Stop fruit and vegetables turning mushy and mouldy with 1 game-changing item I swear by

I buy fruit and vegetables most days of the week. Some of our household's favourites are blueberries, cucumber, spring onions, strawberries, satsumas, apples, pears, salad leaves and tomatoes. While we do try to eat it all within a few days, the odd apple, pear and cucumber half often ends up buried in the salad crisper drawer. Cucumbers, in particular, are prone to turning mushy and mouldy if they're not consumed within a week. While apples and pearsbecome bruised and overly soft.

Determined to cut down on my food waste, I decided to try Lakeland's StayFresh Produce Keeper with StayFresh sheets. The produce keeper is a small plastic box with an inner basket that doubles as a colander.

The outer basket acts as a water reservoir, catching excess water and juice from your fruit and vegetables.

The lid contains air vents and a compartment for the StayFresh sheets. The sheets claim to "extend the life of fruit and veg by up to 50%" by absorbing ethylene gas, which stimulates fruit ripening.

To test the box and the sheets, I stored a variety of fruit in the produce keeper, including oranges, apples, and a pear. I then placed the StayFresh sheet in the lid compartment and popped the box in the salad crisper drawer.

The results

We go through fruit very quickly in our house, so I kept topping up the box with fresh fruit and vegetables to test it.

I was very sceptical at first. How could storing fruit and vegetables in a box in my fridge improve their overall shelf life? However, I was soon proved wrong. After a few weeks, I noticed some of the apples at the bottom were still crunchy and juicy despite being well past their use-by date.

Another week later, and I was astonished to find that a half-eaten cucumber was still juicy despite not having been covered. Usually, cucumbers turn dry and shrivelled when they're not stored properly in the fridge but this one was still succulent despite being over a week old.

Overall, I have noticed all of my fruit and vegetables last much longer when stored in the produce keeper with the StayFresh sheets.

Each sheet lasts for 90 days which means you only have to buy a new packet of six sheets every 18 months.

However, for some households, the box might be too bulky. Mine fits perfectly in my fridge's salad crisper drawer but for those with a smaller appliance, it might be too big.

The size I have is the 2L version, but there are 4L and 7L sizes available.

What do other people think?

The StayFresh Produce Keeper 2L costs £9.99 from Lakeland and has a 4.5-star rating on the website.

One reviewer, Alison Tempest, said her strawberries lasted an extra five days when using the Produce Keeper.

She said: "It really works! I'm amazed at an extra five days of keeping my berries fresh! I've used the stay fresh sheets as well and my strawberries look as good as when I got them.

"I normally end up having to make them into a smoothie after two days-well worth it. If you like fresh fruits, I'd highly recommend."

Another review by Mrs McKenzie said the product is "proving revolutionary". She posted: "Peppers in particular stay crisp, even when cut. Other vegetables and fruit keep so much longer. So good not to waste precious food. Definitely worth the price and the space it takes in the fridge. Thank you, Lakeland! What about a box specifically for bananas?"

However, one review claimed the product didn't extend the life of fruit for her at all. Mrs Stirzaker posted: "I really wanted this to work but unfortunately I felt it didn't extend the life of fruit at all. However, Lakeland, being the excellent company they are, gave me a refund."

The StayFresh Sheets with RYPEN Technology cost £9.99 for six from Lakeland.

Unlike the Produce Keeper, the sheets have more mixed reviews, receiving an average 3-star rating on the Lakeland website.

Some of the reviews claimed the sheets didn't work with bananas. Christopher Bolt said: "Carried out a side-by-side experiment with bananas, and there was no obvious benefit-if anything, more brown spots with the ones with the sheet! I will stick to green bags in future. From my perspective, an expensive failure."

Mrs Barnes agreed and wrote: "I was excited to buy this product as I was fed up with throwing away overripe bananas, and the reviews for this looked great. However, having used the sheets, it has made no difference to extending the life of the fruit; if anything, it's worse. I usually like Lakeland products, but I'm disappointed with this one."

However, some reviews praised the product, claiming it is "the greatest innovation ever" and "magic."

Alternative products on the market include the OXO Long Produce Saver, which is £20 at John Lewis, and Freshpaper produce saver sheets, which cost £10 from The FRESHGLOW Co.