My Store Cupboard Here is a list of items I always keep stocked in the kitchen. I was surprised to see how long the list looks but it really isn’t if you imagine a lot of items are in small spice rack jars, or packets. The list has grown over the years as my recipes have become more confidently varied. I use them very often and they’ve got me out of many predicaments when the fridge is almost empty and dinner has not been premeditated! Almonds, chopped; crumbles and stuffing rainbow trout Almonds, ground; crumbles & cake mixtures Almonds, whole blanched; decorating tarts & cakes Anchovies; salad dressings, tapenade, pasta, pizza Balsamic Vinegar; dressings, sauces, gravies, endless usage! Beef Stock Black Peppercorns Cannellini Beans Tinned; home made beans or mashed to accompany lamb Carrots; also used to make gravies, stocks, stews, soups, salads, coleslaw Castor Sugar; good for cooking as it dissolves quicker, smaller granulation Celery; also used to make gravies, stocks, stews, soups, salads, Chick Peas Tinned; hummous, tangines, curries Chicken Stock Chilli & Garlic Oil; great on spaghetti, pizza, endless usage! Chinese Five Spice; great ingredient for all Chinese cooking Chinese Noodles Chocolate, 70% Cocoa (it’ hard to eat this because it’s bitter but great for cooking) Cinnamon Sticks Cocoa Powder Coriander Seeds Corn Flour; sauce thickener, shortbread Cous Cous Crushed Dried Chilli Flakes Cumin Seeds Demerara Sugar; used in darker puddings such as sticky toffee pudding Digestive Biscuits; great in desserts such as cheese cake, crumble and with yoghurt Dijon Mustard Dried Basil Dried Bay Leaves (I also have a bay plant) Dried Oregano Eggs English Mustard Extra Virgin Olive Oil; stronger flavour than virgin oil, good for dressings & pasta Fennel Seeds Garam Masala; important ingredient in all Indian cooking Garlic Ginger Ground Cumin Ground Mixed Spice; many uses in cooking sweet and savoury Icing Sugar Lemons, unwaxed; always come in handy for zesting and juicing into recipes Minced Meat, frozen; back up food! Chilli con carne, cottage pie, bolognese, keema Miso Paste; Japanese soy bean paste, used in cooking and as a healthy soup Mixed Seeds; for breads, salads and snacks Nam Pla (Fish Sauce); used in Thai, Japanese & Chinese cooking Natural Essence of Orange Flower Water; flavouring cakes, biscuits, ice-cream etc. Natural Essence of Rose Water; flavouring cakes, biscuits, ice-cream etc. Natural Yoghurt; used in cooking as well, even as a substitute to cream Olive Oil Olives; healthy snack, pizza, pasta, tapenade Onions, Red & White Paella Rice Paprika Parmesan Cheese Pasta Peas, frozen Pesto; cover pasta in pesto, bacon and pine nuts for a quick, easy weekday dinner Pine Nuts Plain Flour Poppy Seeds Puff Pastry, kept frozen; last minute lunches or canapés, really versatile! Puy Lentils; braised lentils with red wine, served with any red meat, or use in soup Red Chilli Powder (Indian brand); important ingredient for Indian cooking Red Kidney Beans; I always have these handy for chilli con carne Red Wine Vinegar; dressings & cooking Redcurrant Jelly; great in sauces, gravies or served straight with red meat Rice Rice Mirin; used in a lot of Japanese cooking, sweet flavour Rice Wine Vinegar; used in a lot of oriental cooking Runny Honey; used in a lot of sweet and savoury cooking Saffron Strands; use in paella, to flavour ice cream or meringues Salt Flakes; for seasoning in all cooking Self Raising Flour Sesame Seeds Soy Sauce Star Anise Stem Ginger Crystallised Tahini; sesame paste used in dressings, marinades, hummous and other dips Tinned Chopped Tomatoes; used in sauces a lot! Toasted Sesame Oil Tomato Puree; used to flavour sauces, stews, gravy Tumeric; important ingredient for Indian cooking Unsalted Butter; used in everyday cooking Vanilla Extract (not essence) Vanilla Ice-cream; great accompaniment to any dessert Vegetable Stock; soups Walnuts, chopped; brownies and other cakes Walnuts, whole; great when caramelised and served with cheese! White Wine Vinegar; salad dressings, basic sauces and general cooking Whole Cloves Whole Green Cardamon Whole Nutmeg; grated over hot drinks, and in sweet and savoury cooking Wholegrain Mustard Worcester Sauce

My Store Cupboard

Here is a list of items I always keep stocked in the kitchen. I was surprised to see how long the list looks but it really isn’t if you imagine a lot of items are in small spice rack jars, or packets. The list has grown over the years as my recipes have become more confidently varied. I use them very often and they’ve got me out of many predicaments when the fridge is almost empty and dinner has not been premeditated!

Almonds, chopped; crumbles and stuffing rainbow trout

Almonds, ground; crumbles & cake mixtures

Almonds, whole blanched; decorating tarts & cakes

Anchovies; salad dressings, tapenade, pasta, pizza

Balsamic Vinegar; dressings, sauces, gravies, endless usage!

Beef Stock

Black Peppercorns

Cannellini Beans Tinned; home made beans or mashed to accompany lamb

Carrots; also used to make gravies, stocks, stews, soups, salads, coleslaw

Castor Sugar; good for cooking as it dissolves quicker, smaller granulation

Celery; also used to make gravies, stocks, stews, soups, salads,

Chick Peas Tinned; hummous, tangines, curries

Chicken Stock

Chilli & Garlic Oil; great on spaghetti, pizza, endless usage!

Chinese Five Spice; great ingredient for all Chinese cooking

Chinese Noodles

Chocolate, 70% Cocoa (it’ hard to eat this because it’s bitter but great for cooking)

Cinnamon Sticks

Cocoa Powder

Coriander Seeds

Corn Flour; sauce thickener, shortbread

Cous Cous

Crushed Dried Chilli Flakes

Cumin Seeds

Demerara Sugar; used in darker puddings such as sticky toffee pudding

Digestive Biscuits; great in desserts such as cheese cake, crumble and with yoghurt

Dijon Mustard

Dried Basil

Dried Bay Leaves (I also have a bay plant)

Dried Oregano

Eggs

English Mustard

Extra Virgin Olive Oil; stronger flavour than virgin oil, good for dressings & pasta

Fennel Seeds

Garam Masala; important ingredient in all Indian cooking

Garlic

Ginger

Ground Cumin

Ground Mixed Spice; many uses in cooking sweet and savoury

Icing Sugar

Lemons, unwaxed; always come in handy for zesting and juicing into recipes

Minced Meat, frozen; back up food! Chilli con carne, cottage pie, bolognese, keema

Miso Paste; Japanese soy bean paste, used in cooking and as a healthy soup

Mixed Seeds; for breads, salads and snacks

Nam Pla (Fish Sauce); used in Thai, Japanese & Chinese cooking

Natural Essence of Orange Flower Water; flavouring cakes, biscuits, ice-cream etc.

Natural Essence of Rose Water; flavouring cakes, biscuits, ice-cream etc.

Natural Yoghurt; used in cooking as well, even as a substitute to cream

Olive Oil

Olives; healthy snack, pizza, pasta, tapenade

Onions, Red & White

Paella Rice

Paprika

Parmesan Cheese

Pasta

Peas, frozen

Pesto; cover pasta in pesto, bacon and pine nuts for a quick, easy weekday dinner

Pine Nuts

Plain Flour

Poppy Seeds

Puff Pastry, kept frozen; last minute lunches or canapés, really versatile!

Puy Lentils; braised lentils with red wine, served with any red meat, or use in soup

Red Chilli Powder (Indian brand); important ingredient for Indian cooking

Red Kidney Beans; I always have these handy for chilli con carne

Red Wine Vinegar; dressings & cooking

Redcurrant Jelly; great in sauces, gravies or served straight with red meat

Rice

Rice Mirin; used in a lot of Japanese cooking, sweet flavour

Rice Wine Vinegar; used in a lot of oriental cooking

Runny Honey; used in a lot of sweet and savoury cooking

Saffron Strands; use in paella, to flavour ice cream or meringues

Salt Flakes; for seasoning in all cooking

Self Raising Flour

Sesame Seeds

Soy Sauce

Star Anise

Stem Ginger Crystallised

Tahini; sesame paste used in dressings, marinades, hummous and other dips

Tinned Chopped Tomatoes; used in sauces a lot!

Toasted Sesame Oil

Tomato Puree; used to flavour sauces, stews, gravy

Tumeric; important ingredient for Indian cooking

Unsalted Butter; used in everyday cooking

Vanilla Extract (not essence)

Vanilla Ice-cream; great accompaniment to any dessert

Vegetable Stock; soups

Walnuts, chopped; brownies and other cakes

Walnuts, whole; great when caramelised and served with cheese!

White Wine Vinegar; salad dressings, basic sauces and general cooking

Whole Cloves

Whole Green Cardamon

Whole Nutmeg; grated over hot drinks, and in sweet and savoury cooking

Wholegrain Mustard

Worcester Sauce