Store cupboard essentials

• A teaspoon or two of balsamic vinegar can wake up the flavour in a bland soup, stew or sauce.
• A sprinkle of balsamic vinegar on fresh sliced strawberries or raspberries with a bit of sugar really brings out the flavour of the fruit.
• Heat sweetens balsamic vinegar and boils out acidity. If you want to mellow the flavour, heat it.

• Canned are most useful when in a hurry. Except for baked beans, once the can is open, tip the contents into a sieve or colander and run under the cold tap to rinse well.
• If you want to use dried beans in a recipe instead of canned ones, soak half the weight of canned beans in cold water overnight then cook in fresh boiling water until tender. Drain and use in a recipe.
• Beans can be served alone or mixed with other flavourings and foods. They are also great used to thicken soups and stews. They can be mixed with pasta or rice in soup for a hearty dish.
• Beans are a good substitute for meat in burgers as protein.
• Cold cooked beans are also excellent mixed with garlic dressing for a salad and served with cold meats or fish.

• Although it might seem odd, grinding black pepper over a bowl of strawberries enhances the flavour of the fruit.
• Pepper that is pre-ground is not fresh tasting and often has other ingredients mixed in.
• Choose the type of mill that suits you, and if you want coarser pepper you can loosen the screw on the top of the mill or crush the seeds in a pestle and mortar

• The tomatoes will keep for up to a week, but don’t store them in the opened tin because the metal will start to rust and spoil the food. Instead, tip the tomatoes into a plastic container, cover with a lid, or clingfilm and store in the fridge.
• Alternatively, put the tomatoes in a freezer-proof container and freeze for up to 12 months.

If you have any leftover it’s best not to store the fish in tins. Instead, tip into a plastic container and cover with a lid.

One example is Tabasco. It is the trade name of a range of hot, spicy chilli sauces made in the US state of Louisiana. The original Tabasco sauce is fiery red and made from a variety of chilli pepper called Tabasco, combined with vinegar and salt and matured in oak barrels. Chilli sauces vary in strength. Choose one that is suitable for your family.

If you have any leftover you can freeze in ice-cube trays. Once frozen transfer to freezer bags. It will keep for up to 3 months.

Once the packet is opened reseal using grip clips or transfer to an airtight jar or kilner jar.

Or for adding spice to curries.

• They are a healthy snack on their own or with nuts. They also work well for fruitcakes and Christmas pudding, biscuits and buns.
• When re-hydrated in water, tea or alcohol they can be added to mousses, fools and ice creams.
• Their natural sweetness works well with Indian and North African recipes.
• Keep the fruits fresher by resealing them with bag clips or transfer them to airtight containers.

They can be used in soups, stir-fries or in sauces for dishes using shredded meats, prawns or vegetables.

• Raising agents are added to plain flour to make self-raising flour, used to lighten and give an airy texture to cakes and sponges.
• Once opened reseal with quick clips or transfer to an airtight container or kilner jar. It will keep for up to 3-4 months

To keep cut parsley or coriander, put in a hole free polythene bag with a couple of tablespoons of cold water, give the bag a good shake and keep in the salad drawer of the fridge. Herbs should keep for a week like this.

• Honey is also an ancient remedy for the treatment of infected wounds.Manuka Honey has recently been ‘rediscovered’ by the medical profession, particularly where conventional modern therapeutic agents are failing.
• If it gets too cold it will crystallise. Just put the pot in a microwave for 30 seconds and it will return to its normal state.

Can be used as a topping for cheese nachos or in sandwiches.

Traditional indian spice

But is also great with cheese and crackers for a snack and makes a good cream dip.

• French mustard or Dijon is creamy and can be used in dressings, marinades or adding to sauces.
• English is good for roast beef, steak, gammon or sizzling sausages.
• Wholegrain is used in chutney’s and pickles

• Extra virgin olive oil is good for drizzling on salads and should never be heated as this destroys the fine properties
• Lighter olive oil is good for adding to bread, or to flavour a salad or marinade for chicken, meat, fish or vegetables. Lighter olive oil can be gently heated and added to marinades and baking.

• Short tubular pasta (rigatoni, penne, macaroni) is best used in baked dishes with vegetables, cheese and meat.
• Smooth long pasta (spaghetti, linguine) is best with sauces like Bolognese, tomato and clams as these keep the pasta slippery and separate.
• Cup-shaped pasta (conchiglie, orichette) is designed to hold sauces with larger ingredients such as mushrooms, artichokes and tomatoes.
• Cut pasta (tagliatelle, fettuccine, farfalle) is best eaten with rich sauce made with cream, eggs or meat.
• Twisted pasta (fusilli, eliche, fettuccines, farfalle) the curly character of these pastas means that they will trap thin sauces such as pesto, garlic, and olive oil flavoured with chilli.
• Tiny pasta shapes (alphabet letters, fillini, vermicelli) cook quickly and are ideal for adding to soups and casseroles.
• Ravioli is stuffed pasta and can vary from cheese, vegetables and meat.
• Lasagne sheets and cannelloni are good pastas used in a baked layered meat or vegetables dishes.

They are ideal for using up leftover cheese, meat and vegetables.

• White long grain rice is good for salads, and its absorbent qualities go well with sauces and casseroles.
• Risotto rice has an incredible capacity to absorb a great amount of cooking liquid and still retain bite, just like paella rice.
• When cooked, basmati rice gives a light, fluffy, separate grains perfect to accompany curries or biriyani and pilaff dishes.
• Rice can replace breadcrumbs in stuffing’s and a few grains can be added to soups to thicken the broth.
• You have to be careful when reheating rice as there is a nasty little bacteria called bacillus cereus which may be present in cereals, particularly rice, and it is resistant to heat.
• It’s important always to cook rice for a hot dish just as you need it and serve it piping hot. If the rice is for a cold dish, once it’s cooked, cool it as quickly as possible and chill within two hours. To do this, drain the rice in a colander, rinse with cold water then tip into a large shallow container. Once it is cold, cover and keep refrigerated for no longer than a day.

Sea salt’s pronounced and salty flavour means less is required to season food.

Only use a small amount, as it can be very overpowering.

• Dark soy is aged much longer than light soy, giving it a brownish-black colour and much thicker texture. Dark soy is used in red-cooked dishes, and is good for marinating meat. Use carefully as the rather pungent odour and darker colour of dark soy sauce can ruin the taste or appearance of a dish.
• As its name suggests, light soy has a lighter colour, plus a saltier flavour. It is used more in cooking.

For chicken and ribs

Great for quick stir-fry chicken and vegetables when speed is required.

Consider making your own stock. Check out our recipes to find out how.

• Once opened ensure they are tightly resealed with quick clips or bag clips.
• If you have got rock-hard brown sugar, crystallised honey/syrup, place in a suitable non-metallic bowl and give a quick blast of about 30 seconds on high in the microwave to bring these back to their normal state.

Ideal for pan-frying, mayonnaise, dressings and marinades.

This paste will create sumptuous curries. Use right away from the jar then store in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks and use it, as you need it.

Could also try our Kid’s Tomato Ketchup

When they’re cooked down, they’re put through a strainer to remove skins and seeds, and reduced further until almost all of the moisture has evaporated. Usually a recipe will call for a tablespoon or two, just enough to enrich a beef stew, for instance, or to deepen the flavour of a sauce made with fresh tomatoes.

Add bright yellow colour to rice

Lea and Perrins was invented in Worcester in 1835 by John Lea and William Perrin. Both chemists, they put together a recipe that tasted disgusting and then left it in their cellar for two years. When they tasted it again, it had matured like a fine wine! Their recipe is still a secret to this day.

Great on toast and adding to mushroom dishes and cheese on toast. Will last indefinitely once opened.