Aldi has recorded its best Christmas trading period to date as sales topped £1.6bn in the four weeks to Christmas Eve.

The discount grocer saw total sales increase 3.4%, while its seasonal products rose by 10% year on year and its premium Specially Selected range jumped by 12% compared with the same period in 2023, as it saw shoppers trade up over the festive period.

Aldi also delivered strong sales of fresh British products, with a record 350,000 fresh British turkeys sold, alongside more than 400 tonnes of British beef and almost three million British Brussels sprouts.

The supermarket saw shoppers begin festivities earlier than ever, with some spreading the cost by buying traditional favourites like Christmas cakes and puddings as early as September, while others treated themselves for almost three months.

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As a result, shoppers bought around 50 million mince pies and around 25 million British pigs in blankets over the period.

Aldi UK chief executive officer Giles Hurley said: “We dropped hundreds of prices last year as part of our ongoing mission to make outstanding quality, affordable food accessible to everyone.

“Our offering of outstanding quality British products at unbeatable prices was a winning combination yet again this Christmas as customers wanted to celebrate in style after an uncertain year, but with more challenges ahead, they wanted to do it without breaking the bank.”

It comes as consumer watchdog Which? has named Aldi as the cheapest supermarket of 2024, having been the least expensive for all 12 months of the year.

Hurley added that looking ahead to the new year, “our mission remains clear: we will not only remain the UK’s lowest-priced supermarket, but we will ensure the price gap between ourselves and the traditional full-price supermarkets is as big as ever.

“Because with so much uncertainty, what our customers want to know is that whatever they need, they will make significant savings, week in, week out, by shopping at Aldi.”

Last week, rival discounter Lidl also celebrated its “most successful Christmas yet” as sales increased by almost 7% over the festive period.