You’ve been shopping all wrong – ‘secret’ aisle where food is up to £2 cheaper including Tesco and Asda | The Sun

FINDING ways to save on your weekly shop isn't easy right now, but you can still find bargains if you know where to look.

Most supermarkets have a "secret" aisle, stacked with cupboard staples that are usually cheaper than elsewhere in the shop.

World food aisles typically have great value options on herbs and spices, as well as essentials like tinned tomatoes and chickpeas at lower costs.

The items found in this aisle are essentially the same, they are just labelled a little differently.

But most of us are guilty of missing out this "hidden" aisle when we do the weekly shop.

And with the cost of a supermarket shop shooting up by 11.6%, consumer expert Julian House says the savings in this aisle shouldn't be overlooked.

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He said: “The world food aisle – whilst offering exotic and wonderful brands, is regularly overlooked as a place not altogether relevant to your specific food shop.

"However, if saving money is your goal, this is a mindset that you should revisit."

We asked Julian, founder of MyFavouriteVoucherCodes, his top tips for shopping in the world food aisle.

Look out for non-perishable items

The non perishables are usually cheaper from this aisle, but some shoppers don't even realise.

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Julian said: "This aisle isn’t only foods you may be unfamiliar with, it also stocks a cavalcade of genuine food staples – with rice, grains, pasta, tinned goods and herbs to name a few."

A 400G tin of KTC Red Kidney Beans from the world food aisles in Asda, Iceland and Coop is just 50p.

Whereas a 400g tin of Napolina Red Kidney Beans is a whopping £1.20 in Coop and 75p, 90p at Iceland and 75p at Asda.

This means you could be saving 70p by getting kidney beans form the world food aisle.

Beat the brands

Chocolate is soaring in price, but the world food aisle does have cheaper alternatives for those looking to get their sugary fix.

And swapping from big name brands to lesser-known names in the world food aisle could save you a small fortune.

For example, a 100g bar of Milka Hazelnut Chocolate is £1.10 in Tesco's world food aisle.

But a bar of Cadbury Darkmilk Hazelnut is priced at £1.50 for just 85g.

This is a saving of 45p per 100g.

If you're into cooking from scratch, you could also make a saving by buying ingredients from lesser known brands.

A 400ml tin of Blue Dragon coconut milk is £2 in both Morrisons and Tesco.

But a 400ml tin of Island Sun coconut milk is just £1.

Save on everyday essentials

Once a staple of every aisle, cheese is fast becoming a luxury.

We found a 500g packet of Mlekovita Gouda Cheese Slices on sale in Tesco for £3.25, or 65p per 100g.

This compares with a pack of Tesco's own brand Gouda slices, which costs £1 per 100g – 35p more than the world food alternative.

You can also look to make a saving on genuine food staples like rice and pasta.

Morrison's sells a bag of basmati rice for £1.25 for 500g, or £2.50 per kg.

But in the world food aisle, you can get a 2kg bag of basmati rice for just 18p per 100g.

This is a saving of £2.32.

How can I find the best deals in the supermarket?

Swap to own brand

Julian said that while the world food aisle is cheaper than some of the usual alternatives, you shouldn't disregard supermarket own brands.

He said:"By doing this, you get the same products with slightly different packaging. 

"You can save as much as 30% on your weekly shopping."

The Sun regularly tests supermarket own brand products to see if they can beat the big brands.

Lidl's own brand Freeway Cola costing 47p beat other supermarket's own brands to be crowned the best by The Sun.

While the budget supermarket's own brand orange juice was also found to be the best alternative to Tropicana.

You can also try checking frozen alternatives to fresh fruit and vegetables, and looking on the lower shelves where customers are known to find better deals.

Know when to shop

Heading to the shops when products are marked down and bright yellow discount stickers are applied can save you serious dough.

If you shop in the evening, you are more likely to find goods that have been marked marked down.

But each branch of a supermarket will have their biggest discounts at slightly different times of day.

We put together a handy guide to what time supermarkets including Aldi, Asda, Tesco and Lidl reduce their prices.

Make a list

One of the most common mistakes shoppers make is going out underprepared.

Making a list will help to stay focused on getting the items that you really need, rather than being drawn into impulse purchases.

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Another tip is to choose a smaller trolley – or a basket, if possible – to shop with.

A bigger trolley will look emptier even after you've finished trawling the aisles, and can encourage you to pick up more items.

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