Stocking up on the essentials

IT looks like the store cupboard is going to become central to our lives and, because we are so used to having access to fresh food all the time, this may take a bit of adjustment. It’s made me reflect on what we always keep in ours and here are my edited highlights. Mustard, because civilised life is unthinkable without it.

Soya sauce, sesame oil, miso paste, because these flavours can make even cardboard palatable!

Tuna, because it’s a meal in a can.

Chickpeas and beans, because they can form the basis of a stew, a soup or a salad.

Heinz tomato ketchup and Lea and Perrin’s Worcestershire Sauce, because if you have to ask you will never understand.

Mayonnaise, because it’s so versatile (and goes with the two above to make a handy Marie Rose sauce for prawn cocktail).

Tinned tomatoes, because they are a great starting point for a sauce, a casserole, a soup. Dried mushrooms, because they are jampacked with savouriness (and can make a nifty risotto).

Anchovies, because they add terrific flavour to anything savoury.

Baked beans, because they are great on toast with a dollop of butter on top.

Olives, because you can cook with them or just eat them with a glass of wine.

Lime pickle, because it makes a great and zingy curry sauce.

Tinned beansprouts, bamboo shoots, water chestnuts, because you may want a stirfry when you have no fresh vegetables.

Rice and pasta, for obvious reasons.

Tinned or jarred asparagus, for a bit of unseasonal luxury.

Heinz tomato soup, to go with Lea & Perrins Worcestershire Sauce for an easy, quick restorative.

Campbell’s Cream of Mushroom Soup, because it’s tasty but also because it can be the basis of a yummy casserole or a pasta sauce.

Tinned consommé, because you can add a dice of veg and a glug of sherry and you have a posh starter.

Marmite, because even if you don’t like eating it on toast (and a lot of people don’t), it adds depth to soup and sauces. Sun-dried tomatoes in oil, because you can blitz them with some garlic and have an instant pasta sauce.

Dried yeast, for bread and pizza making.

Organic white and brown flour, for bread and pastry.

Sriracha, because its hot, spicy, addictive and makes so many things taste better.

Tinned pineapple, because it makes a great pudding.

Pickled onions, just because I like them...

Stock cubes and Marigold Bouillon Powder, because we don’t always have stock in the freezer.

Spices, because I can’t imagine a spiceless world!