Grace Forell

With supermarkets scrapping ‘best before’ dates to cut food waste, how do you know if your fruit and veg are still fresh? Grace Forell reveals the secret codes supermarkets don’t want you to know and how to crack them!

A blissful couple of days away to Marrakesh 🧡 As a lover of artisan products it’s such a treat to watch pottery, leather shoes, bags & jewellery being made by hand in the back alleys of the souks. I always stock up on authentic argan oil which I find makes a good multi-use serum for travelling with. My mum got her hands on some prickly pear oil, which promises ‘nature's botox’ - we will see! Marrakesh is incredibly good value. You can eat and drink well in beautiful restaurants for just £20pp. It’s one of my top picks for a budget holiday. What are yours? #marrakesh #budgetholiday #budgettravel #travelonabudget

Consumer expert Grace Forell shares the kitchen hacks that will save you money 💸

(That bacon was cooked in the microwave!) 💸 These 3 swaps - as seen on @thismorning - could cut £100s off your energy bill: 🧺 Heated airer instead of ➡️ tumble dryer. There’s a fantastic one on clearance at @JohnLewis atm - will share the link in my stories! 👩🏻‍🍳 Countertop or pressure cooker instead of ➡️ oven. We featured @ourplace & @instantpot but have a look at @ninjakitchenuk too 🧡 🚿 Low flow shower head & shower timer instead of ➡️ standard or rainfall. We featured @methven_uk , and you can pick up shower timers online. … Then there are smaller fixes that have a quick ROI. With consistency the savings will outpace the upfront cost in a few weeks/months: 🔵 Dryer balls to reduce tumble drying time ⚡ Smart plugs (we featured @tapo.us - less then a tenner and a really smart spend). … Lastly - more efficient ways to cook/drink: 🥓 Microwave gadgets for bacon & omelettes - @lakelanduk is great for these. Also look at @aeropressuk for an efficient alternative to a coffee machine. .. 🔑 The key with all of these is *consistency*. The more you use an energy-efficient alternative, the quicker the ROI. But if you don’t use them enough, it’s just more clutter and money spent! Have you made any smart switches that have saved you money? I’d love to hear what you recommend. #EnergySavingTips #MoneySavingHacks #UKHomes #SustainableLivingUK #HomeHacks

A true ‘pinch me’ moment! 🦄 Yesterday I hosted talks on the Main and Spring Cleaning stages at the #IdealHomeShow26 I spoke about: 💡 How to reframe the way you shop, to get the LOWEST prices every time. 🛋️ The best Spring homeware dupes including @georgeatasda lamps, tables & boucle chairs, @onlinehomeshopuk cushions, @bm_stores lighting and @marksandspencer candles (will post links to these in my stories). 🧺 My A-Z of laundry products, and which ones you DON’T need. 🧹 How to choose the best multi-purpose cleaning appliances, featuring @halo_capsule @dyson and @roborock . Thanks to everyone who came along, and asked questions - the atmosphere was amazing and the audiences were such a dream every time! Catch this final weekend if you can! @ideal_home_show 🏡❤️ #lifestyleexpert #consumerexpert #moneysavingtips #cleaningtips

🇬🇧UK vs 🇺🇸USA as a consumer I’m just back from a glorious road trip through Northern California and Oregon with my family. I’m half American, so I try to get to the States regularly, but it’s the first time I’ve had the kids with me, so I feel like I saw it through a slightly different lens. Here are a few points of difference I noticed when shopping this time (note - this was just my personal experience in a few regions, and the US is massive + varies wildly!) 🛒 Groceries seem to be MORE expensive* than in the UK (at least where we were staying). It’s also hard to find small products, e.g a pint of milk, or a 6 pack of eggs, so the potential for food waste feels bigger. 💼 *Wages are higher in the US, so what seem like expensive groceries to us, aren’t as expensive to locals. 🍝 Eating out is broadly similar to UK prices at first glance, but because you get bigger portions + mains tend to come with sides, you end up ordering less. The menus are also more meat-heavy, so veggie / vegan options can be limited. 🧋 Restaurants still serve plastic straws, and McDonalds drinks come in plastic cups. But grocery bags are made of paper. 🚗 Petrol - though on the rise - is a lot cheaper, there’s less traffic, drivers are less impatient, and driving is generally a pleasant experience. This is good, because there’s less in the way of public transport. (Obviously America is HUGE, and the cost of living, regulations, and customs in each state can vary significantly.) All in all, we had an amazing time. Road trips are full on with kids of course, but it was so special to spend that amount of quality time as a family. Photo highlights: 1. Oysters in San Francisco 2. Burney Falls, which we stumbled upon to break up a long drive, and I’m so glad we did. 3. ⛷️ Mount Rose. 4. Philz Coffee - the best!! 5. Concentration. One of MANY card games we played. 6. The reality of trying to get a nice photo with kids. I don’t understand how people get such lovely snaps!! 7. My drawing of Gudetama at the request of my daughter. Like card games, we took a big pad of paper, crayons + pens everywhere we went. Have you been to the US? What was your experience?

🥚 How to decipher egg codes: 0 = organic 1 = free range 2 = barn 3 = caged Essentially - the smaller the number at h ther beginning of the code that’s printed on the egg, the higher the welfare. This is regardless of how the eggs are packaged or priced. Follow for more tips to make shopping a little easier! #eggcodes #supermarketsecrets #knowwhatyoubuy #foodlabelling #consumertips

🧊 Freezers are actually amazing, but most of us barely give them a second thought. 🍌 If you’ve got food languishing in your fridge that you know you won’t eat (anything from fruit, to dairy, to dips) intervene before they end up in the bin and put them in the freezer instead. 🌍 Not only will you save money, but you’ll help curb the UK’s atrocious habit for wasting food (we really are awful for this). With a few good practices like organising your freezer properly, labelling food and planning meals a day ahead, your freezer can become a treasure trove of ingredients that will last for months. #FoodHacks #FreezerTips #FreezeIt #SurprisingFoods #FoodStorage

Cheap vs expensive tulips - the results are finally in! *prices have been rounded up/down slightly in places. 🌷 I did an experiment recently to see which supermarket sells the cheapest tulips. The joint winners - in that respect - were Aldi and Lidl. 🧐 There is a sizeable difference in the amount the premium supermarkets charge per stem than the discounters (in small bunches, Waitrose’s tulips are almost 75% more expensive, individually!). So - what does the spenny price tag get you? Well, in this experiment - evidently quite a bit! 🌍 In terms of sustainability, you also get what you pay for here. Both the M&S and Waitrose tulips are British, and both have comparably high sustainability standards when it comes to flowers. 🩷 Are you enjoying tulips this year? ⬇️ Let me know what you’d like me to test next in the comments! #TulipSeasonUK #SustainableShopping #SupermarketFindsUK #MoneySavingIdeasUK #ConsciousConsumer

🌼 I did an experiment recently to see which supermarket sells the cheapest daffodils. The winner - in that respect - was Aldi. 🧐 But price means very little if the flowers wilt quickly, so I conducted a proper head-to-head to see which lasted the longest. ⚱️Each bunch was placed in an identical vase with the same amount of water. The light was pretty consistent, but I did move the vases around too. 🏵 Three bunches stood out for their longevity: Aldi, Lidl and Waitrose. Ultimately, it was a tie between Lidl & Waitrose. 🌍 Since Lidl was only 5p cheaper than Waitrose, I’ve crowned Waitrose the winner. It has clearer sustainability commitments when it comes to farming standards, including the LEAF Marque, which focuses on things like biodiversity, soil health and reducing pesticide impact. That said, both supermarkets say they source flowers responsibly - so if you spot British-grown flowers, that’s often the biggest sustainability win. What do you make of these results? I’d love to hear your thoughts. #ConsumerExpert #Supermarketfinds #SustainableShopping #UKHomes #daffodils

What are your thoughts on microwaves? There are a few misconceptions out there, but microwaves may well be safer than you realise 🙂 🚫 “Microwaves give you radiation” Not in the way you might think. They use non-ionising radiation (similar to Wi-Fi), which doesn’t damage DNA. Modern microwaves are shielded to keep that energy contained - so unless yours is damaged, exposure is negligible. 🚫 “They nuke all the nutrients out of food” Also not true. All forms of cooking reduce nutrients a bit, but microwaving vegetables can actually preserve more nutrients than methods like boiling. And short bursts (like when loosening skins or softening food) won’t have a significant impact. My top tips for using your microwave properly: ✔️ Arrange food in a ring Microwaves heat the outer edges first, so this helps food heat more evenly. ✔️ Let it stand Food keeps cooking after the microwave stops, so don’t be tempted to open the door as soon as it beeps. This helps heat distribute. ✔️ Use the right containers Go for glass or clearly labelled “microwave-safe” containers. Avoid metal. Personally, I don’t microwave anything in plastic (including ready meals) - I decant into a different container and cover with a plate. 💡 I find microwaves very useful for softening stale bread, citrus fruits and honey, and helping to peel garlic and tomatoes. They’re also amazing at quickly preserving fresh herbs that would otherwise go to waste. Do you have any handy microwave tips? I’d love to hear them ⬇️ 👄 Make up: @makeupbymel #ConsumerExpert #KitchenHacksUK #FoodMythBusting HealthyCookingTips MicrowaveHack

Microwave hacks you need to try🍴 Grace Forell shares her clever tricks!