Mother and father can spend excess of they should on packed lunches with out realising it. At MoneyMagpie, we in contrast the web worth of a typical little one’s lunchbox throughout main UK supermarkets to see the place the most affordable lunch will be constructed, the place the prices creep up, and which objects make the most important distinction to the full.
The result’s clear: whereas bread and fruit don’t differ wildly, ham and crisps can shortly push up the value of a easy lunch. Over a full faculty yr, the hole between the most affordable and priciest supermarkets on this comparability provides as much as a noticeable quantity.
At a look
- Most cost-effective on this comparability: Aldi at round 59p per lunch
- Shut behind: Asda and Tesco at simply over 63p per lunch
- Mid-range: Morrisons and Sainsbury’s at round 68p per lunch
- Worth: Waitrose at round 97p per lunch
- Highest on this basket: M&S at about £1.45 per lunch
What we in contrast
To maintain this honest, we used a easy and lifelike lunchbox created from normal own-brand merchandise slightly than mixing price range strains in a single store with premium strains in one other. The basket was:
- a ham sandwich made with two slices of ordinary white bread
- a 20g ham portion
- one packet of prepared salted crisps
- one apple
- water from dwelling
This isn’t meant to be the right lunchbox. It’s meant to be a transparent and sincere like-for-like comparability of a really typical one.
How the maths labored: Bread was priced as one-tenth of an 800g loaf, ham as a 20g sandwich portion, crisps as one bag from a multipack, and apples as one fruit from a normal pack. That allowed completely different pack sizes to be in contrast pretty.
Children’ packed lunch grocery store comparability
| Grocery store | Bread | Ham | Crisps | Apple | Complete per lunch | 5-day week |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aldi | 8.9p | 9.5p | 14.2p | 26.5p | 59.0p | £2.95 |
| Asda | 7.4p | 11.2p | 16.7p | 27.8p | 63.1 p | £3.16 |
| Tesco | 7.4p | 11.0p | 18.3p | 26.5p | 63.2p | £3.16 |
| Morrisons | 7.4p | 12.5p | 16.7p | 31.5p | 68.1 p | £3.40 |
| Sainsbury’s | 7.4p | 12.5p | 18.3p | 30.0p | 68.2p | £3.41 |
| Waitrose | 7.5p | 37.5p | 20.0p | 31.7p | 96.7p | £4.83 |
| M&S | 7.5p | 66.4p | 37.5p | 33.3p | £1.45 | £7.23 |
What the prices appear to be over per week and college yr
Aldi comes out most cost-effective on this basket at roughly £2.95 for a five-day week. Asda and Tesco each are available in at round £3.16whereas Morrisons and Sainsbury’s sit simply over £3.40.
Waitrose reaches round £4.83 per weekand M&S rises to round £7.23. Over a 39-week faculty yr, that works out at roughly:
- Aldi: £115.05
- Asda: £123.24
- Tesco: £123.24
- Morrisons: £132.60
- Sainsbury’s: £132.99
- Waitrose: £188.37
- M&S: £281.97
What the distinction means
In contrast with Aldi, the identical fashion of lunch works out at about £73 extra over the varsity yr at Waitrose. In opposition to M&S, the distinction is way bigger as a result of ham and crisps are considerably costlier on this basket.
Why the totals differ a lot
The bread line is just not the place the actually massive variations seem. Most supermarkets keep pretty shut as soon as the loaf is damaged down right into a per-sandwich price. Apples are additionally not wildly completely different, though some shops are a little bit greater than others.
The true worth swings come from ham and crisps. That issues as a result of these are precisely the kind of lunchbox objects dad and mom purchase on autopilot. A couple of further pence on every merchandise doesn’t look dramatic, however over 5 days per week after which a full faculty yr, it provides up shortly.
Why Lidl, Nisa and One Cease should not in the primary desk
Lidl, Nisa and One Cease had been a part of the unique comparability listing, however they’re much tougher to rank pretty in a nationwide on-line piece. Lidl typically reveals merchandise with out a clear reside grocery worth on-line, Nisa costs can differ by native retailer, and One Cease pricing is commonly tied to comfort purchasing and supply platforms, which makes precise like-for-like nationwide rating a lot much less dependable.
That doesn’t imply they’re by no means good worth. It means a clear on-line comparability is tougher to face up with confidence, so it’s extra sincere to not current a tough rating for these shops right here.
Easy methods to make packed lunches even cheaper
Portion issues your self
One of many best wins is to keep away from merchandise offered purely as lunchbox objects. A bigger pack of ham, a much bigger snack bag portioned at dwelling, and unusual fruit slightly than small pre-packed lunchbox variations can all carry the fee down.
Use cheaper fillings by means of the week
Ham is well-liked, however it isn’t at all times the most affordable possibility. Egg mayo, grated cheese from a block, hummus, smooth cheese, tuna mayo and leftovers reminiscent of cooked hen can all minimize the day by day price.
Make your individual bread if you’ll genuinely use it
A selfmade loaf utilizing grocery store flour, yeast, salt and water can nonetheless be low-cost, particularly should you already bake usually. It may well assist beat pricier grocery store loaves, however the saving in contrast with the very most cost-effective shop-bought bread is smaller than many individuals assume as soon as vitality prices are thought of.
Most cost-effective selfmade bread route: Use robust white bread flour, fast-action yeast, salt and water for a plain sandwich loaf. It’s most cost-effective once you bake usually, keep away from waste, and slice it your self for the week.
Swap crisps out just a few days per week
Crisps are handy, however they aren’t at all times the most affordable lunchbox facet (and a few colleges don’t even permit them). Carrot sticks, cucumber, popcorn cut up from a bigger bag, bananas, satsumas and raisins can all work out cheaper.
Suppose past sandwiches
Pasta salad, wraps, couscous, mini savoury muffins and easy leftover-based lunches can all be low-cost, filling and simple to pack. They’ll additionally match higher with many colleges’ packed lunch preferences than a extremely processed lunchbox stuffed with snack packs.
Low cost meals that normally match faculty lunchbox guidelines
Each faculty can set its personal packed lunch coverage, so dad and mom ought to at all times test native guidelines. Basically although, the most secure and most cost-effective choices are normally easy staples reminiscent of:
- ham, cheese or egg sandwiches
- wraps with smooth cheese or leftover hen
- pasta salad with sweetcorn or peas
- apples, bananas, satsumas or pears
- carrot sticks, cucumber or pepper strips
- plain yoghurt in a reusable pot
- home-portioned popcorn or raisins
- water from dwelling
The underside line
Packed lunches can really feel low-cost as a result of every ingredient seems to be small by itself. However as soon as these objects are repeated day by day, the full can turn out to be an actual drag on the household price range. This comparability reveals that grocery store alternative alone could make a noticeable distinction.
If the precedence is the most affordable easy lunchbox, Aldi comes out greatest on this comparabilitywith Asda and Tesco shut behind. And if dad and mom wish to carry the fee down additional, the most important wins normally come from switching the place they store, rotating fillings, portioning extra at dwelling and relying extra on lower-cost staples.
Costs had been checked on-line on 30 March 2026 and should change. Promotions, native availability and substitutions can all have an effect on last basket totals.
