My store cupboard / pantry is something that has taken me years to build and get to that stage where I can look at a recipe and 9 times out of 10 I will have the ingredients that are called for. It’s ever evolving and continues to take on new & exciting ingredients – I am a marketeers dream – a bit like a magpie with silver but replaced with unusual food items that catch my eye when out shopping!

If you are an adventurous cook then this could mean a cupboard full of exotic ingredients that you find years later hidden at the back behind the soy sauce, spices and jars of tomatoes that you only used once! You may also find that you are running out of space (like me!). Some of those ingredients include mushroom ketchup, seaweed flakes, Yuzu juice and orange blossom essence – this isn’t to say they are hidden at the back unused…just less frequently than the list I have compiled below…

Lock-down has meant getting smarter with food and making things go further which got me thinking – what does a good store cupboard look like and what ingredients should everyone have – whether you are a novice or a more experienced cook.

My ethos has always been home cooking so for me it’s an essential part of my kitchen and ensures healthy meals every day. I have always meal prepped to maximise my ingredients and reduce food waste but without the store cupboard none of this is possible – it is my store cupboard ingredients that bring the flavour in food to life.

I am in the process of writing further articles to provide my insights into how I meal prep and how this evolved during lock-down as a special feature. Most of those recipes would not have been possible without my trusty store cupboard. I buy 99% organic everything including a lot of my store cupboard where it’s available – this is to mirror our meat/fish/vegetables and to try and maintain an organic diet as much as possible.
Read on to find out what I think the essentials are…

The Essentials

The tins
Tinned tomatoes (chopped)
Tinned beans – I always have cannelini and kidney beans on hand (my husband would also add baked beans to this list…)
Anchovies

The Bottles
Soy Sauce
Worcestershire Sauce
Thai Fish Sauce
Passata
Mirin, Rice Wine Vinegar and Oyster Sauce are great to have – especially for a speedy stirfry
Red Wine & Cider Vinegar – I recommend Aspalls. https://www.aspall.co.uk/

The Herbs & Spices
Ground Cumin
Ground Coriander
Chilli Powder
Smoked Paprika
Dried mixed herbs
Dried Oregano
Celery Salt
Garam Masala
Cinnamon
Cajun Seasoning
Curry Powder

You cant beat fresh herbs but those listed above are the ones I also have dried as my back-up

The Fridge
Creme Fraiche
Eggs (although I don’t store mine here 🙂 )
Butter
Tomato Puree
Parmesan – a block of and also the finely grated tub- for speed!

The Freezer
Puff Pastry
Sausage meat

The Fresh Stuff
Onions
Garlic
Potatoes – new and white
Peppers
Chillies
Carrots
Chestnut Mushrooms

The Cupboard
Fresh stocks – I always have meat & vegetarian varieties on hand
Rice / Pasta / Lentils
Dried mushrooms
Sugar – I have a stash of granulated, caster, icing and brown sugar
Flour – 00 Pasta, Self Raising & Plain
Maldon Sea Salt
Stock Cubes – I have these as a back up to my fresh stock and recommend Marigold Swiss Vegetable Boullion powder and for a real hit of beef Knorr beef stock pots. A tip with either is taste before seasoning if you are planning to use either as they are well seasoned
Lazy Chilli and Lazy Garlic – made by English Provender. A fantastic storecupboard ingredient. https://www.englishprovender.com/
Mustard – I have all varieties but the main go-to’s are English (for heat) and Dijon
Olive Oil – light for cooking and EVOO for dressings
Vegetable oil

Well that’s quite a list but I promise if you have these in your cupboard with some nice meat, fish or vegetables you will be able to rustle up delicious Mexican, British, Indian, paleo, keto and wonderful vegetarian dishes easily – the list is endless!

I will add some recipes shortly that link to this article – helping you to see how I use my store cupboard to create delicious healthy meals every day.

I’d love to hear what you have in yours – please feel free to comment below!