PINCH OF SALT IN YOUR PINTA TO MAKE IT LAST

DID you know that the average UK household throws away £800 worth of food every year?

With food inflation at a 42-year high and likely to rise even further next year, we need to start making the most of everything we buy.

I know you have some great tips of your own (email me at askjasmine@moneymagpie.com

to tell me about your most unusual ones), but did you know that you can make milk last longer if you put a pinch of salt in it and shake it around?

Weird, I know, but salt is a preservative that deters bacteria, so it can help keep your milk fresh for quite a while, particularly if you store it at the back of the fridge where it is coldest (not in the door, which is warmer). For cupboard goods, I have saved countless biscuits, cereals, nuts, seeds and more from going stale by using the marvellous Klippits (£14.99 for a pack of 48 mixed sizes at lakeland.co.uk) to stop air from getting into opened packaging.

Lakeland also has re-sealable freezer bags (£7.99 for 20) in which you can store leftover gravy, custard, soup or sauces in the freezer. I also use Lock & Lock plastic storage boxes of all sizes (available at Amazon and most hardware stores) to keep leftover meals, cheese and half-cut vegetables fresh for days in the fridge (far more effective than putting them on a plate, even with a cover).

To preserve fruit and veg, fill a large bowl with a solution of one part vinegar to three parts water and soak the produce for about 15 minutes. It removes bacteria, meaning the food is less likely to start rotting early.

Just wash the produce thoroughly before eating to erase any lingering after-taste!