All spices keep better if purchased whole. Keep all spices, ground or whole, away from heat, damp and light. Buy small amounts as often as required. Spices all contain essential oils, which will fade and become rancid if left to age too long in a cupboard. Given that spices have already taken time to get to us, they are best used within three or four months from purchase.

When purchasing fresh mushrooms, always use a brown paper bag. They’ll retain their freshness much longer than if stored in plastic.

To bring out their best flavour, try storing tomatoes at room temperature and out of direct sunlight.

Try sprinkling an avocado with fresh lime juice. You'll protect it from discoloration and get a fantastic flavour as well.

Try storing your unripe tomatoes stem-side down. They’ll continue to ripen, improving their flavour and texture.

Try removing the green tops from carrots before storing them. You’ll prolong their shelf life.

Usually eaten fresh - simply remove the seeds and scoop out the delicious flesh. Try freezing the ripe fruit then eating it like ice cream.

- Do not keep in the fridge, but in a well-ventilated, cool, dark area. - Always remove from the plastic bag because they will sweat. - When potatoes are exposed to light they go green under the skin. This is due to a substance called solanine, which can be poisonous. New potatoes are more susceptible to greening than old ones. If you buy potatoes with greening, return them to the seller. If your potatoes only have a small amount of light-green colouring, peel away the area thickly and use the potatoes as you planned.

Try piercing the skin of pumpkin pieces, then microwave them. The skin will slide off.