Nothing can beat fresh bread in the morning for buttery toast or for making scrumptious sandwiches at lunch - but it can be difficult to keep bread fresh for long.
Most people decide to stick it in the freezer to stop it from going mouldy or stale, but then it takes time to defrost and doesn't quite taste the same.
And amid the cost of living crisis where the price of staple supermarket goods has risen, you don't want to be wasting food unnecessarily.
Luckily, a consumer expert has shared his top tip for keeping bread fresher for longer, which could save you just over £31 a year on loaves.
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Tom Church, co-founder of money-saving community LatestDeals.co.uk, has revealed his hack for storing bread with a stick of celery - which can cost 47p for a bunch from Tesco or 49p from Sainsbury's.
A bunch of celery typically contains eight or nine stalks, so you're looking at around 6p a stalk per loaf.
"If you’ve ever opened your loaf of bread to make a sandwich, only to discover that it’s gone mouldy, consider placing a stick of celery into the bread bag," Tom suggests.
"It may sound odd, but the bread will absorb the moisture provided by the celery and, in turn, remain fresh.
"Your loaf won’t become dry and mouldy at the same rate, so your chances of getting a sandwich together will increase."
He adds: "If you buy bread such as the £1.20 Hovis Soft White Medium weekly and only buy half as much due to this hack, you’d be saving just over £31 a year."
The method also gives you a healthy snack option by using the other sticks of celery from the bunch.
Meanwhile, Tom also says he uses a vinegar hack for strawberries that can see them last for up to two weeks.
Have you tried either hack? Let us know in the comments.
He washes the summer fruit with one cup of white vinegar to three or four cups of water.
"Dry them thoroughly and place them in a container with paper towels," Tom explains.
"Not only will this remove any pesticide residue, but you’ll also be able to eat these strawberries for up to two weeks.
"If you were buying a £3 punnet of strawberries a week and halving your spending with this hack, you’d save £78 a year!"
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