As well as the cost of petrol and diesel hitting new records over the last four months, families are also facing higher food prices.

Essential items such as bread, cereal, milk, cheese, eggs, and meat have seen the biggest increase.

As part of the Daily Echo’s Your Money Matters campaign, we have been endeavouring to help readers save as much as possible on their food bills.

To achieve this, we have gone out on a quest to find Southampton’s cheapest supermarket chain.

We have been comparing the price of five essential items – bread, milk, eggs, pasta, and rice – across the five largest chains in Southampton.

For comparison purposes, we have been looking at the cheapest option in each store.

Lidl

Thick white toastie – 65p

Semi-skimmed milk – 75p

Six free-range medium eggs – 99p

Spaghetti – 69p

Long grain easy cook rice – 95p

Total price: £4.03

Asda

Soft white toastie thick sliced – £0.80

Long-life semi-skimmed milk – £0.99

Six medium free-range eggs – £1.15

Just essentials spaghetti – £0.23

Easy cook long grain white rice 500g – £0.75 (£1.50 per kg)

Total price: £3.92

Sainsbury’s

Daily's medium sliced white bread 800g – £0.36

Dairy Pride semi-skimmed longer lasting UHT milk 1l – £0.75

Sainsbury's Woodland free range medium eggs – £1.10

Hubbard's Foodstore spaghetti 1kg – £0.46

Sainsbury's Basmati rice 500g – £1.15 (£2.10 per kg)

Total price: £3.82

Tesco

Toastie white bread thick – £0.80

Semi-skimmed long-life milk 1l – £1.10

Tesco six British eggs – £0.95

Hearty Food co spaghetti – £0.23

Grower Harvest Long Grain Rice 1kg – £0.45

Total price: £3.53

Aldi

Everyday medium sliced white bread – £0.36

Cowbelle British semi-skimmed long life milk 1l – £0.75

Six Merevale Scottish eggs – £0.69

Everyday essentials spaghetti – £0.69

Essentials long grain rice 1kg – £0.45 (5p per 100g)

Total price: £2.94

These prices are correct as of Monday September 12.

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