HERE'S an early Christmas present - you can gobble up turkey and all the trimmings for a bargain £12 thanks to the cheapest supermarket deal.

And if you're prepared to punt about at different stores you can knock off even more.

Tesco are top of the tree for the least expensive meal overall. Six can eat for £12.42 - more than a fiver less than last year.

You can pick up a 3.4kg frozen turkey there for £6, a 2.5kg bag of potatoes for 99p, 1kg of Brussel sprouts for £1.28 and six mince pies for 59p. A spokesman said: "Our customers know we will give them seasonal treats and everyday essentials at unbeatable prices."

Tumbling food costs and ruthless price wars between the leading supermarkets mean canny shoppers can bag a bumper deal this year.

If shoppers mix the cheapest items from the ten stores we compared they can get Christmas dinner for £11.25 - 50p less than last year's best price.

But if you can only be bothered to feast your mince pies on one store's festive goodies then Tesco are top.

Second place goes to Asda, where you could feed six for £15.84. Five items scooped or matched the lowest price including 1kg carrots at 50p, 500g parsnips for 56p and potatoes for just 68p.

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Asda hasn't announced the price of its special frozen turkeys for Christmas yet but they are expected to be cheaper than its usual £10 one.

Aldi was third at £17.45. A 4kg frozen turkey costs £8.99, sprouts are 49p for 1kg and £2.99 for a bumper 750g Christmas pud. Netto was a fraction more at £17.47 - 74p less than last year's shopping basket would have cost.

Its 750g pudding is a crunch-busting £1.69 and its potatoes just 49p for 2.5kg.

Christmas dinner would cost £20.60 at budget store Lidl. If you're up for posh nosh it's got a luxury seasonal offering again this year - a 350g lobster for £4.99.

Waitrose was most expensive at £35.13 - up £9 from £26.02 last year. Its 4kg frozen bird costs a whopping £23, while its 2.5kg potatoes are £2 - at least double the price in other stores. And you'll have to dig deep for its 750g pud at £3.49.

A spokesman said: "Our shoppers know they're getting top notch Christmas treats. We're going to have 40 per cent more deals in December than last year - focusing on those special Christmas indulgences."

But if it's not just any Christmas dinner you're after then there's good news at the home of posh grub, Marks & Spencer. It has slashed more than £7 off its Christmas dinner price, which will set you back just over £30, though the store is still second most expensive.

James Walton, chief economist at grocery retail experts IGD, said: "Last year was exceptional because food prices were a lot higher internationally.

"This year many input costs, like grain to feed the turkeys, have come down. So some food prices have also come down a bit." daniel.jones@notw.co.uk

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