Oxford News
Aldi, Lidl, Tesco, Morrisons, Asda and Co-op slash prices
Major retailers including Aldi, Lidl, Morrisons, Asda and Co-op are slashing prices across everything from vegetables to full roast dinners, with some items dropping as low as 4p.
This could be one of the cheapest Easter shopping periods in years – with meals from £1.25 per person and toys at half price.
But most deals are short-term, meaning shoppers may need to act quickly before stock disappears.
Veg for pennies – but only for days
The headline-grabbing deals are on traditional Easter veg.
Aldi shoppers can get potatoes, carrots, onions, swede and parsnips for just 8p and 4p each, bringing the cost of a full veg shop to under 50p. Products include British white potatoes (8p, 2kg), British carrots (4p, 1kg), XL garlic (8p, each), brown onions (8p, 1kg), British swede (4p, each) and British parsnips (4p, 500g).
Morrisons has carrots, parsnips and swede at just 4p, with savings of up to 96%.
These offers are only running for a limited period in the run-up to Easter, meaning availability could be tight as demand surges.
Full Easter dinner for less than £2 per person
Supermarkets are also competing on full meal deals:
- Aldi: full roast for four at £8.01 total
- Lidl: Easter dinner from £1.63 per person
- Asda: over 50% off lamb, pork and salmon
Core ingredients include:
- Whole leg of lamb from around £6 per kg
- Veg from 4p–8p
- Mint sauce and gravy under £1
Julie Ashfield, Chief Commercial Officer at Aldi UK, said: “Easter is a time where families can come together to celebrate… there’s incredible savings to be had.”
The supermarket expects to sell millions of vegetables and 17.5 million Easter eggs, with branded eggs cut to 99p.
Co-op enters the price war with £1.25 roast dinner
Meanwhile Co-op has joined the battle with one of the cheapest deals yet.
Its online-only “Quids In” bundle offers a full roast dinner for just £1.25 per person – or £5 for a family of four.
The bundle includes:
- British whole chicken (1.7kg)
- British potatoes and carrots
- Aunt Bessie’s Yorkshire puddings
Available via its online platform, shoppers must use the code ROASTDEAL, with the offer running until mid-April.
Rachel Halter, Customer Director at Co-op, said: “At £1.25 per head for our members, there is no compromise on quality or value… it makes a roast dinner a stress-free option.”
Tesco launches half-price toy sale for Easter holidays
It’s not just food getting cheaper.
Tesco has launched a half-price toy sale to help parents keep children entertained over the Easter break.
The sale, running until late April, includes more than 100 toys across major brands such as Disney, Star Wars, Pokémon and Barbie.
Standout deals include:
- Disney Princess Doll set: £40 → £20
- Pokémon Surprise Attack Game: £25 → £12.50
- Star Wars Lightsabre Forge: £16 → £8
- Throw Throw Avocado game: £15 → £7.50
- Snackles Mystery Blind Bag: £10 → £5
The Lightsabre Forge toy is expected to be especially popular, tied to the upcoming Star Wars release featuring The Mandalorian & Grogu.
Phoebe Howlett-Green at Tesco said: “We know with the Easter holidays parents are likely to need all the help they can get to keep their youngsters amused.”
Demand typically spikes during the two-week school break, with toys becoming a key part of supermarket promotions alongside food.
Easter eggs, meat and extras also slashed
Beyond the roast, supermarkets are cutting prices across seasonal staples:
- Branded Easter eggs reduced to 99p
- Pork loin joints from £3.75 per kg
- Gammon joints from £3.99 per kg
- Salmon sides heavily discounted
Some retailers are also adding giveaways and promotions to attract shoppers during the busy holiday period.
Easter is a key retail moment – and supermarkets are using deep discounts to win customers.
Ultra-low prices like 4p veg are typically “loss leaders”, designed to bring shoppers into stores where they spend more overall.
With budgets still tight, price has become the biggest battleground.
Recommended reading:
Aldi’s wine deals going viral “summer in a bottle”
Alongside food price cuts, Aldi has rolled out a range of low-cost wines gaining attention online.
Standout bottles include:
- Specially Selected Muscadelle (£9.99) – “wine bar quality”
- Stellenbosch Chenin Blanc (£6.49)
- Algarve Red (£6.99)
- Toscana Rosé (£7.99)
- Chianti Governo (£9.99)
- Albariño (£8.99)
Easter alcohol deals also feature:
Easter weekend fizz deals
- Nicolas de Montbart Champagne Brut: £9.99 (was £13.99)
- Prosecco Spumante DOC: £4.69
Aldi “Wine of the Week” up to 50% off
Rolling deals throughout April include:
Bordeaux: £8.99 → £4.99
- New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc: £8.99 → £4.99
- Châteauneuf-du-Pape: £19.99 → £9.99
- South African Chenin Blanc: £5.99 → £3.99
- Australian Shiraz: £6.49 → £3.99
- Argentinian Malbec: £7.49 → £4.99
The discounts are being pitched as a way to bring “affordable luxury” to Easter celebrations – but many are limited-time and while stocks last.
With some bottles already trending and selling quickly, shoppers are being urged to pick them up early ahead of the Easter weekend.
On Wednesday, September 2, it was the Concours judging and private viewings to dominate the agenda for the day.
Twelve Concours classes were held across almost a century of motoring, including The Golden Age of Motoring, 100 Years of Carrrozzeria Touring, La Dolce Vita, 60 Years of the Lamborghini Miura and Passione Ferrari.
Two new classes also made their debut for 2026, Rare Breeds of the Digital Age and Hypercar Heaven, which recognise the growing importance of contemporary performance cars within the international collector market.
Judging will take place across Wednesday and Thursday, with the show field bringing together a 70-strong collection of classics, supercars and hypercars from around the world.
Some of the cars include Aa Maserati 8C 3000, Alfa Romeo Sprint Berlinetta, a one-off Maserati 3500GT Spyder Prototipo by Vignale, a very early Porsche 356 Split Window Coupé, Aston Martin DB3S, Lamborghini Miura P400S, Bizzarrini 5300GT, Ferrari 250 GT Series 1 Cabriolet, Bugatti EB110 Prototype, Aston Martin Valiant Prototype and the extraordinary Bugatti Bolide, one of just 40 produced worldwide.
Helen Pike has decided to step down as Master of Magdalen College School at the end of the 2026/27 academic year, the school in east Oxford announced in March.
MCS is one of the top performing schools in the country, ranking in the top 20 independent secondary schools in The Sunday Times Parent Power Schools Guide 2026.
READ MORE: UK private school headteacher to leave after 11 years
The new academic year will start next week, with Ms Pike preparing for one more year in charge before she hands over to her successor, who will take over in September 2027.
The first female Master at MCS, Ms Pike guided the board of governors to one of the most significant decisions in the school’s history, to become fully co-educational from 2027.
While there has been a co-educational sixth form at the school for 15 years, the school last month announced it will become fully co-educational over the coming decade.
Ms Pike said earlier: “I love MCS, and it is a perennial privilege to lead this remarkable school.
“Being Master of MCS is a brilliant job, and I am declaring my intention early in order to give MCS the very best opportunity to find the right Master for September 2027. I shall continue to do all in my power to further the fortunes of this wonderful school until then.
“I look forward to a new phase in my own professional life, one that builds on all that I have enjoyed and achieved in my career during the past 30 years.
“Having encouraged many cohorts of pupils to take sensible risks and to do something creative and different when the time feels right, I am doing just that.”
During Ms Pike’s tenure, MCS has been recognised as a Top 20 Independent School and South East School of the Year by the Sunday Times and won Independent School of the Year for Social Mobility.
Thanking her in his letter to the school community, chair of governors, Bob Price, said earlier this year: “Helen is an outstanding leader and will go with our sincere gratitude and warm thanks for her exceptional headship.
“She will leave the school in excellent shape for her successor.”
Recruitment for a replacement for Ms Pike is now under way.
Last month, Ms Pike congratulated pupils on their “outstanding success” in this year’s A-Level exams, after more than a quarter of pupils (43) achieved three A*s or more and 25 secured all A*s.
In total, 39 pupils from the 2026 cohort are heading to Oxbridge, while 22 have secured places to study medicine.
As part of the school’s expansion plans, MCS is preparing to build a new Science, Library and Partnerships building.
A spokeswoman said the new building will offer an exciting opportunity to reimagine the senior school site as staff look ahead to full co-education.
She added earlier: “With a vision to create a sector-leading science building in the centre of Oxford, the development will enable us to support an ambitious and forward-looking science curriculum, expanding to the emerging and rapidly advancing areas of robotics, AI and Big Data.”
Holding banners which read ‘For f**k’s sake, just stop oil’, the demonstrators took to the road in Parliament Square at noon today (Wednesday, September 2).
This was as Andy Burnham faced his first Prime Minister’s Questions, and many of the protestors glued themselves to the road.
The group demanded that the UK government stop approving all further oil and gas developments, and sign a Fossil Fuel Treaty to stop oil and gas extraction.
READ MORE: Witney firefighters called out to over 50 incidents in one month
Just Stop Oil say that the police are expected to arrest all those blocking the road, and that one lane has been left free of glued-on action takers to permit access for emergency vehicles.
Andy Burnham is due to make a decision on whether to allow more drilling for oil and gas in the North Sea.
Reverend James Crote, a Baptist Minister and grandfather from Chesterton near Bicester, said: “Today is my grandson’s first birthday. I have to take action for the sake of his future.
The 69-year-old added: “The government has been dilly-dallying about whether to say yes or no to the Rosebank oil field but, if we want a future for our children, there is no choice – it has to say ‘no’.
READ MORE: Chain closes almost 200 UK restaurants with close to 4,000 jobs lost
“I am here as a Christian Minister because the Church has to speak out and demand that the government stops approving further oil and gas developments now. It’s time for us all to say ‘For God’s sake, Just Stop Oil’.”
Data from the Met Office indicates that 2026 was the hottest summer in UK recorded history, beating 2025, which was the previous hottest summer on record.
2026 was also one of the driest summers on record, delivering record-low food harvests.
Climbing temperatures have triggered wildfires across the country, and national fire chiefs said the wildfire risk facing the UK is “like nothing we have seen before”.
READ MORE: Broadchurch star selling £1.8m ‘magical’ Cotswolds mill house after 60 years
Taking action, grandmother Victoria Ann Lynch-Staunton from Leamington Spa, said: “What is happening is beyond a tragedy.”
The 71-year-old added: “I beg everyone to join Just Stop Oil or governments will continue to prioritise endless growth and corporate profit over billions of lives – yours and your children.
“Wake up and smell the coffin. It is the responsibility of all of us to act now!”
A Just Stop Oil spokesperson said today: “We are all Just Stop Oil.
READ MORE: The Grand Tour returns to screens with brand new trio this week
“Every single person who fears deadly wildfires, devastating droughts, and spiralling food shortages is Just Stop Oil.
“The first duty of government is to keep the public safe – but by greenlighting oil and gas drilling, they endanger our survival while corporates and billionaires laugh their way to the bank.
“Every one of us feels alone and powerless in the face of this insanity, but we know there is massive political and public support for our demand.
“So we’re inviting everyone to join us at an online call on 3rd October 2026 – because it’s when we work together that we are powerful and win.”
-
Oxford united FC4 weeks agoChris Gunter steps away Wales role to focus on Oxford United
-
Oxford University3 weeks agoNew to the Oxford English Dictionary this September
-
Oxford united FC1 week agoLIVE: Exeter City vs Oxford United – Jersey Mike's Trophy group stage
-
Student Life3 weeks agoOxford partnership allows OpenAI to use rare Bodleian texts to train ChatGPT
-
Traffic & Transport2 weeks agoHow poor public transport policy is putting the brake on cities | Road transport
-
Traffic & Transport2 weeks agoWhy should I have to pay more for buses if I don’t use a smartphone? | Bus fares
-
Oxford united FC2 weeks agoNorthern Ireland fans laud Oxford United defender Ciaron Brown
-
Oxford Events4 weeks agoFour days of equestrian spectacle at 2026 Blenheim Palace International Horse Trials