The Well Stocked Pantry

Having a well stocked pantry is important if you are going to cook at home. But what needs to be in there? Isn't it going to be expensive to fill up the kitchen storecupboard?

Start by thinking about the things that you would need to use for almost every meal you cook. The essentials. Things you wouldn't want to have to run to the shops for every time. The basic building blocks of a meal.

Once you have these in stock then you can add those "nice to have" items which will be used on an occasional basis.

The following list will provide those essential ingredients that every well stocked pantry should contain. Some of these items will be links to more information further down the page. You can go look and then jump back to the list or just work your way down the page.

You do not, of course, have to go out and buy all these at once! Just add them to your store cupboard as you find you need them. Then top up when you run out.

Dry goods

Rice	Pasta
Beans	Lentils
Coffee	Tea
Sugar	Flour
Cornflour	Dried yeast
Dried fruit	Oats
Bulgar Wheat	Millet
Baking powder	Nuts
Cocoa powder	Dried milk powder

Herbs and Spices

CuminChilli powder

Black pepper	Salt
Mint	Oregano
Thyme	Sage
Bouquet Garni	Bay leaves
Rosemary	Basil
Cinnamon	Nutmeg
Paprika	Cloves
Coriander (or Cilantro)
Mixed spice	Ground ginger
Turmeric
Cayenne pepper	Garam masala

Bottles and jars

Vinegar	Soy sauce
Worcestershire sauce	Tabasco sauce
Olive oil	Sunflower oil
Mayonnaise	Tomato ketchup
Honey	Golden syrup
Black Treacle	Maple syrup
Pickles	Jam (or Jelly)
Marmalade	Marmite (or yeast extract)
Mint sauce	Mustard
Garlic granules	Horseradish sauce

Tinned foods

Plum tomatoes	Tomato puree (also in a tube)
Sweetcorn kernels	Chick peas
Tuna fish	Salmon
Sardines	Anchovies
Ham	Corned beef
Evaporated milk	Condensed milk
Consomme (clear soup)	Pineapple rings or cubes

Herbs and Spices

Mint

No kitchen garden is complete without some mint! But I would advise you to grow it in a container as it does tend to spread.

Perfect with lamb or new potatoes, it is also good with other vegetables such as beans, peas and lentils, tomatoes, aubergines (eggplant), carrots and mushrooms.

Used worldwide (apart from in French cooking), mint is a clean tasting herb and it gives a tangy freshness to a dish. Try it in omelettes, salads, sauces and soups, or with cucumber as an accompaniment to a curry.

Oregano

A herb grown in the Mediterranean countries, oregano is often used in pizzas, tomato and garlic sauces, in pasta, seafood and vegetable dishes, (especially those containing courgettes (zucchini), aubergines (eggplant) and mushrooms). It also compliments minced (ground) beef. I would consider this to be one of the first herbs to buy for your well stocked pantry!

Thyme

Another indispensable ingredient for the well stocked pantry, thyme is a must for stocks, stews one-dish meals and stuffings. It is also useful for marinades for both poultry and meat. It goes particularly well with rabbit.

Sage

A traditional herb in English and European cookery. A strongly flavoured herb used in stuffings (such as Sage and Onion) this is also one of the components of commercially produced Mixed Herbs. It tends to complement pork dishes really well. It is also used in the production of the English cheese, Sage Derby.

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Bouquet Garni

A bunch of herbs in a small piece of muslin. Usually contains parsley, thyme and bay leaf. A bouquet garni can be added to stews and soups for flavour.

Bay leaves

Any kitchen worth its salt should have a packet of bay leaves in the storecupboard. Mainly used when cooking meat, you can pop in a piece of bay leaf when preparing vegetable dishes containing aubergine (eggplant), cauliflower, carrots, tomatoes or onions as well. It can transform sweet recipes, such as custards or rice puddings when a small amount is place in the milk while it is being heated up (called infusing).

Rosemary

A herb I grow in my own garden, Rosemary is best used fresh if you can get it.

A must for lamb, veal and pork dishes. A sprig picked fresh from the garden, and popped inside a joint of meat before roasting, (along with slivers of garlic) will guarantee to make your mouth water!

Basil

I would consider this another essential for your well stocked pantry if you like tomatoes! In fact it is even known as the tomato herb as it goes so well with them.

But it really needs to be used fresh rather than dried. If you can find some fresh leaves for sale this summer, grab them, and pop some into a bottle of olive oil, to keep in the fridge for use throughout the winter.

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Cinnamon

Available in sticks or ground, this spice is used in both sweet and savoury recipes. Often used in Christmas dishes.

Nutmeg

No well stocked pantry should be without nutmeg, both whole and ground. It goes just as well with savoury dishes as it does with sweet. Sprinkled on top of rice pudding the gorgeous aroma will bring back memories of childhood.

Paprika

Made from a sweet, red pepper, this is an red-orange spice that looks like cayenne pepper but is much milder in flavour. Traditionally used in Hungarian Goulash, it can also be used in other savoury dishes.

Cloves

The dark brown clove is shaped like a nail and it can be pushed into foods such as onions or meat to add flavour to stews or roasts. It is also often used to flavour white sauces and apple recipes.

Cumin

Cumin seeds are best if they are ground when you need them, for chicken, rice, lamb and vegetable dishes. An ingredient that is often used in commercial curry powders.

Coriander

Coriander seeds are a sweet, aromatic spice often used in curries, and in North African and Arab cooking. The ground seeds add spice to cakes, biscuits (cookies) and chutneys.

The leaves of the coriander plant are also known as Chinese Parsley or cilantro. They are used throughout the Middle East and India mainly in curries.

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Mixed Spice

Traditionally an English spice, made from cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves. Often used in fruit cakes and puddings. An American equivalent would be apple pie spice or ground allspice.

Ginger

Ground ginger is a popular spice and is often used in cakes, biscuits (cookies) and puddings.

Chilli powder

Made from ground, dried chillis, this hot spice comes from Asia. There is also a Mexican variety which also contains cumin and other spices, maker it a milder version. Traditionally used in Chilli Con Carne a meal made of minced beef and red kidney beans.

Turmeric

A deep yellow, golden spice used in Indian cooking. However, it deserves a place in any well stocked pantry as it can be used in many rice and vegetarian dishes. This spice has a short shelf life so buy it in small quantities, as it will lose its pungency if stored for too long.

Cayenne pepper

A very hot spice made from ground, dried chillies. A little goes a long way! Used in curries, cheese and fish dishes.

Garam masala

A combination of spices normally including...cardamon, cloves, cinnamon, coriander, cumin and nutmeg. It is often used in Indian cooking and is available in jars from Asian food stores and some supermarkets.