Many of us shop with the best intentions but busy lives mean we sometimes have to throw out good food past it’s due date or become overwhelmed by the items we’ve bought - what’s the secret here? Is it buying more frequently or planning meals?
It’s first and foremost about meal planning, so I go into this process in great detail, sharing exactly how to do it quickly and effectively. If we know (roughly) what we are going to be cooking, then we can buy more precisely what we need – and leave the rest to be ‘stored at the store’. Then during the week, it’s really about good stock management, using things up in the right order to avoid them going off before getting to them, and being much more mindful with leftovers (or ‘planned overs’ as we call them in the book). Plus it’s really useful to have a couple of recipes up your sleeve that can reimagine all those random odds and ends left at the end of the week into something more inviting (like a veggie curry, stew or frittata). I often remind myself that food waste is not just bad for the planet and our wallets, it’s also lost potential nutrition.
What is the secret to an organised pantry?
I think the key to pantry organisation that is highly functional (rather than just for social-media aesthetics!) is to group things together in a logical manner – one that is meaningful and useful to you, that can be maintained, and that supports healthy choices. It’s then much easier to keep this up if things are labelled clearly and there is some division of the space (either with containers, shelves, baskets etc.). It doesn’t have to mean buying new things, however. Re-using and recycling jam jars, baskets, plastic trays or cardboard boxes can work to help support your new system.
What 3 items does every pantry need?
Tinned tomatoes, cannellini beans, olive oil. With those ingredients you can make an instant soup, pasta sauce, or curry / vegetables stew base (adding any vegetables leftover at the end of the week from the fridge). Of course flavours are key so I have to add in herbs and spices and items such as miso and tahini! Sorry, I can’t keep to just 3!
What’s your best 10-minute supper without having to shop?
This is pretty much how I cook most weeknights! I love the various ‘instant’ soups we’ve devised – and there are two more in this latest book. You just blend a few things together and warm through, no prep involved. Or I do lots of frittatas and various pasta-with-vegetable combinations. Again, lots of recipes in the book for those. Otherwise, I do love to batch cook for moments just like this, so I tend to have a good supply of pre-cooked meals like curries, dahls, fish pies, meatballs and soups in the fridge or freezer to pull out as needed.
What should we have on hand / in the car to feed hungry children after school?
This depends on the age, appetite, and activity levels of the child. Super-hungry teens that are off to a sports practice are going to need something pretty substantial whereas a toddler coming home from nursery might just need something small. Either way, I’d try to think about some sort of fresh fruit or vegetable (apple, banana, satsuma, carrot sticks, pepper, cucumber), some sort of protein (cheese, hummus, peanut butter, almond butter, tuna, whole nuts if they are old enough) and some sort of carbohydrate (oatcake, rice cake, bread etc.). And some water – I find that my little one is really thirsty on the way home.
What 5 items are always in your fridge?
Lemons, seasonal green leaves, feta, my homemade pickled chillis and milk (for my daughter).
Your favourite kitchen gadget and favourite pantry storage solutions?
It’s not so much a fancy gadget, but the thing that I find most useful (and love that it works so well) is my Oxo Good Grips peeler. It does what it’s supposed to do really effectively, and given how much vegetable prep I do each week, I genuinely appreciate that. This isn’t sponsored – it’s just really good.
You absolutely don’t need to buy fancy storage solutions for your pantry, but if you want to, I’ve shared 10 of my favourites in this article
Amelia has kindly shared a recipe from The Organised Cook here.
