Supermarkets are set for a price battle over the cost of Christmas veg with three retailers now offering dinner essentials for 19p.

Sainsbury's and Lidl have joined Aldi in slashing the cost of key items such as carrots, parsnips and sprouts.

Aldi - which has just been named Which?'s cheapest supermarket for November - is well known for its annual Super Six deal which for a number of years has cut the cost of traditional Christmas dinner vegetables in the run up to the big day.

This month red and white cabbage and swede are joining the list of half a dozen vegetables shoppers can snap up for under 20p a bag - an offer Aldi says will save households up to 80% when it is available from December 18.

But with cost of living pressures increasing, the battle to attract supermarket customers - in the face of rising food prices and soaring inflation - is expected to be hard fought this winter and Aldi aren't the only ones to offer cheaper veg to try and entice shoppers who have a roast dinner to cook.

Lidl is offering vegetables including 1.5kg of potatoes and 1kg of carrots also for 19p, as it goes head-to-head with Aldi, and keeps a promise to be able to serve up a Christmas dinner from its aisles for just £16.32 for six people, or a little over £2.70 per person.

Lidl is also expected to slash prices earlier than its budget neighbour with some of the cheapest deals expected to be available to buy from this Thursday (December 15) in the majority of stores.

Sainsbury's has been the first of the bigger supermarkets to react to vegetable price cuts by the budget chains - offering 2.5kg of potatoes for 19p - giving customers weightier portions than both Aldi and Lidl when bags go on sale also on Sunday.

It is unclear as to whether other big names such as Tesco, Asda or M&S will follow suit with their own veg deals in the coming days.

But with recent egg shortages leading to some criticism of retailers that farmers are not getting a 'fair price' for their labour, Aldi is among those quick to insist its 'amazing vegetable deals don't come at a cost to its suppliers'.

It says it is working closely with British firms all year round to ensure that regardless of any promotions instore, that growers continue to receive the same fair price as usual.

Julie Ashfield, managing director of buying at Aldi, which says it will offer its Super Six for 19p right up until Christmas Eve, added: "At Aldi we believe that access to fresh, high-quality food is a right, not a privilege – and Christmas dinner is no exception. Christmas is an expensive time for many families up and down the UK, but customers can rest assured that Aldi will always offer the very best value groceries."