The lockdown larder: an expert guide to a healthy, sustainable store cupboard

Judging by the empty shelves in supermarkets, many of us are planning to spend the next four months living on pasta al pomodoro. Delicious as that is, stock your cupboards with a little more thought - and much more variety (no stockpiling here) - and you will thank yourself later, lockdown or not.

Not that I'm knocking the comforting properties of carbs. Rice of all kinds is incredibly versatile; basmati may not be the traditional choice for risotto, egg-fried rice or rice pudding, for example, but it will still be delicious if you can’t get other varieties. Couscous, polenta, noodles and bulgar wheat are all helpful to have around, and you might like to freeze a sliced ​​loaf, or buy the ingredients to make your own bread. The Indian chef Maunika Gowardhan says she is never without atta flour for roti and parathas, while the author of Black Sea, Caroline Eden, recommends oatcakes. The food writer Nicola Miller says she always has a stash of tortillas in the freezer.

Friends in China recall finding kimchi and other preserved vegetables very welcome - sauerkraut, pickled onions, peppers, gherkins and beetroot are all great, especially if you don't have freezer space for stuff such as peas and spinach. Tin Can Cook’s Jack Monroe is a huge fan of tinned peaches (she even puts them into curry), but jarred and frozen fruit will also come in useful. Caroline Craig, author of Provence: the Cookbook, reminds me that potatoes, garlic and onions all store well in a cool, dark place, as does butternut squash. Baked beans may be short on the shelves at the moment, but they are great source of fiber and B vitamins (the nutritionist Jo Saunders, the founder of Eight, a healthy frozen-meals range, calls them "an absolute store cupboard essential") , but if you can't get them, lentils and other dried or tinned pulses and legumes can be the base for everything from hearty soups to satisfying salads.

Canned tuna can be difficult to track, but sardines, mackerel and anchovies are all very versatile, and the meat is cured long-term if properly preserved, as well as eggs and hard cheeses like parmesan. Cookout Club chef Philip Britten recommends using soy sauce and Marmite to add oomph to the dishes, and suggests freezing freezer in ice trays. That said, there's nothing wrong with a cube; I find vegetables and chicken the most versatile varieties.

Like Marmite, peanut butter and honey are not just good for toast (Fuchsia Dunlopftime peanut butter is one of my favorite fast food dishes). Check out your favorite source of spices and condiments, as well as fat and long-standing alternatives or milk - food historian Annie Gray always keeps a few packages of frozen butter as it is very essential. core for me.

Finally, food writer Harry Eastwood informed me that she recently decided to cut and freeze all the lemons in the house because gin-free gin is not nearly worth it. Almost. Good luck to all!

MW