It is easy to misjudge the amount of time the fruit in your fruit bowl has before it starts to overripe. 

This can be a particular problem for fussy eaters or children for whom texture is very important! A great way to use your fruit up is making a smoothie! You could also freeze them to make fruit ice-lollies in the summer as a healthier snack. Be sure to encourage children to participate in the making of smoothies/ lollies to make them more likely to eat them. Just blend fruits such as bananas, raspberries, strawberries, mangos, peaches and more, with some Greek-style yoghurt and honey for a super yummy treat! 

You could also mix your old fruit with milk (any kind!) to make fruity ice cream! 

You could also make a cake! Popping some raspberries or strawberries in your cake mix is a great way to add some natural sweetness whilst saving your food from the bin! 

Banana bread is a great way to use up overripe bananas! Here is a recipe by BBC’s Good Food: https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/brilliant-banana-loaf 

And let’s not forget jam! Jam is a classic way to preserve fruit. You can turn all kinds of fruits into jam, particularly berries. Here is a flexible recipe for jam: https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/angelas-flexible-jam-recipe 

If you would like to learn a new skill at the same time as reducing your waste, why not learn how to dry your fruit? You don’t need a fancy dehydrator to dry your fruit, you can use the oven or even the sun! You may need to do a little bit of research to identify the best temperature/ time for each fruit. But in the end, you will have a yummy, healthy snack!