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A fully stocked store cupboard is the key to supplying your family with good quality, cheap, healthy meals. Everyone who wants to cook on a budget and save some money needs these store cupboard staples in their lives!

what are store cupboard essentials?

Store cupboard essentials are a range of quality basics you can’t live without. Chances are, they make up the base of quite a few of the basic meals you provide your family.

Your store cupboard of tins and packets will stretch to a range of bits to stock in the fridge and freezer. It does sound like a lot but if you buy a few bits a week or a section at a time and then keep on top of it…it will all work wonders.

I use one, or more than one of these ingredients for every single meal I make! Most have a good shelf life and if you are creative, there are a million and one meals you can make!

I would also like to make one point here. I am not a chef, a doctor or a nutritionist. This store cupboard is that of a normal foodie who likes to eat. It’s quite basic and all readily accessible at any food store. It is also listed with cheap meals in mind!

One tip I would give us pick and choose where you spend your hard earned money. You may want to try and source cheap food whether it be locally, on reduction or cheaper super markets. You might also want to choose to spend more of your money on certain items like good salt or olive oil and less on cheaper brands of beans or pulses where you won’t see a massive amount of difference.

This is my list of store cupboard staples to make cheap, healthy meals for the entire family!

Dried products…

My dried carbohydrate store cupboard list consists of –

Dried pasta including spaghetti, linguine and wholewheat pasta
White and brown rice
Egg noodles
Could cous

You don’t really get a better store cupboard ingredient than pasta! Cheap meals with pasta are the go to for half the country I would imagine! Such a versatile ingredient, there are millions of pasta recipes out there!

I often base a meal around a certain carb choice. They are all cheap, tasty, comforting and seem to last for ever. You can whip up a meal in seconds if you know how.

Tinned Products…

If I had to choose one, Tinned Plum Tomatoes would be the the store cupboard staple I would never live without! Nachos, bolognese, soups and stews, shepherds pie is a great one and the holy grail…pizza!

If tomatoes are not available, my second go to for a cheap meal is a can of Baked beans! Very cheap, widely available, relatively healthy and do count as one of your ‘5 a day’. Check out some great baked beans recipes here!

Beans, chickpeas and lentils in tins are fantastic. This might include anything from butter beans to kidney beans and cannellini beans. There are so many to choose from, all cheap and readily available! Generally I use any of these as additions to recipes to bulk out and add a vegetable to the dish. Chickpeas in particular are fantastic! Check out my hummus and lentil curry recipes…

Coconut milk is so handy to have in the cupboard. Great to add to quick soups and curries.

Soup in a tin is a debatable subject but it is cheap, it’s a super quick meal and it’s easy to keep in the cupboard ready for the right moment. Tomato and mushroom tend to be my choice.

Tinned sweetcorn can be used as a main ingredient or added to a dish!

Tinned fish can be amazing. Tinned tuna can be delicious in salads and pasta dishes. Anchovies are great in sauces, stews and used as a seasoning and on pizza!

Baking Products…

Plain flour, bread flour, wholewheat flour

We keep all flours in the cupboard ready for all sorts of baking treats! We make bread, pizza, cookies and cakes on a regular basis so it is used regularly. You can use it to thicken sauces and make a classic cheese sauce!
Flour does have a shelf life of around 3-8 months if stored in your cupboard. Make sure you store it in an air right container to try and preserve its freshness!

Sugar

No none ever lists sugar on their store cupboard lists. We don’t use lots of it but cookies and cakes wouldn’t be much without it. We sprinkle some light brown with lime juice on pancakes every now and then or half a tea spoon in a tomato sauce to take the bitter edge off slightly. Don’t even get me started on sugar in tea…

We don’t like too much sugar if we can help it. Moderation, moderation, moderation…

Honey is a fantastic ingredient and a great alternative for sweetness in a dish. Local honey is great if u can get it but does often come at an inflated price! Grab it if u can find a bargain!

Don’t forget dried yeast for the cupboard!

Packaged Products…

All on the packaged list tend to be the pricier items. Items where you get less bang for your buck! At this point I would suggest shopping smart and choosing products at the cheaper end. Everything has a premium end…which is lovely…but not necessarily needed when you are trying to make a meal for £1. If I am buying to make my budget recipes I am buying own brand. Make sure you buy all of these flavour boosters for you store cupboard!

Soy – a salty kick for almost any dish
Sweet chilli – sweet and spicy flavours
Worcestershire – meaty and earthy flavours
Honey – if you can get the good stuff…
Peanut butter – creamy, buttery, nutty, delicious!
Mustard – I always keep wholegrain and french in the fridge. Great in sandwiches, sauces or as a condiment.

I’m sure I’ll be adding to this list as time goes on…

Herbs and spices…

We regularly use all of these spices. They add great flavour without adding any salt or sugar which is a win in my book! Watch the dates and keep them fresh –

Oregano
Smoked paprika
Chilli powder
Curry powder
Cumin
Coriander
Garlic powder
Onion powder
Cinnamon
Whole nutmeg
Dried bay leaves – if you don’t have a tree in the garden!

I’ll include a good stock cube in this section aswell. We regularly have chicken, beef and vegetable in the cupboard and are used constantly.

Lastly, some good salt and pepper goes without saying. The more money you pay for this, generally, the better the product. Ideally go coarse sea salt and peppercorns you can grind yourself.

Oils and condiments…

Olive oil is the staple oil in our house to cook with but we use vegetable oil on occasions when perhaps we are deep frying something or we need the oil flavourless. A good extra virgin is a little treat and used quite sparingly, mainly where you can taste it raw like on salads and in marinades or sauces. Sesame oil us used in stirfries and dishes where you want that nutty kick.

We keep a couple of vinegars in the cupboard at any one time including balsamic vinegar and cider vinegar. A little swig in a stew, bolognese, dressing or sauce is great for the twang…and obviously malt vinegar for chips!

Extras!

Frozen – spinach, cauliflower