Asda has provided the cheapest basket for the sixth week in a row.

The retailer produced a £43.44 basket in The Grocer 33 pricing survey this week - this was thanks in part to promotional deals on Radox Herbal Bath and Kleenex For Men.

Most of the other prices in Asda's basket remained static this week, though the cost of a kg of own-label fresh kippers with butter was down by 5p.

Tesco and Morrisons were placed joint second with £45.54 baskets, which showed that Morrisons' chief executive Marc Bolland meant business when he vowed to slash prices at the beginning of the year.

Tesco has increased the price of a kg of loose closed cup

mushrooms by 10p since last week but the price of 4-packs of Stella Artois fell 20p. It also took 1p off the cost of own-label quiche Lorraine.

The cost of items in our basket at Morrisons remained static, apart from a £1 rise in the cost of Kleenex for Men, which signalled the end of a three-week promotion.

Sainsbury's was the fourth-cheapest retailer for the fourth week in a row with a basket cost of £46.57. Price changes to the Sainsbury's basket this week included a 63p rise in the price of a kg of parsnips, while 5p was lopped off the price of a class one iceberg lettuce.

Somerfield ranked fifth-

cheapest this week, with a basket costing £52.13. It has raised the price of a kg of loose onions by 6p since last week but has cut the cost of a class one iceberg lettuce by 10p.

And Waitrose weighed in as the most expensive retailer yet again with a basket cost of £54.83. The cost of items in its basket remained static apart from a 2p rise in the price of a kg of loose onions and a 6p fall in the cost of a class one iceberg lettuce.

Milk prices remained higher than seen in previous weeks after a 4p rise across the board last week, as suppliers fed cost pressures through to consumers.

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