Recent research has shown that each of us throw away approximately £600-worth of food each year. Just imagine what you could do with that money. Go on holiday? Buy new clothes? A new sofa? Bill payments? So here are my top tips for keeping an eye on the pennies.

• Keep your fresh fruit and veg in the chill compartment of the fridge so that they last longer.
• Think about portion size when serving up meals. Are you continually scraping food into the bin? Try not to prepare more food than you need. For example, a single mugful of dry, uncooked rice will serve four adults. So if you're feeding two children and two adults, you're likely to need only two-thirds of a mugful.
• Use up leftovers and think before you throw food away. Even the most basic of foods can be brought back to life in soups, casseroles, sauces or stock. With a little imagination you can rustle up all sorts of exciting new meals from family leftovers.
• Don’t be tempted to ‘eat up’ just to prevent wastage. Rather than risk progress on your diet, simply decide to plan more effectively next time.
• If you’ve got whole portions of meals left over - put them in the freezer for another day when you’re short of time.
• If you focus on managing your food budget more effectively, you will find it easier to stay on your diet plan and cut back your portion sizes too.

Better food management

Use your freezer

It's useful to keep a good stock of healthy freezer food for those days when you've run out of fresh vegetables. Use your freezer to make use of any supermarket special offers to cut costs. But keep an eye on the ‘use by’ dates.

Know your use by and sell by dates

Stick to the dates printed on packaging, and if it's likely to reach its use by date before you have a chance to consume it, don't buy it. Food might last a little longer if you freeze it but you should always follow food labelling instructions carefully to avoid health risks. Get into the habit of checking dates regularly so you know what to eat up and when.

Storing fruit and veg

Most food wastage applies to this food group, but by buying unbruised and fresh produce and storing it correctly you can keep it for longer and avoid tipping your money into the bin.

Divide large packets

Divide large packets of food (especially chicken & fish) into smaller portions store it in the freezer or fridge in separate containers. Splitting the pack means you'll only have to defrost the required amounts at any one time so the other portions will last a lot longer. (It also means you won’t prepare – and eat – more than you need.)

If you don’t buy it you can’t eat it

Remember to buy everything you need for your diet in advance – and never shop for food when you’re hungry, as you’re more likely to make bad choices. Help your self to make sure than high fat and sugary foods don’t make it into your basket.

Store-cupboard essentials

Tinned and packet foods

Keep a good selection of the staple foods that your family love, such as baked beans, dried fruit, pasta and rice. Most of these ingredients have a long shelf life, which means you can rely on them as stand-bys to create quick delicious meals, or use them as a basis to mix in leftovers. Replace them once they've gone to ensure the cupboard remains fully stocked. (It’s useful to keep a list on the inside of the cupboard as a reminder.)

Your daily loaf

Bread is one of the biggest victims of food waste. We throw away millions of slices in the UK every day. To keep your loaf alive, freeze it, and take slices out when you want to toast it. Split big loaves in half and thaw them when needed, depending on how soon you're likely to eat it.

Buy in season

Seasonal food usually cost less, as they are grown naturally, in local farms without the use of artificial chemicals or expensive green houses. Seasonal food also tastes better, and if you buy produce that is locally grown, not only is it likely to be more fresh, it won’t have run up air-miles - meaning it's good for the environment too.

Shop late

Supermarkets often make price cuts at the end of the working day. Take a trip to a store at around 8pm and you're guaranteed to find some good bargains with price cuts of 50% or more - that you can either eat quickly, or freeze to extend its shelf life.

Buy loose fresh fruit and veg

Picking and packing loose fruit and vegetables instead of choosing pre-packed bags, can give you precious savings over time. Root vegetables are often better value per Kg when bought loose. You are also more likely to buy only the amount you need – so there is less wastage. Large bags of fruit and veg that have been discounted are only good value if you are definitely going to use it all before it goes off.

Buy own brands and value ranges

Don’t be fooled into thinking that premium brands are always better for you. Premium brands can often have more fat, salt or sugar in them. Try some of your supermarket’s own brands and also give their ‘basic’ or ‘value’ range a go. I bet you won’t notice any difference in taste. Use the GDA labels to see for yourself that they’re just as good for you as the posh nosh. In the food lists below I’ve highlighted some of the value ranges I think taste really great.

Buy online

If you use online shopping facilities you are more likely to stick to your shopping list rather than getting sucked into buying special offers that you are never going to eat, or buying tempting treats that you know you shouldn’t eat.