We have all had to throw away out of date food that we missed, but by planning meals, storing food correctly and making use of leftovers, we can reduce waste and save a bit of money.

Check out these simple tips from Love Food, Hate Waste on how to reduce food waste:

1. Check your fridge temperature.

It should be between 0-5°C. Food, especially milk, will go off much quicker if it is warmer.

2. Use your fridge wisely
Some foods keep better outside the fridge. This includes bread (keep it in a cool dark place like a bread bin or cupboard), bananas, pineapples, potatoes and onions.

3. Love your list
Make a shopping list and stick to it when you go shopping. Plan and shop with specific meals in mind.

4. Water your veg
Keep the stems of vegetables such as broccoli, celery and asparagus in water to help them stay fresh and crisp.

5. Freeze your 5-a-day…
If you have fresh fruit and vegetables that you can’t use in time, store them in the freezer.
Be aware some fruit and vegetables will lose their texture when frozen (tomatoes, strawberries and apples) but you can puree or stew them.

6. …and freeze leftovers
Many leftovers and chilled convenience meals freeze well too. If you have made something like pasta or rice with a sauce, freezing the sauce separately will work better.

7. Measure your portions
Reduce waste by cooking only the amount you need. Measuring takes away the guesswork and makes you more likely to get the right amount.

8. Sauces and dips
Lots of leftovers can be made into sauces or dips. If you have leftover beans or pulses, mash or blend with some garlic, lemon juice and herbs for a hummus-style dip (don’t try
this with baked beans unless you rinse them thoroughly first). Slightly over-ripe avocados are great for guacamole, and tomatoes, peppers and cucumbers, which need using
up, can go into homemade salsa.

9. Freeze dairy products
Semi-skimmed and skimmed milk freeze better than whole milk. If it separates once defrosted, just give it a good shake. Hard cheese also freezes well – cut it into smaller
portions, or grate some ready to use later.

10. Revive past-it bread
Bread rolls past their best? Put them in the oven for a few minutes to crisp up again. You can also make stale bread into breadcrumbs - either mix them with herbs and onions as a stuffing for chicken or to top baked fish, or freeze the breadcrumbs for later use. Loaves of bread freeze well too.