'Cheaper supermarket brands are a gift for our festive season budgets'

09 December 2023 , 16:39

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Denise Van Outen (Image: Holly Wren / Channel 4)

Christmas wouldn’t be Christmas without spending an obscene amount of money on food and drink that we have absolutely no interest in for the other 51 weeks of the year.

Turkey, mince pies, sprouts, a glass of Baileys, pudding stuffed with peel of all things… the mind boggles. And does anyone even like Christmas pudding?

’Tis the season for splashing out on indulgent treats – in the week before the big day, shoppers double their spending. But amid the cost-of-living crisis and with prices rocketing, is it possible to have a quality Christmas for less?

Money influencers this week revealed ingenious ways to cut costs – but without sounding bah humbug, I am probably definitely not going to craft homemade cards and decorations. I’m also not going to make candles. I’ll leave that stuff to Stacey Solomon and her relentless enthusiasm.

However, in an eye-opening Channel 4 consumer show, Christmas Secrets of Supermarket Own-Brands, Denise Van Outen revealed that half the time there’s little or no difference between big brands and supermarket own-label products – also known as dupes – except for the cost.

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Be honest: when you break out the chocolates on Christmas Day and pop the champagne cork on New Year’s Eve, would you really know if they were… (whisper it) supermarket knock-offs? Are you absolutely sure?

Could you actually tell, after three eggnogs (what even is eggnog?), if that cheese you’re inhaling in front of EastEnders is some posh brand or Lidl’s own? Isn’t smoked salmon just smoked salmon, or does it taste better if packaged with the “finest” photo of a Scottish loch?

We can all be snobs for brands (Heinz Tomato Ketchup and Coca-Cola are non-negotiable, FYI) but we need to cast off our disdain and get savvy.

Own-label bubbly is often made by the same fancy champagne houses that make the big-brand names (just pour it when your friends aren’t looking), and supermarket cheese can be churned by the same dairies that whip up pricey posh versions.

The ingredients may vary slightly with recipe tweaks but the know-how and standards remain the same. Similar stuff, different packets.

Lookalike beauty products that compete with the brands can be 10 times less expensive and can anyone really discern a tot of Aldi’s Ballycastle from a Baileys? Probably not, after the fourth glass.

When it comes to de-branding, I’m completely sold. My grand plan this year is to ignore the marketing bells and whistles… then spend the cash I save on, er, more festive stuff I don’t need. It’s foolproof.

Sara Wallis