Apples are just about the only fruit that can be kept in the fridge without losing their flavour. With most other fruit, buy only what you will use in a few days.

Stone fruit - when buying nectarines, mangoes, peaches or plums, choose perfectly ripe, just-ripe and firm ones. Eat the ripest ones first and leave the firm ones to ripen on the windowsill, and you'll be eating ripe fruit all week.

Lettuce - buy a whole lettuce and store it, unwashed, in a snap-lock bag or airtight container in the crisper for up to a week. Keep it away from gas-producing fruit such as apples, pears or bananas, which will accelerate its deterioration. Wash and dry leaves thoroughly as you need them.

Meat portions - keep in mind that 150-180g of meat, chicken or fish per person per meal is sufficient, so stick to these quantities or use leftovers for another meal.

Information kindly provided by Suzanne Gibbs and Kate Gibbs from The Thrifty Kitchen.