I can’t imagine living in a home without an emergency pantry stash.When I first wrote those words on my old site, I had occasional European snowstorms in mind. But here we are in the era of COVID-19 and this means even more now. Large and small stores alike carry an array of useful items and below are just some suggestions.

Cupboard

• Oats (both quick and old fashioned oats are useful)
• Flour (plain and self raising)
• Baking powder and yeast
• Chopped or crushed tomatoes and tomato paste
• Long and short dried pasta
• Rice (a long grain variant)
• Jarred tomato sauce
• Dried herbs and spices
• Canned beans
• Nuts (pine, walnut,almond,pistachio)
• Oils (sunflower, peanut, ordinary and more special olive oils)
• Vinegars (white wine,apple cider,malt,balsamic and rice)

• Yellow Dijon mustard
• Ketchup and brown sauce
• Cane sugar and soft light brown sugar
• Honey and golden syrup
• Organic stock
• Sweet chilli sauce, soy sauce and rice wine
• Spicy pastes (Calabrian bomba, harissa,garlic paste and ginger paste)
• Cornflour
• Cheap white wine for stews and casseroles
• Chutneys (one with tomatoes,one with onions)

Freezer

• Frozen raspberries and mango
• Frozen herbs (freeze them yourself as you gather them)
• Good ice cream
• A loaf of bread (sliced)

Fridge

• Good cheese (cheddar, parmegiano reggiano, a soft cheese)
• Salad leaves and cherry tomatoes

• Eggs
• Greek yogurt
• Milk
• Courgettes