UK Meal Plans by Supermarket
Start with where you shop, then choose the goal that fits this week: weight loss, high protein, muscle gain, student meals, low effort or busy work lunches.
Generic UK SupermarketUses average UK supermarket pricing when you do not want a named-store plan.
AldiBest for lower-cost staples, simple shops and budget meal prep.
LidlUseful for budget-friendly plans built around familiar staples.
TescoGood for broader ranges, easy swaps and Clubcard-style shopping.
AsdaA practical option for family-friendly staples and larger shops.
Sainsbury'sUseful when you want wider premium and own-brand choice.
MorrisonsGood for familiar UK meals and flexible weekly shops.
IcelandBest for freezer-friendly, low-effort and batch-cook plans.
WaitroseBest for premium produce, higher-welfare proteins and quality-focused weekly shops.
OcadoBest for online grocery planning, scheduled deliveries and wide M&S-backed ranges.
M&SBest for premium convenience, prepared ingredients and smaller high-quality baskets.
Co-OpUseful for local top-up shops, convenience staples and simple smaller-basket meal prep.How to choose, if you are not sure
The honest answer is that the supermarket matters less than most comparisons suggest. Every plan here is built from the same kinds of food - a protein, a starch, vegetables and something to make it taste of something - and all of the big UK chains stock all of it. What changes between them is the price, the pack sizes and which own-brand ranges reach the expensive part of the basket.
If cost is the binding constraint, start with Aldi or Lidl: their prices are stable week to week, which matters more across a twelve-week stretch than any single offer. If you want the widest choice for swaps and dietary needs, Tesco, Asda, Sainsbury's or Morrisons will fit better. If you are cooking for one or two, the smaller pack sizes at M&S and the Co-op waste less than a discounter's larger ones, which can close more of the price gap than the shelf label suggests.
Iceland is the specialist case and worth understanding rather than dismissing. It is not a full weekly shop, but frozen protein and vegetables come pre-portioned, so you cook only what you take out - which is portion control without weighing anything.
What changes between supermarkets, and what does not
What does not change: the structure of the week, the calorie and protein targets, the recipes and the way the shopping list is grouped. A 1,500 kcal weight-loss plan is the same plan whichever chain it is costed against.
What does change: the weekly cost estimate, the specific own-brand products named in the list, and the swaps that make sense when something is out of stock. That is why these plans name categories - lean mince, frozen mixed vegetables, plain high-protein yoghurt - rather than particular products, which rotate.
You are not locked in. If you shop across two stores, or change where you shop, the generic UK supermarket plans use average price assumptions and no chain-specific products, and every plan can be followed anywhere with the obvious substitutions.