old fashioned pantry

mocolo

Hi,

I am trying to persuade OH to include a pantry in the utility type area- we have a reasonable space. Does anyone have one? What do you use it for? The more information the better!
I am envisaging shelves and a marble type cold slab.:cool: (that's the icon for cool, I hope!) OH's mother had a sort of pantry that I loved but wonder whether I am just being nostalgic,

any advice appreciated,

mocolo

Tracey04

My under the stairs is like an old pantry. used to keep food in it until I had a friendly mouse that kept visiting and couldn't find how he got in !
Love my tiled shelf - eqvilent to what was their fridge. Nowadays I just chill wine and beer on it!

thriftlady_2

Oh, I want one, I want one I think Penelope Penguin has one (the lucky so-and-so)

kiwi88_2

Harking back to my childhood and I'm not that old :rotfl: My mum had a pantry and kept all packaged, tinned and jarred (sp?) food in it. She also kept all pots and pans stacked up under the main bench and mixing bowls ect on a side shelf. That left a cupboard for dinner set, mugs, glasses ect. Fridge/freezer for fresh goods.
You could depending on the size of your pantry keep the potatoes, onions and fruit in there as well. I'd love a pantry, when I redo our kitchen I'm going to get my OH to include one.

kiwi88_2

Just reread your post and if it's in the utility area you could just use it for all your cleaning supplies and any bulk buy overflow esp loo roll and kitchen towel I never seem to have enough room for those.

Gingernutmeg

I've no advice but I just want to say how jealous I am - I would so love a pantry! My aunt used to live in a big old house and she had a fantastic one, it had shelves all up one wall, space at the 'end' for a freezer and a long marble slab set into the opposite wall, with a couple of wire-door cupboards over. It was great for storing anything and was so useful!

lilmoi1985lm

oooh i want one now! new house has pretty big kitchen and utility room too, im going to turn it into my little food work shop - already got my receipe scrap book. Pantry's arre so pretty and homely....im hooked on the idea now!

Solwaykid

I like having a pantry.
It's only 5' 5'' by about 2'6'' Three room width shelves hold all my baking trays, plastic tubs, food processor, dried food and tins with a small freezer underneath. I have the microwave in there too on a smaller shelf and all the recipe books,the kitchen radio, the fuse box and meter.

It's not big enough to turn around in but the spare floor space holds variously -I keep rejigging it- The recycling boxes/the kitchen bin/cat litter house. And on the inside of the door I have the notice board/calendar set up.

I think there is plumbing for a WM/DW in there too in the space I have the freezer.
My kitchen is tiny but clutter free as a result. I wouldn't be without it!

lil_me

I have a huge cupboard in my back hall way which when the house was coal heated was for that, it is floor to ceiling height, makes a great pantry. I bought one of those steel racks instead of the fitted shelves that were in so that's on one side, unfortunately just junk on the other, mainly bought xmas presents, plastic storage etc etc It really needs a darn good clear out! When I eventually get it sorted out I would like to shelve the whole lot. One thing I think I will have to do if I use it for more than the tins etc that is in it is cover the window up.

csarina

We had a pantry when I was little, it had a stone salting tray, a marble slab, shelves and a meat safe. The salting tray held a side of a pig...

I wish I had one now, we used to have everything in it, the top shelves had all the bottles of jam, fruit and pickles that mother made, the next one had tins, the bottom shelf had flour etc on it and then behind the door there was the rack which held all the plates and dishes......we stored spuds in hessian sacks on the floor, oh I almost forgot the huge hooks in the ceiling for the cured ham. The meat safe was a cupboard with a wire mesh front and was set in the wall under the salting tray with a corresponding wire mesh cover on the outside so air could flow through, boy was it cold in that pantry, it was on the north side of the house, I hated having to go in and fetch anything when it was cold outside. In the 60's mother had the salting tray taken out and a fridge and freezer put in, it was never the same after that.............

Seakay

I converted the cupboard under the stairs, not ideal as no window or cool shelf, but keep all homemade jams, pickles etc, tins, containers of pulses, rice, nuts, pasta, flour, sugar, cereals and grains (eg cous cous, bulgar wheat), in fact all non-fridge food except fruit, veg, bread, tea, coffee.
It has 3 shelves on each side and one at the back, and what with that and the sloping ceiling you cannot turn around, but I find it so much better than cupboards.
I dream of the day when I can have a purpose built pantry such as the one in the house where I grew up - marble shelf with meat cupboard underneath - used for tins, pans etc- loads of shelves, a window with wire over it and room for a fridge.
My gran didn't have a fridge for ages, and her pantry had all the every day china, her best teaset, pots, pans and cooking implements as well as food and a bucket of water to keep her pint of milk cool.