On average a household in the UK now spends just under £100 a week on food, with prices rising 4.5% year on year by January. Since then inflation has risen closer to 10% - pushing up the cost of everything.
DerbyshireLive reporter Cameron Mellor decided to test the spending power of £20 in two different shops - the Food Warehouse from Iceland and Marks and Spencer's Food Hall.
He said: "Obviously, at the end of the day, it all comes down to shopper preference. But the difference in how much more you can get at Iceland's Food Warehouse is clear to see.
"When we went shopping, we tried to get products that could either be used to make a meal or be added to products that you would have purchased the week before.
"We aimed for a like-for-like shopping list and the results speak for themselves."
Iceland Food Warehouse - 18 items
From fresh veg to ready meals, the £20 went a long way
- Wafer-thin Ham £1.00
- Cherry Tomatoes £1.00
- Mature Cheese £2.50
- Butter £1.00
- Kelloggs Coco Pops £2.50
- Semi Skimmed Milk £0.95
- Morning Bread Rolls £1.25
- Iceberg Lettuce £0.38
- Orange Juice £1.00
- Cucumber £0.35
- Raspberry Cheesecake £1.00
- Chicken Fillets £2.85
- Shortbread Fingers £1.00
- Southern Potato Wedges £1.00
- Galaxy Chocolate £1.00
- Beef Lasagne Ready Meal £1.00
- Sweet & Sour Chicken Ready Meal £1.00
- Petit Pois Peas £1.00
TOTAL: £21.78
M&S Food Hall - 10 items
Although we could still purchase some of the items, we hit the £20 target a lot quicker
- Four White Subs £1.75
- Kelloggs Cheerios £2.60
- Cherry Tomatoes £1.00
- Semi-skimmed Milk £1.00
Wafer-thin Ham £2.75
Orange Juice £1.55
Shortbread £1.65
Beef Lasagne Ready Meal £3.00
Two Vanilla Cheesecake Slices £2.80
Chicken & Bacon Pasta Ready Meal £3.00
TOTAL: £21.10
Cameron said: "On the one hand, we'd say you get more produce from Iceland, but the quality of some of the goods is higher in M&S in terms of flavours and variety.
"But the difference in prices is clear. For example, a packet of wafer-thin ham at Iceland's Food Warehouse is £1, whereas it costs £2.75 at M&S. Orange juice is £1 at Iceland but £1.55 at M&S. When it came to milk, both came in at around the same price, although Iceland was cheaper by 5p.
"We tried both lasagnes and there were definitely richer flavours in the M&S one (£3) as opposed to the Iceland one (£1). Again, at the end of the day, it comes down to personal preference - or, perhaps more accurately, necessity."
