One man’s quest to find out what £1 will buy in Waitrose goes viral

Waitrose is considered Britain’s most upmarket supermarket, but what can you actually buy there with just £1?

With the cost of food on the rise, one man set out to find out, and his TikTok challenge has captured the internet’s attention.

In the ‘Waitrose £1 meal challenge – can it be done?’, he documented his shopping trip and quickly gained 414,000 followers. The video received over 1,500 likes and sparked curiosity about what £1 can really get you.

Thanks to the store’s policy of selling some vegetables individually, he was able to stretch his pound further than expected.

Here's what he bought:

• one onion – 12p
• five baby potatoes – 39p
• two carrots – 21p
• one banana – 18p
• one more potato – 9p

Back at home, he washed and chopped the vegetables, boiled the potatoes, fried the onion and carrots and combined everything into a simple carrot, potato, and onion hash. For dessert, he had the banana.

"Total cost 99p with a penny left, bargain!” he wrote.

The viral experience follows research by consumer group Which? which found Aldi to be the UK’s cheapest supermarket, followed by Lidl and Tesco, with a Clubcard.

Here’s what Which? found for a basket of 71 popular grocery items:

• Aldi: £122.77
• Lidl: £123.95
• Tesco (with Clubcard): £135.64
• Asda: £136.98
• Tesco (without Clubcard): £138.66

If you’re looking to cut down your food bill, try shopping supermarket own brands, planning meals in advance, cooking in batches, and taking advantage of loyalty schemes.

Check out our other top tips to help your weekly shop go further, and your pound stretch just a little bit more.