Saving money is high on most people’s agenda right now and the good news is making some simple swaps could help people save up to £500 a year. Buying food and drink staples like coffee, olive oil, cheese and peanut butter from Lidl instead of one of the bigger supermarkets could save people a staggering £470 a year.

In a Which? taste test, Nutella’s popular spread, costing £3.35 per 350g jar, was beaten by Which?’s best value pick, Lidl’s Choco Nussa Spread, which scored highly on taste and costs only £1.45 per 400g jar.

Opting for Lidl’s spread will save shoppers £1.90 per jar and £49.40 a year, on the basis of a jar being bought every two weeks. 

Which? testers compared popular peanut butter brands WholeEarth, Sun-Pat, and KP against supermarkets and again found Lidl’s Mister Choc Crunchy Peanut Butter is the best value pick, costing just £1.25 for 340g, Shoppers could save £1.75 per jar by switching to Lidl’s offering instead on Sun-Past, on the basis that a jar is bought every two weeks.

Compared with the Best Buy option from Waitrose, Lidl shoppers can save £33.24 per year by swapping to its No.1 Chianti Classico Olive Oil P.D.O priced at £12.50.

She continued: “They can be a lot cheaper and with the majority of things, especially meat, you can’t tell the difference – plus it can help cut down on food waste.

“Chances are you won’t notice a difference taste wise but it could make a big difference to your bill.”

To keep costs to a minimum, it’s also important to make a meal plan and strictly follow a shopping list.