'I spent £30 on Waitrose Essentials range for my weekly shop - and found the whole thing insulting'

manchestereveningnews.co.uk:

A reviews writer said she felt insulted after trying out the Waitrose Essentials range for her weekly food shop. With budget supermarket ranges hitting the headlines this week as Asda launch their new 'Just Essentials' range, she decided to try out the budget range at Waitrose, a supermarket which is not usually a go-to for cheap options.

Birmingham Live reviews writer Rebecca Astill said she has already had to cut the luxuries out of her weekly shop due to the cost of living crisis, but this was the first time she had shopped entirely from a budget range.

She said the key budget ranges on the market now, along with Asda's new range, are the Morrisons Savers range and the Essential Waitrose range - but it was the latter that caught her eye.

Could a premium supermarket actually produce an affordable budget option? Rebecca did her weekly shop there to find out. Here is what she bought, and how she rated it. READ MORE: Asda, Tesco, Morrisons and Lidl urgently recall food products that may cause harm Apple juice, 1L: £1 Beef Mince 10%, 500g: £2.50 Cheese and smoked ham tortellini, 300g: £1.80 Roast ham slices (seven): £1.40 Mature grated cheddar, 250g: £2.65 Smoked streaky bacon, 250g: £2.75 Yoghurts (two): 80p each - £1.60 Cheese and tomato pizza: £2.60 Eggs, one dozen: £1 "I would always expect the fresh food to be the most expensive chunk of the shop, but for nothing to be less than £1 in a budget shop surprised me.