The 30-Minute Storecupboard

A well-stocked storecupboard is the ready barracks of any kitchen. These are humble ingredients that don’t jostle for position in the fridge, desperate for a moment in the sun before their time runs out. These are the supporting cast and, as such, those that carry the whole production. I am talking everything from canned vegetables, pulses and legumes, to oils, spices and vinegars, and rice, grains and pastas, and that is only scratching the surface. With such a miscellany of contents, it’s important to try and organise your cupboards in a way that makes sense to you and to keep track of which items are running low. This isn’t about instagrammable glass jars or beautiful hand-written labels, though those have their place, it’s about practicality and functionality. My storecupboards, and if you’re going to be cooking regularly from this book, I would suggest yours also, will always be brimming with the following items.