Despite being the most important meal of the day I am openly admitting I am not the greatest at eating breakfast – typically if I do it’ll be 3 hours after I get up and merge into lunchtime. However I do love a juice or a smoothie so with my trusty Nutribullet (other blenders are readily available) I present to you some of my favourites.
Quick to pull together, blends of fruit & vegetables and freezable so you can prep in advance and take them straight out of the freezer and blitz with your favourite juice!
You can buy ready-frozen berries and fruit which work just as well but I find fresh fruit allows me more creative licence in what goes into them.
Method Chop fruit & vegetables into small pieces (for carrots I recommend grating) If using straight away Place into a blender along with water, yoghurt or fruit juice and blitz. You can add flax or other seeds at this stage If the mixture is too thick add water until you reach a drinkable consistency Juices can be stored in the fridge or be frozen To freeze / prep in advance Chop the fruit/vegetables and place into large freezer bags. Lay flat, stack on top of one another and freeze To use – no need to defrost, just take from the freezer and follow the method above!
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!
“Autumn is the mellower season, and what we lose in flowers we more than gain in fruits…” Samuel Butler
When the sun gets a little cooler and the air gets a little crisper I get a feeling of cosiness and contentment. The Swedish call this Hygge and I can’t get enough of it.
I enjoy the transition into warmer clothes and lighting heady candles that evoke the season – warming vanilla, smokey tobacco and fig and having an excuse to light the fire.
Food is equally as exciting – that transition from the light, fresh dishes of Summer to dishes that are warmer, richer and more comforting. Squashes, root vegetables, game and then there’s the fruit – blackberries, apples, plums and pears….delicious!
To compliment this blog I have added some of my favourite October seasonal dishes to my Recipe page – click now for comforting butternut squash, pepper & chilli soup, roast duck with blackberries, Wild Mushroom Risotto with Thyme Baked Chicken Breast and apple crumble – a great selection of Sunday lunch alternatives.
If you’re not quite ready for that full comfort-food transition then check out my lighter take on October’s bounty with a shellfish delight – mussels in cider with bacon and for vegetarians and salad lovers alike a warm root veg salad with squash and goats cheese. Recipes
I have been a lover of all things food since my mum bought me my first cook book & apron at 3 years old. Since then I haven’t found a better sanctuary than the kitchen.
Growing up in a farming family I really have lived the ethos ‘farm to fork’ and my approach to cooking is to respect the products I use and make everything I cook a joy to eat.
Taste Love Create is simply what it says on the tin – I want to Create food that Tastes amazing that people Love. Everyone needs a little TLC…
This site is an opportunity for me to indulge my love of food and a place to share my thoughts, inspirations with you all.
Taste Love Create 