Shopping tips:

• Try planning your menus - by buying ingredients for the delicious meals you've planned at the supermarket, you're less likely to buy foods you won't get round to using up.
• Did you know that half of us make a shopping list all or some of the time, but half don't stick to it in the store? Santa's not the only one who can benefit from a list! Write down everything you need and stick to your list when shopping so you don't buy what you won't use.
• Take a look in your cupboards, fridge and freezer and make note of what you already have before going shopping
• When you get home with your Christmas shopping, it is a good idea to transfer as much as you can straight into the freezer. If you have large packets of chicken pieces or fish, divide them up and freeze individual portions.
• Unsure of how much to buy or cook? Try Love Food Hate Waste's perfect portion calculator online at www.lovefoodhatewaste.com/perfect_portions

Cooking tips:

• Perfect portions - One of the reasons we throw away food is because we cook too much! It's easy to cook too much of foods such as pasta, rice and potatoes, so use the Love Food Hate Waste portion calculator (available on the website: www.lovefoodhatewaste.com) to help you buy and cook just the right amount of food for yourself, your family and your friends.
• Keep an eye on the use-by - Just by opening the fridge door and checking the 'use by' dates on what's inside, you can begin saving your pennies and pounds. Move short-dated items into the freezer if you don't think you'll have time to eat them or cook them for tonight's supper.
• Store cupboard essentials - Keeping essentials such as oils, sauces, beans, pasta and rice in the store cupboard means that there'll always be something to create a quick meal with odds and ends in the fridge which might have been forgotten otherwise.

Freezer tips:

• Many foods which are sold fresh or chilled - such as vegetables, portions of meat or fish, milk, whipped cream, bread, cakes and hard cheeses - can actually be frozen; check on www.lovefoodhatewaste.com to find out what can be stored in the freezer.
• Check to see if fresh foods can be frozen in case you don't get round to eating them over the festivities
• If you have cooked too much of a meal such as Love Food Hate Waste's beef, Guinness and mushroom stew, simply pop it in an airtight box and store in the freezer as a homemade 'ready meal'. This will be a welcome treat on a cold January evening when there's no time to cook.
• Double up on family favourites - When you're cooking dishes such as bolognese, chilli, soups and casseroles, cook one for now and freeze one for later. That way you will have a readymade meal when you get in on these cold nights.
• Most of us don't want to even think about going to the shops over the Christmas period, so it's a good idea to stock up on some basics. Milk and bread are both ideal for storing in the freezer so you can make a cup of tea or a hot chocolate without having to venture out in the cold.
• Many traditional Christmas food items can be prepared and frozen ahead. Try making stuffing, bread sauce, cranberry sauce and brandy butter before the guests come to stay and store in tubs in the freezer.
• To prepare roast potatoes in advance: cut and par-boil potatoes, leave to cool and freeze flat. When frozen solid they can all be popped into a freezer bag to save on space. On Christmas day bring them out to roast straight from frozen, season and sprinkle with olive oil and they'll come out crunchy and fluffy.
• Leftover Christmas cheese is perfect for freezing. Freeze stilton in pieces and use later in a quiche or soup. Cheddar can be grated and frozen in bags to use straight from the freezer for topping pizzas and cheese on toast.
• If you are making your own mince pies, freeze them uncooked. They make a great treat to have on standby during the festive season - just bake a few at a time when visitors pop in.

Leftover/recipe tips:

• Delight guests by making a bowl of punch or jug of Christmas cocktail - using up the fruit you've been meaning to eat! Follow a recipe or invent your own by using different spirits or wine, diluting them with fruit juice or lemonade. Try adding any fruit you've stored in the freezer too to add flavour.
• If you still have lots of turkey left over from Christmas Day, why not turn it into an exotic turkey and chickpea curry? You'll find that most of the ingredients will already be in your store cupboard and you can freeze the leftovers to make a perfect winter warming meal.
• Soup has to be the ultimate winter leftover dish and will be a welcome light meal after the indulgence of Christmas. Just gently fry an onion, blend with leftover cooked veg and stock, add seasoning and re-heat thoroughly. See www.lovefoodhatewaste.com/recipesfor a tasty turkey noodle soup recipe.