We know you’ve noticed, but your food shopping bills have been steadily on the rise for months. We’ve certainly been feeling the pinch and a lot of our customers at The Pantri have definitely commented on finding the last few months particularly difficult. Food prices are rising faster than they have in over forty years, with food inflation currently sitting at around 16.9%. More than ever it is important that we as consumers make smart choices with how we shop. It’s no secret that when inflation on food increases, pressure on those on lower incomes increases too. This often leads to difficult choices and sacrifices. At The Pantri, we are here to ease this pressure. In this blog we are going to highlight our top 10 must have items for your pantry.

If you are looking to cut down on your shopping bill, you need to be organised. Stocking items in your pantry at home can dramatically cut your weekly shopping bill, especially when you stock it with low-cost, versatile options. We promise that if you stock these items there will always be an abundance of food options for you. Through our community cookbook we will be helping you make more creative food choices, utilise the regularly stocked items at The Pantri and cut your food bills. As an added bonus, you’ll be helping cut food waste and reducing your carbon footprint.

Beans

Due to the variety of beans available you can make endless amounts of meals. Baked beans are great for a low cost breakfast, or we love these baked bean burgers as a great family pleasing main meal. Casseroles, soups and chillis can all be bulked out with beans. Butter beans can be added to sauces and blended in the absence of cream to give not only a creamier texture to meals but also a veggie powered protein boost too.

Salt

Salt symbolizes the blessing of “May there always be flavor and spice in your life.” Salt is an essential cooking ingredient. Lightly salting your boiling water for pasta, rice or vegetables make for a delicious meal. Salt is also a key ingredient when curing meats such as homemade bacon.

Tinned Tomatoes or Passata

Tomatoes are a definite item in your top 10 must have pantry items! An essential ingredient in pasta sauces, curries, casseroles, ratatouille, Spanish Chicken – you name it you probably need some tinned tomatoes. Passata is great alternative if you want to hide it from the eyes of fussy children.

Pasta

This admins children couldn’t go a day without pasta, especially this Hotdog Spaghetti recipe. Stock up on some different shapes and see which one is your favourite. The best thing about pasta is that not only is it an accompaniment it’s also great as the star of the meal. Lasagne sheets are also handy to have in the cupboard. One of the easiest foods to batch cook and portion out you will never run out of budget recipes. Check out our Roasted Hummus Pasta recipe for more of an indulgent recipe.

Rice

Rice can be a great accompaniment to curries, tagines and stir-frys. Rice dishes can however be main stars in their own right; Biryanis, Rissotos, Paella and Rice Pudding are delicious and filling meals. Microwave rices are a really handy quick fix ingredient to have in your cupboard for meals.

Tinned Vegetables

Having tinned vegetables in the pantry are a handy way to ensure you have one of your 5 a day but only use what you need. We would recommend tinned potatoes as these can be sliced into frittatas, mashed to top pies or served as part of a main. Tinned peas and sweetcorn are great staples that can be used in multiple ways. Try our Sweetcorn fritter recipe, which is great for brunch.

Herbs & Spices

Herbs and spices can bring your dishes alive. We would recommend at least having some Italian seasonings or some Basil, parsley and oregano. In terms of spices Paprika, Cumin and Garam Masala will see you create hearty meals full of flavour. At Pantri, we don’t always have spices and herbs in stock, so we recommend having some of these packet sauces available. They come in really handy for slow cooked mid-week meals.

Olive Oil

Porridge oats are great for a quick, nutritious breakfast. These are great for meal prepping, overnight oats mean you are ready for the day and avoid the temptation to buy expensive breakfast rolls when out and about. Porridge oats are incredibly versatile and can be used to make apple crumble toppings or even used to bulk out burgers.

Stock cubes

Stock cubes bring flavour to everyone of your dishes. Crumble them into your sauces, soups and casseroles to make your meals even more delicious.

Peanut Butter

Peanut butter might seem like a luxury item but it is incredibly versatile staple that can be used to bring flavour to a lot of dishes like curries and stews. Sweet potato stew is an absolute favourite in this admins household.

What items are in your top 10 must have items for your pantry? Have we missed anything?