A well-stocked kitchen doesn’t need to be overflowing. These are the everyday ingredients I like to keep to hand, so I can make something good before heading to the shops. Use this as a flexible checklist, not a list of things you must buy.
Dry Store
The basics for easy breakfasts, lunches and dinners.
- Rice, including risotto rice
- Pasta and noodles
- Oats and breakfast cereals
- Dried lentils, pulses and grains
- Popcorn kernels
- Stock cubes or bouillon
- Cooking oils and vinegar
- Honey, golden syrup and maple syrup
Tins & Jars
Useful ingredients for meals when the fridge looks a little bare.
- Tinned tomatoes and tomato purée
- Chickpeas, beans and lentils
- Coconut milk
- Tinned fish
- Sweetcorn and other tinned vegetables
- Olives, capers and pickles
- Jams, chutneys and fruit compotes
- Nut butters and chocolate spread
- Bottled lemon juice
Herbs & Spices
A few favourites can transform simple ingredients. Start with what you actually use.
- Sea salt and black pepper
- Cinnamon, cardamom and nutmeg
- Cumin, coriander and paprika
- Chilli flakes
- Dried oregano, thyme, rosemary and tarragon
- Bay leaves
- Mixed herbs or herbes de Provence
Fridge
A handful of fresh staples makes store-cupboard cooking much easier.
- Eggs
- Milk and yoghurt
- Butter
- Cheese, including Parmesan or another hard cheese
- Mustard and other condiments
- Carrots and other vegetables that need using
- Fresh herbs when available
- Opened jars of compote, sauces and preserves, stored according to their labels
Baking
The cupboard that makes pancakes, cakes and last-minute treats possible.
- Plain/all-purpose flour and self-raising flour
- Baking powder and bicarbonate of soda
- Caster, granulated, light brown and icing/powdered sugar
- Vanilla extract
- Cocoa powder and chocolate
- Dried fruit, nuts and seeds
- Cornflour/cornstarch
- Yeast, if you bake bread
- Cake cases and baking parchment
Before You Shop
Have a quick look through these five areas, then choose a recipe around what you already have. Check dates, use older ingredients first and make a note of what genuinely needs replacing. A useful store cupboard is one that works for the way you cook.