It sounds like a conventional shopping list, featuring fresh vegetables, salad, juices, fresh fruit, bread and cakes.
But instead of storing these items in the fridge, Britons are throwing them away, alongside£270m of wine, £380m of pastries and more than £2bn of home-cooked meals.
The figures, released byLove Food Hate Waste, means our bad habits are costing us up to £19bn a year -an average of £470 for small households, and £700 for a family with children.
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Waste not! British families are throwing away an average of £700 worth of food a year
FEMAIL has worked with household experts ao.com to find the best ways to cut down on food waste.
As well as making lists when shopping and buying individual items of food instead of pre-packaged, you should also understand what food labels mean, and ensure your perishables are stored correctly.
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A spokesperson said: 'When shopping, make a list to ensure you only buy the food you need.
'As enticing as buy one get one free deals are, resist the temptation as more often than not the food will never be used.Remember it is not a bargain unless you need it.'
But despite our best intentions, there may be time when we could have bought more food than we require.
Instead of storing surplus in the fridge, we should make full use of the freezer, the experts advise.
'If you still have leftovers, store your food in the freezer but don’t overfill your shelves as this can prevent cold air from circulating,' he said.
'Liquids such as gravy, baked beans and sauces can be frozen in large ice-cube trays which you can easily pop out when you need them.'
CUT DOWN ON FOOD WASTE:
When shopping, make a list to ensure you only buy the food you need.
Rather than loading up your trolley with pre-packaged produce buy individual food and vegetables.
As enticing as buy one get one free deals are, resist the temptation as more often than not the food will never be used.
Remember, it is not a bargain unless you really need it.
To save money, try doing your food shop later in the day where you can often pick up a bargain, thanks to store discounts.
And don’t throw away left over food; get creative and use it to make other meals.
If you still have leftovers, store your food in the freezer but don’t overfill your shelves as this can prevent cold air from circulating.
Freeze gravy, baked beans and sauces in large ice cube trays which you can easily pop out when you need them.
When unpacking your shopping put new foods towards the back of the fridge to ensure you use the oldest items first.
Salad and vegetables should be stored in the drawers at the bottom of the fridge to prolong its life.
The company has also designed an infographic which demonstrates how to make food last longer.
When it comes to making food stretch, the items such as hard cheeses should be grated and stored in an airtight bag, where it will keep for up to three months, the graphic reveals.
Milk has to be used within two days of freezing, yogurt doesn't have to be thawed before use and cream has to be stirred thoroughly to mix up the butterfat.
Other dairy products, such as double cream (minimum 40 per cent fat), yogurt, and milk can all also be frozen but must be decanted into large containers as they will expand when frozen.
Other helpful tips include storage times and thawing method for items such as bananas, mushrooms, cooked grains and raw meat.
And the experts have advice on where best to place certain goods.
'When unpacking your shopping put new foods towards the back of the fridge to ensure you use the oldest items first,' he advised.
'Salad and vegetables should be stored in the drawers at the bottom of the fridge to prolong its life.'
According to the experts, another reason food gets wasted is because of confusing food labels.
'We bin food that's perfectly safe to eat, mainly because we don't understand what the labels actually stand for,' he said.
Confusing 'use by', 'best before' and 'sell-by dates' means we are unsure whether to tuck into a yogurt two weeks after the date on the lid, or throwing it away.
They have created a graphic clearly defining the differences between 'use by', 'sell by' and 'best before'.
Food consumed after the 'use by' date can be harmful, even if it looks and smells fine to eat.
The 'best before' date is applied to food labels to specify how long it will stay fresh for.
'Display until' and 'sell-by' dates are applied to some labels for use by staff stocking shelves. You can ignore these dates.
The ao.com experts also advise doing grocery shopping in the evening.
'To save money, try doing your food shop later in the day where you can often pick up a bargain, thanks to store discounts,' he said.
'And rather than loading up your trolley with pre-packaged produce buy individual food and vegetables.'
'Don’t throw away left over food; get creative and use it to make other meals.'
RECIPES FOR LEFTOVERS: DON'T JUST BIN THEM, COOK WITH THEM
BANANAS
Left bruised and darkened in the fruit bowl, bananas can do a good impression of being ripe for rejection. But don't be fooled. Bananas can still be used to power some tasty food.
Leftover bananas can still be used for smoothies and milkshakes
Banana Smoothie
Ingredients: Bananas; half a pint of milk; two tablespoons of honey; handful of ice cubes
Method: Peel and slice the banana - one per person or serving. Place the slices in a blender and add the milk and the ice cubes. Drop in two healthy-sized dollops of honey and blend until smooth. Pour into a tall glass and serve.
Banana bread made with two ripe bananas, butter, caster sugar, milk and self-raising flour
Banana Bread
Ingredients: Two ripe bananas; 125g softened butter; 150g caster sugar; one egg; one teaspoon of vanilla extract; 190g of self-raising flour; 60ml milk
Method: Use a little of the butter to line a loaf or cake tin, or line it with greaseproof paper. Mash the bananas up in a bowl. Set aside until later.
Melt the butter and sugar in a pan over a moderate heat. Add the vanilla extract. Take the pan off the heat, allow the mixture to cool, and add the flour and the milk; stir thoroughly.
Put the mix into the lined and greased tin, and bake at around 150 C for 35 to 40 minutes; check it's cooked through by putting a skewer into the middle of it. If the skewer comes out clean, it's ready.
APPLES
A great way to use up leftover apples is to peel, core and chop them before simmering them with a splash of water in a covered pan until they turn to mush, put the mixture through a blender to create a puree. This apple puree can then be frozen and used in a variety of baking recipes to sweeten and add moisture.
Make your own apple puree which can be used to flavour breakfast dishes such as muesli
Apple Granola
Ingredients: 1kg muesli base mix ; 320g apple puree; 100g runny honey or maple syrup; two teaspoons vanilla extract; 1.5 teaspoons ground cinnamon; three quarter teaspoons salt; 150g mixed nuts and/or seeds; 125g dried fruit; 80g raisins or sultanas
Method: Pre-heat the oven to 160C. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the apple puree, honey, vanilla, cinnamon and salt. Add the muesli base and mix well with a wooden spoon until everything is sticky and moist. Divide the mixture between two large baking trays, spreading it out as evenly as possible (but don’t press it down).
Bake for 10 minutes, then remove from the oven and stir well. Bake again for another 10 minutes, stir, then return to the oven for another 10 minutes. Remove, stir, then add the nuts before returning to the oven for a final 10 minutes (so you’ve baked it for 40 minutes in total). Leave to cool before mixing in the fruit, then store in an airtight container.
Caramelised apple pancakes require two eating apples, salt, eggs, muscovado sugar and milk
Caramelised apple pancake
Ingredients: Two eating apples, three tablespoons sultanas, half a teaspoon ground cinnamon; four tablespoons light muscovado sugar; 125ml milk; pinch of salt; three large eggs; 60g plain or spelt flour; 30g butter, raspberries and ricotta cheese, to serve
Method: Peel and core the apples, then cut into thin slices. Heat half the butter in a large, non-stick frying pan over a medium-high heat, then add the apples, sultanas, cinnamon and 2 tbsp sugar. Cook for a few minutes, stirring frequently, until the apples are soft, sticky and caramelized.
Meanwhile, put the flour in a mixing bowl and make a well in the centre. Add the eggs and salt, then use an electric whisk to beat into the flour, pouring the milk in at the same time, until you have a lump-free batter.
Add a little more butter to the pan, and spread the apple mixture evenly over the bottom using a wooden spoon. Pour in the pancake batter and turn the heat down slightly. Cook for a few minutes, drawing the cooked edges of the pancake into the centre with the spoon and allowing the liquid egg to run into the gap (as you would with an omelette).
When the pancake is almost set all the way through, use a spatula to lift it off the bottom of the pan, and slide it gently out of the pan and onto a plate. Add a little more butter to the pan and sprinkle over one tablespoon of sugar. Put the pan upside-down over the pancake on the plate, and invert so that the pancake is now in the pan the other way up. Cook for a few minutes (be careful not to burn the sugar – you’ll smell it if the heat is too high). Put the plate over the pan and invert so that the pancake is on the plate, then add the remaining butter and tablespoon of sugar, sprinkling it evenly over the pan. Slide the pancake off the plate and into the pan, and cook for another couple of minutes. The outside should be lovely and golden.
Cut into wedges and serve with a dollop of ricotta and some fresh raspberries.
Instead of throwing away stale bread, make French toast
BREAD
French toast with orange, berries and ricotta
Ingredients: Four thick slices of stale brioche, white bread or sourdough; 250ml milk; one teaspoon vanilla extract; two eggs; a pinch of salt; 20g butter; one tablespoon brown sugar; a pinch of ground cinnamon; two oranges; a handful of raspberries and strawberries; ricotta, to serve
Method: Whisk together the milk, vanilla, eggs and salt and pour into a shallow dish. Lay the bread in a single layer in the mixture and leave for around 5 minutes, then turn over and leave for another five; it should have absorbed almost all of the liquid.
Meanwhile, slice the skin off the oranges with a sharp serrated knife and then slice the segments away from the membranes of the fruit into a bowl. Squeeze any remaining juice into the bowl. Stir in the raspberries. Quarter the strawberries and add to the bowl.
In a large, non-stick frying pan, heat the butter over a medium heat until melted then swirl to coat the pan. Sprinkle the sugar and cinnamon evenly over the butter. Place the bread in the pan and let it sizzle and caramelize for a few minutes, then flip over (check by lifting with a spatula to see if it’s golden brown on the bottom before flipping) and cook for a few minutes on the other side.
Divide the toast between two plates, spoon over the fruit and its juices and serve with a dollop of ricotta on the side.
Steamed apple and marmalade sponge pudding
Steamed apple and marmalade sponge pudding
Ingredients: 75g caster sugar; 75g butter, at room temperature; one large egg; 40g self-raising flour; half a teaspoon ground ginger; a pinch of ground cinnamon; 200g cooking apples, peeled, cored and cut into 2cm cubes; a pinch of salt; 40g breadcrumbs (I use sourdough); three to four tablespoons milk; three tablespoons orange marmalade; one tablespoon golden syrup
Method: Lightly grease a one-pint pudding basin with butter. Cream the butter and sugar together until fluffy, then add the egg and mix again. Fold in the ginger, flour and apples, then the salt and breadcrumbs. Add enough milk to make a thick but pourable batter.
Put the marmalade and golden syrup in the bottom of the pudding basin. Pour in the sponge mix. Cover with buttered foil, pleated in the middle, and tie this tightly around the rim of the basin with string (find instructions on the internet for steaming a pudding, if you need to). Thread another piece of string through this, on each side of the basin, to make a handle.
Find a large lidded pan that will fit the pudding basin in it. Scrunch up a piece of foil and put the basin on top of this in the pan. Pour in enough boiling water to cover the basin up to the bottom of the foil tied round it, then put the lid on. Simmer for 1 hour 10 minutes, leave to rest for 5 minutes, then remove the foil, put a plate over the basin and turn out the pudding.
Grate leftover carrots to make this olive oil carrot cake
CARROTS
Olive oil carrot cake
Ingredients: 175g light muscovado sugar; 175ml olive oil; three large eggs; 150g grated carrot; 100g sultanas; 80g pecan nuts, roughly chopped; zest and juice of one large orange; 175g self-raising flour; one teaspoon bicarbonate of soda; one teaspoon ground cinnamon; one teaspoon ground ginger; half a teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg; a pinch of salt
Ingredients for the icing: 100g soft butter; 300g cream cheese; 100g icing sugar; zest of one orange; one teaspoon vanilla extract; half a teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg, plus extra to decorate
Method: Zest the orange and set the zest aside, then juice it into a small bowl. Add the sultanas and leave to soak for 15 minutes (longer if possible, but if you’re short on time you can skip this step and omit the orange juice from the recipe). Pre-heat the oven to 160C. Grease and line a 20cm springform cake tin.
Quick pickled carrots
Beat the sugar, oil and eggs together with a wooden spoon in a large mixing bowl. Stir in the grated carrots and orange zest, plus the soaked, drained sultanas and pecans.
Add the flour, bicarbonate of soda, spices and salt, then mix gently until everything is just incorporated (the mixture will be quite runny).
Pour into the tin and bake for 40-45 minutes, or until the mixture springs back when pressed. Cool in the tin for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a plate and leave to cool.
For the icing, use an electric whisk to beat together the cream cheese, icing sugar, butter, orange zest, vanilla and nutmeg until smooth. Slice the cake in half horizontally and fill with half the icing, then spread the rest of the icing over the top of the cake. Grate over some extra nutmeg (I also like to decorate it with whole pecan nuts).
Quick pickled carrots
Ingredients: Two leftover carrots, peeled and cut into matchsticks; one teaspoon salt; five tablespoons rice wine vinegar; one tablespoon caster sugar
Method:Toss the carrots with the salt and put in a sieve over a bowl for 15 minutes or so – this will draw out the juices and firm up the texture. Rinse well and pat dry with kitchen paper. Heat the vinegar and sugar together in a small pan until the sugar has dissolved, then remove from the heat. Cool, then add the carrots and toss together. Leave for 15 minutes or so before eating, but they keep well in the fridge for a couple of days.
