Food shopping is an unavoidable expense and most of us are constantly seeking ways to save some cash wherever possible. From creating grocery lists, to strategically choosing where you shop, there are several methods to reduce the cost of your weekly groceries.

As someone who's always on the hunt for a great deal, journalist Ray Bonsell was thrilled to discover that Lidl offers a box of assorted fruits and vegetables for just £1.50. These boxes provide a variety of 'too good to waste' items at a significantly lower price.

The reporter previously tried other food waste reduction initiatives, including the Too Good To Go app, which enables stores, cafes, and restaurants to sell excess food at a much cheaper price.

In Ray's experience, these programmes have been generous and well worth the investment, so she was eager to test out Lidl's box.

She set her alarm for the crack of dawn at 7am, hoping to beat the rush and avoid the boxes selling out. Ray got to the Lidl on Lime Street at 8.30am, but a helpful employee advised her to return in 45 minutes as they were still prepping the fruits and veggies, reports the Liverpool Echo.

She was surprised to see that there didn't seem to be anyone else waiting for the boxes.

While Ray waited, she decided to try her luck at the Lidl on London Road, but was informed that no boxes were available.

A staff member explained that while the boxes are usually available daily, they had conducted a large stock assessment the previous day, selling around 20 boxes, which meant they didn't have any surplus stock today.

However, he mentioned that on most days, boxes go on sale around 8.30am.

Ray returned to Lime Street around 9.15am when the boxes were ready. They hadn't been displayed yet, but a staff member remembered the reporter's earlier visit and brought out two boxes for her.

The jorunalist added that it seems it's beneficial to double-check with employees if you don't see any boxes on display.

She purchased two boxes at £1.50 each, bringing the total shopping bill to £3.

Upon receiving the boxes, Ray said she was astounded by the quantity of produce inside. The two boxes, filled to the brim with a diverse range of fruits and vegetables from apples to aubergines, were almost too heavy to carry.

Examining the produce more closely, she saw that all of the items were still fresh, and most had several days of freshness left. A few items, such as some of the peppers and courgettes, were smaller than the usual stock, and the aubergine was slightly overripe.

The carrots were also smaller, and some showed signs of rough handling, but they were still perfectly fresh and suitable for cooking.

The rest of the produce was just as she would expect from any regular fruit and vegetable shop. Some of the peppers were quite large.

The apples and even the bananas were unblemished and perfectly ripe.

Here's a breakdown of what Ray received in each box:.

Box 1.

4 bananas.

6 red apples.

1 aubergine.

1 small courgette.

1 celery.

3 large bell peppers (red, orange, and yellow).

Approximately 20 small potatoes.

Approximately 20 small carrots.

Box 2.

5 bananas.

6 green apples.

1 aubergine.

1 courgette.

5 peppers (various sizes).

1 celery.

Approximately 20 potatoes (various sizes).

Approximately 20 small carrots.

A generous portion of green chillies.

Using Tesco's website, Ray calculated that purchasing the same items in the first box would have cost approximately £8.01.

The second box would have cost around £11.84.

So for £3, she managed to snag nearly £20 worth of groceries.

This doesn't take into account some of the smaller sizes, but the reporter said she still walked away feeling like she had secured a great amount of food for what was spent. Plus, anything that is not used in the next few days can be placed in the freezer. 

Ray said the exercise had been an excellent way to encourage people not to dismiss food — just because it doesn't look the biggest or the shiniest.