Cans

I often use chopped canned tomatoes for quick pasta sauces and for putting into casseroles, soups and countless other dishes.

When you have no time, cans of pulses, such as green flageolets, white cannellini, kidney beans and chick peas, are a boon for salads and for making into a quick bean stew with added vegetables or bacon.

Smoked oysters and mussels are delicious in salads, and also in stuffings for meat and chicken, imparting their smoky flavour.

Soft cod or herring roe makes a quick, nutritious snack, sautéed briefly in butter and served on toast.

Tuna is universally popular and can be used in many dishes, including dips, quiches, pasta, stuffings, and, of course, salads.

Boneless skinned sardines in olive oil are perfect for making sardine pâté in seconds.

I find anchovies the most useful canned fish and a wonderful flavour enhancer. They can be used on pizzas, with pasta, or chopped and added to meat stews, stuffings or spiked into meat, particularly lamb, before roasting. They can also be emptied into a heatproof bowl with their oil and stirred over hot water until they form a cream to use as a base for sauces or with pasta.