Reducing food waste

I always feel guilty when I end up throwing good food away.

I try to avoid over-buying when I go shopping, and always check the Use By dates before I buy. But sometimes meal plans change, and things get lost at the back of the fridge.

I looked in the fridge last night and saw a pack of butter that was hiding at the back. It's Best Before date was 31 May. That may not sound bad, but I realised that it meant May last year - when I bought it.

I'd been checking the butter regularly though, and it always smelled fine and there had been nothing growing on it. So yesterday I tasted a bit - and it was fine.

So I've made some chocolate chip flapjack with butter that's a year out of date. Talk about reducing waste to the extreme! I'm eating the first couple with my morning coffee today, and if you see me posting again, you'll know I haven't poisoned myself!

What's your record for (safely) consuming out of date items? (that's a question, not a challenge!)