Grandma’s Larder

chirpychick

My Nan has a big larder (bigger than my wardrobe), most houses these days don’t have enough space for this kind of kitchen space and i don’t know anyone except on MSE who has a decent store cupboard.

There are lots of posts about store cupboard ingredients that people keep in the house but i’m Wondering, what store cupboard things our grandmothers or for those of us younger great, great (and even great) grandmothers would have kept. They must have stored quite a lot to warrant such a space being built in older houses?

Do you still have a larder?

My cupboards are run down frequently and often empty lol. But I’m working on a list to fill mine and create my own larder wherever i can find space in the house. But it is interesting to me going back say 100 ish years maybe less and wondering what other people do. Whether they have been taught by their mothers, grandmothers or whether we have really moved on from that now.

moneyistooshorttomention

Larders are back in fashion and I understand people that don't have them are trying to get one in if they can.

I've got one here in my house.

One can have extra worksurfaces in there at waist height to keep appliances in frequent use on. Also shelves down beneath those worksurfaces to keep infrequently used items (eg bowls/casserole dishes/etc).

Shelves come in handy for keeping stocks of canned goods, dried goods (eg beans/lentils in my case), spares of goods in regular use.

Shelves near the entrance to "kitchen proper" have things on like oils, vinegars, things to sweeten food with, flours, cereals.

Callie22

I always thought that larders were originally specifically for cooler storage (meat, cheese, dairy, possibly vegetables too?), whereas a pantry was used for the storage of tinned and dried food. I think the two terms have become interchangeable now though, and the big 'larder cupboards' are really fashionable.

My aunt lived in a big old late Georgian house and had a wonderful pantry and a slate floored and marble shelved larder which was amazingly useful for cold storage. Years ago, I rented an old post-war manse and that had both a small pantry (really a very deep, shelved cupboard) and a larder (north facing, slate shelved), again they were both really useful. I found that jelly set particularly well in the larder!

Brambling

I remember a larder in our house when I was very young and trying to keep milk from going off by sitting it in a bowl of cold water on concrete slabs, we got our first fridge in the earlier 70s I was 6 or 7 and can remember it going into the lounge until some of the larder was knocked out for space in the kitchen. My parents were older parents and married during the war my mother never really got over the need to keep a stock pile of tins etc I think it was in case rationing ever came back as she would be prepared. She probably wasn't the only one of her generation to do so. Following the sugar shortages of the 70s she always had a couple of bags of sugar as well.

I think it's a learnt behaviour that my sisters and I all keep well stocked store cupboards and when I redid my kitchen I did install a full size 'larder cupboard' which I'm trying to work my way through at the moment

dingdongsaving

We haven't got a larder, but have a large fridge in modern day lieu I suppose.

We do have a large pantry and keep this filled with general food items (packets/tins) plus veg and larger kitchen bits and pieces (bakeware, slow cookers etc.) I love this space and the ability to grab bits and pieces to whip up a meal, some bread/rolls/muffins etc.

mumf

We have a proper walk- in pantry with brick floor and thrall ( cold shelf ) at the back.Wouldnt be without it.Estate Agents would rave about a 'utility room',our pantry is far more valuable.

Brambleberry

I'm going to follow this with interest, my gran's "pantry" was a huge cupboard under the stairs, which held all sorts of things, including a freezer, two cheap wardrobes and a 1950s baby dresser/changing table unit. Stores of rice could be found next to a drawer of mittens and sewing oddments - you get the idea!
We never went without a good meal though, so her system must have worked and I learned a lot from her.

My kitchen only has two full height single larder units which I now need to really sort properly - they will only have food and all the other kitchen kit to be relocated to other cupboards, so I hope some good ideas will be forthcoming for inspiration:)

Bogof_Babe

Who remembers having a scullery? It was a small stone-floored room off the kitchen, with a big sink, shelving, and was where the wringer was kept. I suppose the old-style version of a utility room.

Anoneemoose

I’ve got a pantry, which has been here since the house was built after WW2. It’s under the stairs though so it’s quite snug, although there is a decent amount of storage space.

We had our kitchen done a couple of years ago and decided to keep it as we wouldn’t have gained anything if we got rid.

maman

My first house had the pantry under the stairs with the stone slab and a mesh window. My current house was built with a larder but previous owner had it converted along with coal house to the cloakroom. I plan to reinstate the larder, but not the coal house!

While a storecupboard is very useful, our grandparents didn't have fridges or freezers so we shouldn't feel to hard done by. Larders often stored all the pickles and other things they preserved and the meat/fish they were trying to keep cool for a couple of days.

System

My Mom kept a larder. The stuff that came out of it was tasteless and bland.