Leftovers - Tip 1

Cook a bit extra of your main meal and take it to work for lunch in a food flask or reheat it if you have the facilities. Over the week you'll save money on buying lunch and make your colleagues very envious!

Leftovers - Tip 2

Gotta lotta bottle? If you’re not going to use up all your milk before it goes off, why not freeze it in ice cube trays? Then you’ve got the perfect serving for a cuppa whenever you need it.

Leftovers - Tip 3

Have your cake and eat it!  It sounds unlikely but cake is one of the most commonly wasted types of food in the UK.  Luckily, it freezes well; but remember to cut and wrap it in slices before you pop it in the freezer.

Leftovers - Tip 4

Go bananas today! These lollies are a tasty summer way of using up any bananas on the turn. You can also use frozen bananas to make smoothies, milkshakes and banana ice cream. Yummy! 

Leftovers - Tip 5

One of the best ways to keep food out of the bin is to have a few store cupboard essentials ready to go at all times. That way, if you need to stretch leftovers to create new meals, you've got everything you need.

Leftovers - Tip 6

Going on holiday this summer? Use up what's in your fridge to make yourself a homecoming meal and stick it in the freezer for when you get back. That might go some way to beating the post holiday blues! 

Leftovers - Tip 7

Got some leftovers but not enough for a whole meal? Looking for dinner inspiration? Try the leftover recipes from both Love Food Hate Waste and Sainsbury's Food Rescue. 

Measures - Tip 1

Knowing how much rice to cook can be tricky, here's a 30 second video showing how to measure your perfect serving.

Measures - Tip 2

Do you have a penny in your pocket? Draw around a 1p coin and you have a template for one serving of uncooked spaghetti (if you stand it on end)! One serving of uncooked pasta shapes should be roughly the size of your clenched fist. If you have scales to hand, it's 75g per person!

Measures - Tip 3

Next time you're catering for a crowd, offer each of your guests a container in which to take home leftovers. It's difficult to portion a party and so make the most of your leftovers by getting your guests to take them away. You'll appear both generous and food-conscious: win-win.

Measures - Tip 4

Spuds are so easy to over-portion owing to the variety of shapes and sizes they grow in. On the whole, a handful of spud per person is enough to cook. If you're making mash, get an ice cream scoop for serving. It's a fun way to present your potato and helps prevent over-serving a mound of mash on the plate. Instead, you can start with 2–3 scoops and serve more if still hungry. Leftover mash can be kept in the fridge for two days but can also freeze up to two months. When it comes to defrosting, leave it in the fridge overnight to thaw completely.

Measures - Tip 5

Cooking for the family or a group of friends? Let your guests help themselves from central serving dishes. That way there is likely to be less waste on the plates and the leftovers can be stored and used again.

Measures - Tip 6

When you get home with your shopping, transfer as much as you can straight into the freezer. If you buy large packets of meat or fish, divide into smaller portions and freeze in freezer bags for later use!

Measures - Tip 7

Do you have smaller plates you could use at home? A Danish survey showed that a plate size reduction of just 9% reduced leftover food by over 25%. And American research found that we don’t even notice when we eat portions that are 20% smaller! Why not try it in your home and see if anyone notices.

Bonus 3

There's always some food that we can't help throwing away: tea bags, pineapple skins and egg shells. But you could turn them into compost to make your garden more beautiful! And even if you don't have a garden, there are options for you.

Dates - Tip 1

If you have something approaching its use-by date that you know you won't use in time, why not offer it to friends, family or neighbours using the Olio app?

Dates - Tip 2

Yes it's true – you can freeze milk. You need never pour milk down the sink again. When it's coming up to its use-by date, and definitely still smells fresh, simply put it in the freezer. Defrost completely in the fridge and use within 5–7 days. Actually you can freeze just about anything up until the 'use by' date. Freezing acts as a pause button, allowing you to preserve both uncooked foods and cooked meals. Just defrost your food as you need it and eat within 24 hours.

Dates - Tip 3

Move it!  Have a quick check through your fridge and cupboard and move items nearing their 'Use By date' to the front.  That way you’ll remember to eat them first! Wrap up any half used packets such as cheese, sliced meats or sausages to stop them drying out. Bring the oldest foods to the front so that they get used first.

Dates - Tip 4

Did you know that Best Before refers to food quality, rather than safety?  So if you have tins of food past their Best Before date in your cupboard, they should be fine to eat!

Dates - Tip 5

When you're shopping, look for food with the longest use-by date and freezer-friendly fresh foods. Helpful if you don’t get round to eating them in time!

Dates - Tip 6

If your pot of yoghurt is close to its use-by date, there's a brilliant way to keep it out of the bin. Mix it up with overripe fruit, chuck it in a tub and freeze: instant frozen yoghurt dessert. Yum.

Dates - Tip 7

You can ignore 'display until' date labels as these are for shop staff. The really important date label is 'use by', which relates to food safety.

Bonus 2

Meat bones and plate scrapings can't go in a normal compost bin, but you could try a wormery, bokashi bin or a green cone! Our champions have tested some out for you

Storage - Tip 1

Check the temperature of your fridge - ideally it should be below 5 degrees Celsius to keep your food at its best. This small change can add three days to the storage life of some foods! Contact us for a free fridge thermometer if you don't already have one. 

Storage - Tip 2

The case of the mystery Tupperware…. We’ve all had tubs of food lurking at the back of the fridge or freezer. We put them there with the best intentions to eat them later, only to forget how long they’ve been there.  Keep a marker pen by the fridge to make sure you write the date on the box as you put it in to help you keep track.

Storage - Tip 3

Keep potatoes and onions separate as they can react with one another, making them spoil quicker. Did you know you can stop spuds sprouting for longer by storing them with an apple? But apples will stay fresher for longer in the fridge.

Storage - Tip 4

In the UK we throw away 40% of the bagged salad we buy! Just putting a sheet of kitchen roll in bagged lettuce or spinach leaves can keep it fresh for up to three days longer. Who'd've thought it? Brilliant. You can also rejuvenate wilted leaves by popping them in a bowl of ice water. Gives a whole new meaning to 'iceberg lettuce'.

Storage - Tip 5

We've all been there: slowly watching that super-healthy broccoli go soft in the fridge (while we eat something less holy). Keep your broccoli at its best by slicing a chunk off the stalk, putting it in water and leaving it overnight. Perfect with stilton in a soup or alongside some fresh salmon.

Storage - Tip 6

Avocados are the food that's taking urban cafes by storm – topping toast with eggs for breakfast. But they're notoriously hard to get soft enough to cut, without tipping over into sludge. Science has the solution: put your hard avo by a banana overnight. Ethylene in its skin will ripen it ready for a trendy brekkie tomorrow.

Storage - Tip 7

You can use the humble plastic ice cube tray to freeze a variety of foods: 

• Dregs of wine to add to sauces
• Chopped up herbs in water to add to stews
• Splashes of fruit juice to add an interesting twist to your Friday night cocktails

Bonus 1

Get more from your vegetable peelings with home made vegetable stock! Full instructions and a helpful video here.

Planning - Tip 1

Try out a meal plan this week - it could help you feel more organised, waste less and save money! You could try searching online for inspiration and then swap in some of your favourite meals. For example this one from BBC Good Food. Many even provide a shopping list for you! 

Planning - Tip 2

Keep a notepad in your kitchen or a list on your phone to jot down items for your shopping trip as you remember them. Make sure you remember to take it with you, and take your reusable bags!

Planning - Tip 3

Include a meal you can make from the store-cupboard using tinned or dried goods in your weekly plan. For example pasta with tuna, tinned tomatoes and sweetcorn. That way, if your plans change, you can skip a meal and avoid throwing away fresh food.

Planning - Tip 4

Take five and save! Taking five minutes to check through your fridge and cupboards before you do your food shop will save you doubling up on food you already have.  It’s time well spent!

Planning - Tip 5

Stuck for meal ideas this week?  Why not hold a family meal planning challenge?  Get the kids to go through the cupboards and fridge and come up with a set of meals based on what’s already there.  The person who plans the most (and tastiest) meals wins!  Award extra points for including lunches.

Planning - Tip 6

In a rush? Take a photo of your fridge before you go shopping. You will have a quick reference to see what's already in there as you tackle the aisles.

Planning - Tip 7

Suffering from the Sunday night blues? Distract yourself by making a quick bolognaise or pasta bake to freeze.  You’ll have a couple of tasty meals in the freezer to look forward to. As well as a feeling of satisfaction to carry you through Monday morning!