Supermarkets and Food Shopping in the UK: Guide for Newcomers
Grocery shopping in a new country can be surprisingly disorienting. Different brands, different layouts, and a different food culture. This practical guide helps new arrivals understand UK supermarkets, find familiar ingredients, and manage their food budget.
- Section
- Practical Life in the UK
- Reading time
- 9 min
- Last checked
- 24 March 2026
- Source
- The published Immigration Rules and GOV.UK guidance, linked throughout this guide.
- Rowan does not
- Look at your own case, tell you which route to choose, or say what the Home Office will decide. This guide shows the published rules and where to read them.
In short
- UK supermarkets range from budget (Aldi, Lidl) to premium (Waitrose, M&S).
- Own-brand products offer the best value in most supermarkets.
- International food shops and online stores can help you find familiar ingredients.
- No official source publishes a grocery budget or a supermarket price ranking, so this guide gives neither.
- For age-restricted goods, carry a passport, a UK photo driving licence or a PASS-accredited card. A share code from an eVisa is not photo ID a shop can use, and biometric residence permits are no longer issued.
- Large shops in England and Wales may open for only 6 consecutive hours between 10am and 6pm on a Sunday, and must close on Easter Sunday and Christmas Day. Scotland has no such restriction.
UK supermarkets run from discount chains with a short product list to premium ones with a long one. This guide explains how they differ, how to find ingredients from home, and the rules that actually catch people out: Sunday trading hours, the carrier bag charge, and what counts as identification when you are asked to prove your age.
UK Supermarket Overview
The UK has a diverse supermarket landscape. Understanding the different chains helps you find the right balance of price, quality, and range:
Budget Supermarkets
- Aldi: German discount chain with a small, curated range. Very competitive prices. Limited branded products but good quality own-brand alternatives.
- Lidl: Similar to Aldi. Small stores, limited range, low prices. Good bakery section.
Mid-Range Supermarkets
- Tesco: The UK's largest supermarket. Massive range, competitive prices on own-brand, Clubcard loyalty scheme with significant discounts.
- Sainsbury's: Good quality, slightly higher prices than Tesco. Nectar loyalty card. Good international food aisles.
- Asda: large stores, competitive prices, a wide own-brand range.
- Morrisons: Strong on fresh food and butchery. Mid-range prices.
Premium Supermarkets
- Waitrose: Higher prices but excellent quality. Good range of speciality and international foods.
- M&S Food: Premium ready meals and quality ingredients. Higher prices. No large weekly shop stores in most areas.
Finding International Ingredients
One of the biggest challenges for newcomers is finding familiar food from home. Here are your options:
- International food shops: Most UK cities have Asian supermarkets, African food shops, Polish delis, Middle Eastern stores, and others. Ask local community groups for recommendations (see our community groups guide).
- Supermarket world food aisles: Tesco, Sainsbury's, and Asda all have international food sections with basics like rice, spices, sauces, and noodles from various cuisines.
- Online specialist retailers: Websites delivering specific cuisines nationwide, useful if you live in a smaller town without specialist shops.
- Markets: Many towns have weekly markets with fresh produce, and some cities have permanent food markets with international vendors.
For halal, kosher, and other dietary requirements, see our UK food and dietary guide.
Budgeting for Food
Food is one of the biggest controllable expenses in the UK. Here are practical ways to keep costs down:
- Compare the discount chains against your usual supermarket on the items you actually buy, rather than on a headline claim
- Buy own-brand products — these are often made by the same manufacturers as branded items
- Plan meals before shopping to avoid waste
- Check yellow-sticker reduced items in the evenings for significant discounts on items nearing their sell-by date
- Use loyalty cards — Tesco Clubcard and Sainsbury's Nectar offer real savings
- Cook at home — eating out and takeaways cost significantly more
- Buy in bulk for staples like rice, pasta, and tinned goods
For a broader view of UK living costs, see our cost of living guide.
Online Grocery Shopping
All major UK supermarkets offer online shopping with home delivery or click-and-collect. This can be especially useful when you first arrive and are still getting to know your area:
- Tesco, Sainsbury's, Asda and Morrisons all deliver to most UK postcodes
- Delivery is charged, and each retailer sets its own prices, slot by slot. Cheaper slots are usually mid-week and mid-morning, and most retailers sell a monthly or annual pass that covers delivery
- Click-and-collect — ordering online and picking the shopping up from the store — is usually cheaper than delivery and sometimes free
- Rapid delivery services also operate in larger cities, at higher prices
Understanding UK Food Labels
UK food labelling follows specific rules:
- Use by: Do not eat after this date (safety concern)
- Best before: Quality may decline after this date but the food is still safe to eat
- Traffic light labels: red, amber and green marks showing fat, saturated fat, sugar and salt at a glance. This scheme is voluntary, so not every product carries it
- Allergen information: the 14 regulated allergens must be emphasised in the ingredients list on pre-packed food. Since October 2021, food packed on the premises where it is sold — a sandwich made in the shop, for instance — must also carry a full ingredients list with the allergens emphasised
You can learn more about food standards on the GOV.UK food labelling page.
Practical Tips for New Arrivals
- Bring a reusable bag. In England every retailer, of any size, must charge at least 10p for a single-use carrier bag. Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland set their own charges
- Self-checkout machines are common and accept contactless payment
- Bring photo identification if you are buying alcohol. Shops run Challenge 25, so anyone who looks under 25 is asked. A passport, a UK photo driving licence or a card carrying the PASS hologram are the usual accepted documents. A biometric residence permit is not: they stopped being issued at the end of 2024
- Sunday trading is restricted in England and Wales. A large shop — one over 280 square metres — may open for only 6 consecutive hours between 10am and 6pm, and must close entirely on Easter Sunday and Christmas Day. Scotland has no such restriction, and Northern Ireland has its own rules
- Smaller convenience stores (Tesco Express, Sainsbury's Local) charge more than larger stores
Check out the GOV.UK bank holidays page for dates when shops may have reduced hours.
Next Steps
Find your nearest supermarkets and check their Sunday hours, which are shorter than you may expect in England and Wales. Sort out photo identification before you need it: a passport or a PASS-accredited card is what a shop can accept, and an eVisa share code is not. For international ingredients, ask in local community groups or search for specialist shops in your area.
Related guides:
Questions and answers
What are the cheapest supermarkets in the UK?
No official source ranks supermarkets by price, so this guide gives no percentage. What is structural rather than a claim: the discount chains, Aldi and Lidl, stock far fewer product lines and almost no branded goods, which is how their prices are lower. In any supermarket, the own-brand version of a product is cheaper than the branded one.
Where can I find international or ethnic foods in the UK?
Most UK cities have specialist international food shops, often concentrated in areas with established immigrant communities. You can also find international aisles in major supermarkets like Tesco, Asda, and Sainsbury's. Online retailers like Red Rickshaw, Starry Asian Market, and others deliver specialist ingredients nationwide.
How much should I budget for food shopping in the UK?
No official source publishes a grocery budget, and any figure in a guide is a guess. The Office for National Statistics does publish food price inflation and average household spending in its Living Costs and Food Survey, which is the nearest thing to an official measure. For your own budget, track a few weeks of actual receipts: that is more use than anyone's average.
Can I use my visa as ID for age-restricted products?
Not any more. Biometric residence permits stopped being issued at the end of 2024, and immigration status is now an eVisa proved with a share code — which is a web page, not a photo ID a shop can accept. For age-restricted goods, carry a passport, a UK photo driving licence, or a proof-of-age card carrying the PASS hologram. Shops operate Challenge 25, so expect to be asked well past your 18th birthday.
This guide is general information about published immigration rules. It is not advice about an individual application under s.82 Immigration and Asylum Act 1999, and Rowan is not regulated by the Immigration Advice Authority. Immigration rules change several times a year. For advice on a particular situation, contact an adviser authorised by the Immigration Advice Authority or an immigration solicitor. Always check GOV.UK for the authoritative current rules.