The Store Cupboard

Appears in

Published 1957

About

What the store cupboard contains is rather a personal matter, the consequence of individual habit and taste, of the size of household, and of the weekly food budget. But if this book is to be of any practical use it depends to some extent on many of the ingredients, specified in the recipes, being ready to hand in the kitchen. So we would like to propose the inclusion of certain commodities, assuming a family of four. But first it is necessary to stress one essential point.

Instead of a cupboard lined with ranks of tins - tinned soups, tinned meat, tinned vegetables and relishes - it should rather contain a collection of seasonings, spices, aromatic herbs, olive oil, beef concentrate, tomato purée, Spanish onions, garlic, fresh root vegetables, a bottle of wine, a flask of brandy - culinary accompaniments which can at any time be called into play, and added to these, a few pounds of staple commodities, spaghetti, rice, haricot beans, which with the minimum of trouble can be transformed into substantial dishes, a reserve against the many moments when shopping is impracticable. That really is the main object of the store cupboard, to provide meals at short notice without shopping, and, equally important, to leave one free to select carefully the piece of beef for a gulyas or bœuf à la mode without having to search at the last moment for paprika pepper or a handful of juniper berries.

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