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Delivery basics Checking deliveries Temperature

Quality Meat and poultry Fish

Fruit and vegetables Quantity Stock rotation

If produce has a 'Use-by' date, then check that it's within that date; otherwise check for obvious signs of freshness as described below.

• Check that packaging is undamaged and clean.
• All meat, poultry and fish should be well-chilled and packaged separately. If they have been delivered in the same container there is a serious risk of cross-contamination and the transfer of flavours and smells could ruin the flavour of the produce.

Meat and poultry should always smell fresh. A slimy surface or signs of mould are serious indications that the produce is not fresh. Discoloured flesh or bruised flesh is also a bad sign.

• Beef: the meat should be a dark red and the fat should be a creamy yellow or a white colour and it should be firm. Lean meat will be a light brown/purple on the outside. Marbling (or specks of fat) can be seen in sirloin, fillets and other prime cuts. It should smell fresh and not too strong.
• Pork: the meat should be pale pink in colour and firm to the touch. It should be very lean and any visible fat should be white. There should be no noticeable smell.
• Bacon: the meat should be a dark pink colour and the fat should be white and smooth. There should not be too much fat in relation to the meat. The meat should be smooth and never sticky or slimy.
• Lamb: the meat should be deep red if mature (early spring lamb is paler in colour) and firm to the touch. The fat should be flaky and clear white and distributed evenly throughout the flesh.
• Chicken: the flesh should be a soft pink with white skin - it should be firm to the touch. Corn-fed chicken will have yellow flesh and skin. There should be almost no smell and the skin should not be sticky. The chicken should be plump and fleshy, particularly the breast and legs.

Fresh fish needs to be kept very well chilled, at around 0C. It mustn't be kept any colder than this or it will begin to freeze. All fish should smell slightly of the sea. Fish should never smell strong or 'fishy' as this means it isn't fresh.

Other points to check include:

• Eyes: eyes should be clear and bright. They shouldn't be sunken or dull.
• Skin: this should be shiny and bright with no discoloration or damage.
• Gills: these should be lifted up to check that they are bright red underneath.
• Flesh: should be firm and plump. Soft flesh that indents easily is a sign that the fish isn't fresh.
• Scales: if the fish has large scales they should be firmly attached.
• Fish fillets: these should be firm, should smell fresh and have bright skin. There should be no obvious bruising or damage to the flesh.

Gregg Wallace gives his advice on what to check when receiving a fruit and veg delivery. This advice also applies to buying for the home.

• Salads: these should be crisp and the leaves should be erect. Drooping and sad-looking leaves are a sign of ageing. Any wet spots on salad means it's started the process of a slow and lingering death.
• Soft fruits: I personally prefer not to refrigerate any soft fruits. These are extremely delicate sweetie parcels - the cold most certainly impairs the flavour. I put my soft fruits in the sunshine, letting them soften. This releases their natural sweetness. I understand that this will sound like madness to most of you, being brought up to buy and serve the cleanest firmest-looking fruit possible.
• Tomatoes: for me the rules of soft fruit apply to tomatoes. Keep them away from the cold if you can, give them some sunshine, allow them to soften, and you will get much more flavour. No matter how they look, you have absolutely no chance whatsoever of obtaining a good tomato in northern Europe in the middle of winter. I realise I am going to sound like a lunatic to you, but what is the point of flying a tomato halfway around the world? Buy tinned during the winter and put any idea of a fresh tomato salad completely out of your head.
• Root vegetables: now, these should be firm. Being able to bend these vegetables is a bad thing. Springiness is not a quality favoured in roots (if you try to bend them, they should snap easily; if they bend then they're no good). Neither are soft or wet patches.
• Top fruit: by this I mean mainly apples and pears. I'm always fascinated by the way shoppers choose their top fruit. Given the choice, virtually everybody will discard a scarred piece of fruit. This would make our southern European cousins howl with laughter. Scarring on fruit occurs because the outer leaves of the fruit tree rub against the immature fruit. Only the fruit on the outside of the tree gets this scarring. Therefore the scarred fruit is exposed to the most sunshine. Because of this, they are nearly always the sweetest fruit.