Tips from the Freezer

The freezer is a food lover's hero because there's not much that can't be frozen until its needed: homemade ready meals (see Timesavers); veg and wonderful herbs; grated cheese for toppings and meat cut in strips for quick stir-frying. This section has a few surprises for us all. Visit the freezer often to keep tabs on what's inside.

• strawberry crumble

  Submitted by Vanessa, Corby

  To use up excess strawberries, raspberries or blackberries, freeze on a flat baking tray, when frozen bag up and store until needed. Put frozen berries, or a combination of berries in an ovenproof bowl, cover with a thick layer of crumble topping and bake as usual. A touch of summer in deepest darkest winter, yum yum x

• Organising bread

  Submitted by Emma,

  Keep sliced bread in the freezer - if you freeze as soon as you buy it, its fine for weeks. Making sandwiches with frozen bread first thing in the morning means fresher sandwiches at lunchtimes if you don't have a fridge at work.

• Yorkshire Pudds

  Submitted by Sally, Northamptonshire

  When I lived on my own, I used to cook extra individual yorkshire puds, and then freeze them, to be used when I wanted them. Much cheaper and nicer than the ones you buy.

• Chestnuts - frozen and dried

  Keep frozen and dried chestnuts in the freezer ready to chop coarsely into stir fries and stuffing. Dried chestnuts keep better in the freezer than in the cupboard.

• Banana

  Submitted by Mary , Exeter

  If bananas are going riper than will be eaten I pop them in the freezer whole. I then defrost them at a later time to mash & add to pancake batter or use in muffins or even add as part of the fluid to a choclate cake mix. ( 1/2 cup banana = 1/4 cup fluid).

• Frozen Lime Juice

  Submitted by Pauline, Hertfordshire

  Often a recipe (especially Thai) will require a small amount of lime juice. What juice is left over can be placed in a small freezer bag and frozen until needed.

• Quick Veg

  Submitted by Sheena Couper, North Ayrshire

  Peel and chop carrots, onions, etc., bag them and freeze. When needed, just take out as much as you need and reseal. No more soggy veg at the bottom of your veg box.