Tomatoes
Plum tomatoes, chopped and unchopped, are perfect for tomato-based sauces, pizza toppings, salsa, bolognese sauce and Neapolitan sauce.
Tomato purée
This is wonderful used in pizza toppings, tomato sauces, soups and casseroles.
Sweetcorn
Natural sweetcorn with only water added is perfect in pasta, salads or soups, or with tuna and mayonnaise in sandwiches or jacket potatoes.
Flour
Plain wholemeal flour is great for bread, pastry, crumble toppings and pancakes. Plain white flour can be used for sauces, cakes and for mixing with wholemeal flour.
Beans
Red kidney beans work well in chillies and salads. Black-eyed beans complement rice and peas. Butter beans are delicious in curries and stews. Mung beans are perfect in soups and for making home-sprouted beans.
Pulses
Green lentils/brown lentils taste great in pies, stews, curries, loaves and burgers. Red split lentils are so versatile and can be used in flans, pies, soups, stews, curries, loaves and burgers.
Sugar
Soft light brown sugar is best for cakes and crumble toppings.
Rice
Brown rice is packed with B vitamins and fibre.
Pasta
Wholewheat pasta is more nutritious than white pasta, and great for a quick meal.
Popcorn
Fast, healthy and delicious, popcorn is a great treat for kids.
Dried fruit
Raisins, currants, sultanas, apricots – add them to muesli, cakes and biscuits.
Dried yeast to make your own bread.
Baking powder for cakes and biscuits.
Curry powder to make your own vegetable, fish, chicken or meat curries. Use in marinades and sauces.
Dried chillies are handy for spicing up meals.
Turmeric gives food a lovely flavour and yellow colour, and complements chicken.
Paprika is great in sauces, stews and marinades, and complements other spices.
Whole black peppercorns for freshly ground black pepper.
Coarse sea salt enhances flavours.
Nutmeg, whole cloves, cinnamon and ginger go well with sweet or savoury food.
Dried herbs such as parsley, sage, mint, basil and dill, for flavouring food with ease.
Honey is great with pancakes, yoghurt, muesli, marinades, cakes and sauces.
Wholefruit jam – try it with pancakes and ice cream.
Peanut butter – try it with banana on toasted wholemeal butties, in satay sauce, stir-fries, smoothies, biscuits and crumble toppings.
Marmite or Vegemite are both great for making stocks, go nicely with tomato purée, work well in soups, casseroles, stews, curries, sauces, marinades and bastes, and (last but not least) are great on toast.
English mustard is delicious in dressings and marinades, and with roast meat and grills.
Olive oil – sauté or roast vegetables in olive oil and then add the oil to salad dressings and marinades.
Sunflower oil is lovely and light, perfect for cooking with, and for using in salad dressings and flan pastry.
Vinegar – malt, cider, wine and balsamic are all good in dressings, sauces and marinades.
Soy sauce is handy for seasoning stir-fries, stews, casseroles, soups and marinades.
Ketchup can be used to make delicious sauces and marinades, and children love it.
Salad cream – children love it on salad, especially with cucumber, or blended with tinned tuna or salmon for sandwich fillings and pasta dishes.
Meat
Keep raw meat, poultry or chicken well wrapped and in the bottom part of the fridge where it is coolest.
Milk
Full-fat organic milk is rich in Omega 3. Soy milk is a good alternative.
Margarine
Sunflower margarine is high in polyunsaturates and is good in crumbles.
Cheese
Cheddar is handy for pizzas, quiches, flans, baked potatoes and pasta dishes.
Yoghurt
Natural and Greek yoghurt are both great in dressings, marinades, sauces and muesli.
Eggs
Use free-range whenever possible, especially for quiches, omelettes, stir-fries, cakes and Yorkshire puddings.
Salad
Lettuce, cucumber, tomatoes, spring onions and mushrooms, to garnish.
Vegetables
Carrots, broccoli, spinach, cauliflower and leeks are good for quick meals.
Fruit
Apples, pears, lemons and limes are delicious in fruit salads, dressings and puddings.
When buying vegetables, see that the green ones are crisp and a fresh green colour, not yellow. Root vegetables should be firm and not coarse. Tomatoes should be firm and red, but if bought a little green can be ripened in a dark drawer. Potatoes should be firm and have no shoots. Lettuce and other salad vegetables should be crisp, not limp.
Most vegetables should be cooked in a small amount of water and covered while cooking. When cooking frozen peas add 1 tablespoon of cold water to 500g peas with a knob of butter and a pinch of salt. Double the amount of water when cooking fresh peas. Cover the peas and cook on a very low heat, stirring occasionally, for about 5–10 minutes.
Greens can be shredded and cooked with 4 tablespoons of water for 500g,