Aldi has been named the cheapest supermarket for a regular shop by Which?.

The consumer experts released their latest monthly analysis from July, revealing that Aldi was the cheapest supermarket for a weekly shop, while Waitrose came in as the most expensive.

Each month Which? compare the prices of 38 popular grocery items at major supermarkets in the UK.

In July they found that Aldi came in cheapest at £71.22, beating rival Lidl by just £1.38.

The same basket of items at Waitrose came in at £87.24, a 22% increase compared to Aldi.

The Northern Echo: These were the cheapest supermarkets in July according to Which?These were the cheapest supermarkets in July according to Which? (Image: Which?)

Asda was the cheapest of the “big four” supermarkets according to Which?, followed by Tesco, Sainsbury’s and then Morrisons.

Which? said: “Aldi was the cheapest supermarket in July overall, with our shop costing £71.22, pipping its discounter rival Lidl to the post by £1.38.

“The same basket of items at Waitrose would have set you back an average of £87.24, that's 22% pricier on average than Aldi.

“When it came to the 'big four' supermarkets, our comparison revealed that Asda was the cheapest for our basket at £78.65. There was only 94p between it and the next cheapest supermarket Tesco, where our basket cost £79.59.

“When we looked at a larger trolley of 135 groceries, Morrisons was the cheapest supermarket, ending Asda’s three-and-a-half-year streak as the cheapest traditional supermarket for our larger trolley of products.”

The news comes as the Bank of England warned food prices would remain high for the rest of the year.

The Bank said there was “quite wide agreement” that food price inflation had now peaked and was expected to be significantly lower by the end of the year at “perhaps around 10% or slightly lower”.

It said that cost inflation experienced by food producers had fallen, but still remained much higher than usual, and could take longer for some producers to see lower pressures, particularly where there were annual contracts with suppliers or group-buying arrangements.

Many food producers were also facing significant cost pressures from wages and energy.

Which? head of food policy Sue Davies said: “It’s worrying that food prices are expected to remain high for the rest of the year as people continue to struggle.

“This means they will continue to put huge pressure on millions of families and people on low incomes who have struggled to cope with rising costs month after month.

“Supermarkets can take meaningful action to help customers who rely on more expensive convenience stores by ensuring they stock a range of budget products that support a healthy diet, as Which? research has found these items are rarely, if ever, on sale in smaller branches.

“The Competition and Markets Authority recently agreed with Which? that grocery pricing can be unclear, so supermarkets must also act immediately to make it easier for shoppers to compare prices, while the Government must fulfil its promise to close the loopholes that are making it too easy for supermarkets to confuse shoppers.”