What is on your staples shopping list?

julybride

I am trying to get organised for my move and am writing a shopping list for my first tesco order. I have done a meal plan but i would be interested to see if i am missing off vitals or spices... or really obvious essentials for my cupboard.:beer:

lil_me

I just noticed this thread has not been replied to, just wanted you to know it hasn't been ignored.

My main ones - plain flour, bicarb, cream of tartar (with these 3 you can make SR flour aswell as have them for ingredients for other things, so no need to buy both) mixed herbs (value ones will do) passatta, garlic (or if I am feeling lazy then garlic puree), chillis, rice, pasta, sugar, yeast, some tinned fruit for any day we run out of fresh, coffee (don't drink tea) powdered milk (easy to use in recipes,saves on fresh milk being used up) butter

I think those are my main basics. What I would say is instead of buying what others do, do a meal plan and work out exactly what you need for each meal, this does take a while to trawl through at first but gets easier, rather than buying what others do and end up with it sat in the cupboard for months.

whatatwit

My cupboard does not contain a lot of herbs/spices..it used to and then I realised I wasn't using most of them and they had been sat there for years.

I tend to have a jar of mixed herbs and a jar of mixed spice in the cupboard. In the fridge is some lazy garlic.
I also keep a packet of cornflour, useful for thickening stews and gravy and some stock cubes.

Most recipes are flexible and often the suggested list of herbs/spices are not essential.

thriftlady_2

Try this thread, although I'm not sure all the links work at the moment.

sammy_kaye18

my main staples are

rice
pasta
self raising flour
plain flour
bread flour
sugar
bicarb of soda
tea
coffee

if i havent got these i start getting all twitchy!!! but then add liek value beans which can either be a meal in themselves or used to bulk out meals

paddy's_mum

I am never without fresh onions, tinned tomatoes, a few cans of baked beans, home made breadcrumbs, cheese, dried fruit, soup mix.

In a pinch or in a hurry, I can throw together a pasta bake of some description using tomatoes, onions, beans and a cheese/breadcrumb topping.

Given a couple of cooking apples, so easy to core the apples, spoon some dried fruit mixed with sugar into the hole and microwave until done - a very quick pudding. Ditto using stale bread as a base, dried fruit sprinkled over and then proceed as a kind of bread-and-butter pudding.

Got some rather tired veg, a single chicken leg? - chuck into the slow cooker with fresh onion and tomatoes, handful of soup mix - whizz up and serve with french bread.

In recent days (as an adjoining farmer has finished cropping his cauliflowers and I have free run at the seconds) I have also 'invented' a kind of bubble and squeak.

Finely chop and gently fry a large onion - when part cooked, add a generous slug of Worcestershire sauce, black pepper and maybe a pinch of mixed herbs.

Peel and cook some potatoes. Ditti a lump or two of cauliflower.

Strip off and lightly steam the green part of any brassica - eg brussel tops, cauliflower leaves, cabbage greens.

In a large bowl, roughly chop all the ingredients and then hand form into large patties. (This is one job that children love to do - they use it like plasticine) To use, either gently fry or bake in the oven. They freeze quite well and are easier to handle in this form than if the ingredients were just one large wodge going into the frying pan.

We're having some for tea tonight with corned beef slices or perhaps small lamb cutlets.

dorry_2

my staples are:

brown rice (low gi)
wholewheat pasta penne orgainic (low gi again)
tesco low fat oven chips
hovis 2 in 1 bread
low fat/sugar tesco beans
organic eggs
stir in sauces for pasta
cheese
tinned tomatoes
tinned tuna steaks in oil
coconut milk (good for curry)
beef and chicken stock cubes
dried coriander
dried garlic granuales
dried parsley
olive oil
coffee and tea for oh

lilmisskitkat

I always try to make sure i have...

tinned tomatoes - i'm obsessed with them lol
Beans
Spaghetti
Kidney beans
sweetcorn
Tinned new potatoes - for quick spanish omelette
Self raising flour
plain flour
sugar
vanilla essence
pasta shapes
long spaghetti
noodles
rice
mixed herbs
lea and perrins - could not live without this, i add it to almost everything!
tomato puree
garlic puree
tinned tuna
chilli powder
soy sauce
salt and pepper
ketchup
gravy granules
stock cubes

Think thats it for the cupboards really. Fridge is ok as long as i have milk, butter, eggs, cheese and yogs. Fruit and veg i buy as needed and my freezer is stocked with meat which i buy once a month and meals already made and frozen for another day. Plus a few easy things like fish fingers etc.

Hope this helps

Kate xxx

dorry_2

hi littlemisskitkat,

thats a good idea, using tinned new potatos for a spanish ommlette. The reason I don't make them is I can't be bothered to peel the potato and par boil them first. (I am lazy like this sometimes)
I am gonna add a tin to next weeks shopping list :j
thanks x

Gingham_Ribbon

Have a look here. In the absence of some of the links for now, I'll add my own rough guide. But I'd add that you shouldn't try to suddenly buy everything at once. Just menu plan for the week and buy whatever you need for that and you'll have things left over to use later and so on. Bit by bit you'll have everything you need to hand.

Flour:
White and wholemeal self raising
White and wholemeal strong
White plain

Sugar, honey, treacle, syrup, icing sugar

Salt, pepper, assorted herbs, assorted spices, tabasco sauce, 'HP', ketchup, vinegars (assorted) soy sauce

Stock cubes

baking powder
cream of tartar
extract of vanilla
cocoa powder
sprinkles/other bun toppings
bicarb of soda

Olive oil
Sunflower oil

Pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, sesame seeds
pine nuts, other assorted nuts
dessicated coconut
oats
couscous
pasta (assorted)
rice

raisins
dates
cranberries

passata
tinned tomatoes
assorted dried pulses
tinned pulses including baked beans

Fridge essentials:
Milk
butter
cheddar
mozzarella
'parmesan'
eggs
olives
capers
jalapinos
pataks curry paste
garlic
jam, marmalade, peanut butter, chocolate spread

lilmisskitkat

dorry wrote: »

hi littlemisskitkat,

thats a good idea, using tinned new potatos for a spanish ommlette. The reason I don't make them is I can't be bothered to peel the potato and par boil them first. (I am lazy like this sometimes)
I am gonna add a tin to next weeks shopping list :j
thanks x

Lol, i can't be bothered with the par-boiling bit either. Most recipes say to use left over cooked potato but with the human dustbin that is DP we dont tend to have leftovers in this house!

For a super quick spanish omelette i fry ready chopped frozen onions, some bacon bits, add the potatoes, maybe some frozen peppers and then the eggs. Means no peeling/chopping and it great for night when you can't be bothered or are in a mad rush (thats thursdays in our house!)

Kate xxx