Making great meals start with a well stocked larder of essentials and we are sharing our favourites
Creating delicious meals at home starts with having the right ingredients on hand. A well stocked larder is the key to inventive home cooking.
We have compiled a list of store cupboard staples that we believe are a bit of a hero - able to transform your cooking into something special.
Organic Olive Oil
A good quality organic olive oil is always on our worktop, and it is probably our most used ingredient. Rich in healthy monounsaturated fats and antioxidants, we use olive oil for sautéing, roasting, creating salad dressings and for dipping hunks of sourdough bread in as a snack. Our favourite oil comes from a local shop where we can refill our glass bottles in store, but look out for olive oils that claim to be organic, extra virgin and cold pressed for the best taste and nutritional benefits.
Tinned Wild Fish
Tinned wild fish, such as sardines, mackerel, salmon and tuna, are versatile and nutrient-dense. No longer considered a poor relation to fresh fish, tinned fish is rich in omega-3 fatty acids, protein, and essential vitamins. With a long shelf life, tinned fish is handy to stock up on - it can be used in salads, pasta dishes, or as a topping for toast. We have a range of sustainably sourced tinned fish to start your store cupboard collection here.
Organic Chilli Flakes
Whether we’re adding a little heat to Italian classics, adding a little oomph to pizza toppings or experimenting with Asian flavours, organic chilli flakes are always within arm's reach. Less intense than fresh chillies, dried chilli flakes are super versatile and are one of the only other pots we keep alongside salt and pepper for daily use.We love infusing them with garlic cloves in olive oil to drizzle as a final flourish over meals.
Organic Cheddar
A robust, tangy organic cheddar is a must-have for sandwiches, casseroles, and cheese boards. Made from the milk of organic, grass fed cows raised without synthetic hormones or antibiotics, for a quality you can taste. Grate it over pasta, melt it into a creamy sauce, or simply enjoy it with crackers. You can read about why we consider organic cheddar a kitchen staple here.
Organic Bone Broth
Bone broth deserves all the love that it gets for its nutritional benefits. It is rich in collagen and minerals, and contains gut restoring nutrients, joint supporting collagen and reduces inflammation in the body. Bone broth is a great way to up the protein and nutrient content of your dishes, it can be added to soups, stews, risottos and gravies. We stock chicken, beef. lamb and other tasty varieties.
Organic Honey
When we need a touch of sweetness in our cooking, we grab a jar of local, organic honey. We think honey complements savoury flavours more naturally than other sweeter alternatives, and is there a better combination for glazes, marinades or dressings than honey and mustard? Organic honey is rich in antioxidants and enzymes and it may be an old wives tale, but we like to believe that eating locally produced honey can ease the symptoms associated with summer pollen allergies.
Organic Apple Cider Vinegar
Everyone has cottoned on to the health benefits of apple cider vinegar these days, it is said that you should drink a tablespoon of apple cider vinegar before eating to help stabilise blood sugar levels. We like it in our kitchen because it gives the acidity needed to balance out the oil in dressings and marinades.Try a quick pickled vegetable side dish by mixing equal parts apple cider vinegar to water in a jam jar with a teaspoon of sugar and salt, and adding shredded cabbage, onions carrots or other crunchy veg. Leave for half an hour before eating. Look for unfiltered varieties of apple cider vinegar with the "mother" for the most beneficial enzymes and probiotics for digestive health.
Organic Beef Fat
Some things have stayed the same for years, with good reason - they need no improvement. Organic beef fat, or tallow, is ideal for frying, roasting or making savoury pastry for pie crusts. It imparts a deep, savoury flavour to dishes and due to its high smoke point, it is the only way to create the ultimate Sunday Roast potatoes. Our organic, grass fed beef fat is handmade by our friends at Borough Broth Co in their London kitchen, it doesn't contain additives and it's never hydrogenated.
Organic Mustard
Mustard is a love-it or hate-it condiment, but we fall firmly in the love it camp. We add a spoonful of mustard to most meals. A dollop on the side of meat dishes, or a tablespoon swirled through creamy or cheesy sauces to cut through the richness. We also use it to create a simple vinaigrette in an old, clean jam jar with olive oil, apple cider vinegar and a teaspoon of honey.
Organic Pancetta
When you need to add a little salty, meaty flavour to a dish, then cured meats are your friend. Our Organic Cure pancetta is made from organic belly pork, seasoned with juniper, bay and fennel and aged to perfection. We use it to top homemade pizzas and to make macaroni cheese a bit fancy, but panetta is also wonderful when crisped up and added to green veg like green beans, wilted spinach or asparagus.
Cornish Sea Salt
With the stunning coastlines of Devon and Cornwall right at our doorstep, it's no wonder we turn to the finest sea salt from Cornwall's coastal waters for our kitchen. Harvested by hand from Cornwall’s coastal waters, Cornish sea salt is free from additives, and contains trace elements of magnesium, potassium and iodine imparting a clean, natural seasoning to every dish. We prefer sea salt flakes rather than ground and we love to sprinkle this sea salt on top of homemade breads, mixed into creamy organic butter, and made into herb and garlic salt.
