as good as the big brand, despite costing several pounds less per bottle.

It was rated the joint-top tipple overall, with the majority finding it had just the right sweetness, creaminess and boozy flavour. 

It's also worth keeping an eye on Baileys prices, as there might be deals in the run-up to Christmas. 

See the full results from our Irish cream liqueur taste test.

Looking for more festive food and drink recommendations? Check out the best mince pies, the best Christmas puddings and the best red wine.

Other great-value essentials for the festive season

For those betwixt-mas times when you're after some store-cupboard essentials, we’ve also uncovered plenty of other great-value food and drink, including hot chocolate, crisps and Yorkshire puddings.

Here are some other handy staples worth stocking up on:

• Best cheap hot chocolate: Tesco Finest Belgian 70% Dark Hot Chocolate Flakes, 70% £5.75 for 200g. Available from Tesco.
• Best cheap crisps: Asda Extra Special Sea Salt & Chardonnay Wine Vinegar Hand Cooked Crisps, 78% £1.34 for 150g. Available from Asda.
• Best cheap Yorkshire puddings: Aldi Specially Selected Large Beef Dripping Yorkshire Puddings, 73% £1.99 for 288g. Available from Aldi (in-store only).

More ways to save on Christmas food and drink

For more advice, including supermarket price comparisons and how to make the most of loyalty schemes, see the links below:

• How to spend less at the supermarket
• Should you use a supermarket Christmas saver scheme?
• Cheapest supermarkets 2025

Please drink responsibly. See Drinkaware for advice.

Prices shown are based on typical price, excluding special offers. Prices correct as of 24 November 2025. Test scores aren't comparable across categories.