Best of British aisles: December’s freshest supermarket offers

Mariah Carey has officially thawed and is set to re-enter the UK top 10 charts, which can only mean December is a matter of hours away.
Indeed, millions of households will be digging out the decorations box ready for Christmas Saturday this weekend, which is the most popular day the festive staples are purchased.
Then it will be time to stock up the fridges and cupboards with food and booze to enjoy (responsibly) over the festive season.

To help you navigate the freshest supermarket offers, here’s the December round-up of the best of the British supermarket aisles.
Trees and wines
If you haven’t yet selected your Christmas tree for the living room, Tesco is on hand with half-price offers to please fans of both the natural and artificial look.

For Clubcard holders, the Nordmann Fir, which ranges 160-190cm (5-6 feet) in height, will cost £15 until 12 December.

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This will save you around £40 on the going rate for real trees of that size at other retailers like garden centres or roadside sellers.
Even budget retailer Lidl, which launched its tree range this week, cannot match that price, with an equivalent costing £16.99.
If you want a smaller festive centrepiece, Tesco has halved the price of its potted 81-110cm version that comes with an 11-litre pot. These are available for shoppers with a Clubcard for £12.50.

If you prefer a little less mess and want an artificial tree, Tesco has a range of pop-up alternatives. The following options are available to Clubcard holders for £20 (£40 without).

6ft Pop Up Traditional Pre-Lit and Decorated Christmas Tree
Tesco 6ft Pop Up Silver Tinsel Pre-Lit and Decorated Christmas Tree

 
The retail giant also has a 6ft Pop Up Candy Cane Christmas Tree for £26 for Clubcard holders and £52 for non-loyalty card members.
In the alcohol department, Tesco is one of the supermarkets alongside Asda, Sainsbury’s, Morrisons, and Waitrose running a 25% off deal if you buy six bottles or more of selected wines.
For Tesco and Waitrose, the deal ends on 2 December, whereas Sainsbury’s and Asda’s deals run until 15 December. Morrisons currently has no end date on its own discount deal.
Winter warmers
As reported as part of YourMoney.com’s review of retailers offering free or discounted hot drinks for pensioners, Asda is relaunching its winter warmer cafes.
For £1, over-60s can enjoy soup, a roll and unlimited tea or coffee in one of its UK cafes all day for seven days per week until the end of February.
The supermarket has invited over-60s to visit the rebranded Chatty Cafes, where they can meet and bond with other pensioners.
The initiative hopes to provide some respite to households who may be struggling financially or feeling lonely during the festive season.
Aldi’s advent competition
Elsewhere, from the first day of December, Aldi shoppers can win back the cost of their Christmas shopping by submitting a receipt of what they purchased.
Up until Christmas Eve, one lucky shopper will be picked at random to bag a full refund of what was in their basket or trolley (up to a maximum of £100).
To take part in the ‘Big Advent Giveaway’, you’ll need to send a snap of your receipt to aldicompetitions@citypress.co.uk.
Winners will then be contacted with their Aldi shopping vouchers up to the value of £100.
The long-reigning holder of the cheapest supermarket crown is also offering the lowest-priced turkey this year.
It has launched prices with guidance on how many each turkey will feed.

Price
Weight
Price per kilogram
Serves

Ashfields Small Whole British Turkey
£14.99
2.8-4kg
£4.41
3-7

Ashfields Medium Whole British Turkey
£15.99
4-5.4kg
£3.40
7-11

Ashfields Large Whole British Turkey
£17.99
5.4-7.2kg
£2.86
11-15

 
Hot toddies
As well as joining the booze deals on wines, Waitrose is also offering hefty discounts on one-litre bottles of spirits to treat yourself with at dinner parties or to pop open when you sign off on your last day of work.
The deals include:

Gordons London Dry – was £25, now £19
Jameson Triple Distilled Blended Irish Whiskey – was £35, now £26
Absolut Vodka Original – was £30, now £22
Tanqueray London Dry Gin – was £30, now £24
Bombay Sapphire London Dry Gin – was £30, now £24
Whyte & Mackay Blended Whiskey – was £22, now £18.50

 
If you’re shopping online, those deals apply to delivery slots running until 3 December.