The ham on offer at Countdown was free-farmed and was the cheapest offer online.
The ham on offer at Countdown was free-farmed and was the cheapest offer online.
A traditional Christmas feast of glazed ham, roast chicken, baby potatoes, a summer salad, icecream, and pavlova with berries and cream will set you back at least $188 this year with minimal savings between the major supermarkets.
As the cost-of-living crisis bites, we looked at where savings could bemade and at the three major supermarkets.
We stacked the online trolley at New World, Pak’nSave, and Countdown with 22 identical or comparable ingredients for Christmas lunch and there was just $12 between the cheapest and most expensive supermarket.
Countdown on Greville Road on Auckland’s North Shore was the cheapest at $188.20 for the 22 items. The supermarket was not only the cheapest but it also offered a top-quality free-farmed ham at the best price.
Shoppers can only chose a 4kg or larger ham online but there are a variety of sizes in store.
We chose to collect the items, saving up $14 on delivery.
The total bill at nearby Pak’nSave Albany was $192.37 for the 22 items. New World Albany was the most expensive at $200.72.
The biggest saving between the supermarkets was on the Christmas ham. At $16.60 per kg for free-farmed ham, Countdown’s product is less expensive than that offered by both New World and Pak’nSave.
The 4kg free-farmed ham we popped in the trolley was $66. The same-sized ham at Pak’nSave cost us $69.96 - or $17.49 per kg - but was not advertised as free-range. At New World, the 4kg half ham on offer was $75.96 - or $18.99 per kg - and was also not advertised as free-range.
In store at Pak’nSave and New World Albany, there are free-range options but they are considerably more expensive than the same weight and size at Countdown.
Pak'nSave had free-range hams in store but they were more expensive than the online prices.
Dressing the ham with pineapple, glazed cherries and cloves was the cheapest at Pak’nSave at $11.97. To buy the same items at New World was the most expensive at $14.37. The biggest price difference was for the same packet of Tasti cherries which were $3.99 at Pak’nSave and $5.39 at New World.
If you’re not set on ham there are big savings to be had by making a leg of lamb the main dish. Lamb prices have plummeted because of lower export demand and this week you could pick up a leg of lamb for $12. All three supermarkets had a leg of lamb price between $8.99 and $9.99 a kg.
We didn’t pop a leg of lamb in the trolley but we did add a whole 1.5kg chicken. The cheapest was at New World with a Waitoa free-range chook adding $16.99 to the Christmas bill. At Pak’nSave, the same chicken was $17.99; at Countdown, it was $18 for a 1.5kg Macro free-range chicken with spiced couscous stuffing.
A home-made summer salad with mixed lettuce, feta, roasted beetroot, and cherry tomatoes costs $14.04 at Pak’nSave, $15.15 at Countdown, and $15.20 at New World.
There was only a few dollars difference between baby potatoes, beans and butter, gravy for the chicken, fresh orange juice and kumara for roasting, between the supermarkets.
If you want to cut costs ditch the kumara and add a few more potatoes. Two kumara cost around $11 because of low stocks due to the January floods.
New World Albany had more options in store than online but prices were higher than Countdown's free-range prices.
For dessert, we chose ready-made pavlova served with icecream and topped with cream then piled on the strawberries and blueberries.
There wasn’t much of a price difference with the fruit but the cheapest 2 litre tub of vanilla icecream was $3.99 at Pak’nSave and New World and $6.99 at Countdown.
Shopping online is convenient and stops the temptation of popping extras in the trolley but there are also in-store specials that are easier to spot in person.
Each store has its own specials and items that are reduced to clear could be perfect if you’re shopping on Christmas Eve.
Ross Martin from Foodstuffs said this weekend marks the start of the busiest supermarket shopping days for the entire year.
The seven to 10 days before Christmas Day are when people shop for the main goods such as ham, baby potatoes and mince pies.
“Then they will do a ‘top up’ shop over the next week, which includes shopping for items like salad greens, berries and baked goods,” he said.
A survey of more than 1000 shoppers revealed the most popular dish was ham with more than half of respondents planning on serving it. This was followed by chicken (44 per cent) and lamb (27 per cent). The number of people intending to have a vegetarian main meal is up 5 per cent compared to 2022, now at 7 per cent.
We didn't put lamb in the trolley but it was going cheap at Countdown with whole legs starting at $12.
As for the timing of the main meal, half of Kiwi households intend to have a Christmas lunch between noon and 2pm. Around 13 per cent have brunch, 18 per cent have a late lunch with Christmas dinner the least popular meal with only 8 per cent.
* Correction: A previous version of this article referred to Countdown selling free-range ham. The hams were free-farmed. The SPCA says free-range piglets stay with their mother until weaning. Once weaned, they are slowly moved for rearing outdoors. Piglets in a free-farmed system stay with their mother outdoors until weaning. After weaning, pigs are raised in naturally ventilated barns on deep litter bedding.
Kirsty Wynn is an Auckland-based journalist with more than 20 years experience in New Zealand newsrooms. She has covered everything from crime and social issues to the property market and has a current focus on consumer affairs.
