Whether a novice or an expert, every home cook needs a pantry full of flavourful ingredients. A pinch of this and a splash of that to bring your culinary delights to life.

Why?
Well, first and foremost, it is flavour. So you make flavourless food more flavoursome.What do we mean by that? Well, think about vegetables that are out of season, frozen vegetables, and basic grains..… all of these foods can be bland but do take flavour and flavour pairings well.

So it allows us to take some seasonal, cheap, cost-effective ingredients and make them taste great with a few clever pantry ingredients.

Why is this vital to every modern home cook?
Simple :

• You will cook from scratch more.
• You will save money as you won’t naturally gravitate to takeaways or premade meals.

You can simplify your cooking – less technique, less time but brilliant flavour, satiety and enjoyment.

So how to start the process of building a flavourful pantry:

Discernment – put a little thought into which cuisine you love the most, which you would like to cook and eat more of …. Then, stock up on those condiments and flavour ingredients. This is not a museum curation we are beginning… there is no time or space for waste food.

Build it up slowly – start with the core basics and get more adventurous and extravagant as the weeks go by. Start with those ingredients that will be dual purpose-hard, working, multi-tasking ingredients.

Menu Plan – Plan your meals for the week and see what will be most relevant.

Buy new ingredients in small quantities.

Do a clear out on your panty at the moment and toss out any out-of-date. Give it a cleanout, refresh your brain on what you already have in there, and get plastic containers to stack and sort by cuisine. Get some clips, glass jars with lids (mason / Kilner jars )

Remember, pantry shopping is not the same as bulk buying.

To hear about my top 3 flavourful pantry ingredients, you must click the link here and see what Kieran thinks about my suggestions.