Do you keep a fully stocked larder?

[BerriesNutsConkers]

I grew up in a multigenerational home where my mother and grandmother loved to cook. We always had a fully stocked fridge/freezer/cupboards. I do the same and always keep a good stock, I shop twice a week and just keep things topped up. If I see something I always use being sold as a special offer I buy a few extra.
I rarely run out of things. I don't meal plan as such but know I've got the means to make a number of meals, I also keep a stock of homecooked meals in my freezer.
I had a new friend visit recently and while we were chatting in the kitchen I decided to make some Welsh cakes to have with our coffee, she was shocked at the ingredients I had to hand and that I didn't need to go out to the shop.

Do you keep a well-stocked larder? I find it helps keep costs down, my grocery bill averages £100 per week for 2 adults and 2 teens.

I wouldn't have more than one unopened pack of things (or a few cans) though. I'm not planning of living on the larder for weeks on end. I just have enough that I know I can always cook what I want with the addition of some fresh veg etc without having to think too carefully about whether I've got all the ingredients.

We’ve always had well stocked cupboards as we buy stuff when it’s on offer. We use it all too as I keep tabs on it to make sure it’s not wasted.

I have almost nothing. Bit of ketchup/mayonnaise, oil, salt, pepper, tea. That’s it. Might have some plain flour. A few tins - beans. Oh some dog food.

I get a big hello fresh delivery every week, cook that 5 or 6 nights a week. Don’t have any space for pantry anyway. Live near supermarket.

I guess we’d be fucked if there was a problem with the food supply. Oh well.

Yes I keep a well stocked fridge, larder and freezer. A lot of frozen food is either meat or vegetables and fruit from my garden. I could cook up 5 or 6 different meals with no problem and several different desserts of various pies and crumbles that are frozen pre made. Plus some shelves in the garage with stocks of toiletries and dried foods like flour, rice, pasta and lentils. I bet someone will come on the thread though and accuse you of either boasting or making people who don't have stocks feel bad. 🤷

I'm the same. My Mother was raised rurally, as were we, so even though I now live on the edge of a village with a shop open every day, the freezers and cupboards are usually almost full. We also have a generator in the barn in case we lose power to keep the freezers going ( even though Ive only used it twice in 30 years: it was my Dad's).
I leave room for bargains, but otherwise everything is usually kept topped up.

Yes I could make Welsh cakes right now too. I've never made them before and I'm willing to try.
I have a stock of baking ingredients including yeast and bread flour and a couple of packs of butter in the freezer.
I have lots of tins of beans, tuna, tomatoes and some fruit
Bags of lentils, rice and pasta.
Spices
If we couldn't leave the house for a few days, we wouldn't starve.

Few days? A few weeks. Maybe 3 weeks max

During Covid when my elderly neighbour ran out of paracetamol and toilet rolls and couldn't get hand soap I could supply her with all of them. I also supplied a lady up the road with a spare bottle of Calpol. All bought before Covid was a thing.

If it was down to me, the cupboards would be bare. But my husband keeps it all very well stocked. The fridge and freezer are always bursting. And we have every herb, spice, sauce, type of flour/rice/pasta, condiment and oil known to man.

Drives me nuts.

Yes, all basics, flour, sugar, herbs, spices, pasta, rice, veg, tins of things like tomatoes, tomato paste, passata, basic meat, sausages, bacon, cheese, jars of sauces etc. Replace as I use.

Yes very prepared.

Hill farm, rural.

So all year I'm stocking for the snow.

Veg is chopped and frozen.

Extra meals frozen.

We have eggs and meat.

Booze is bought when on offer, never underestimate the drink required after a day digging out sheep.

Dry store topped up as and when.

Toiletries the same.

Very little to no concern for dates of dry goods, tins, most stuff really.

Absolutely, and 2 full freezers full of bolognese, chicken pie, pesto, various home made curry pastes etc. Also the glut of tomatoes and plums etc are in there. My DC's regularly raid my supplies when they come home. I make everything from scratch now including sourdough, jam, ice cream, granola etc and think I could produce almost anything baked from the ingredients in my larder.

Of course. I can't understand why most people wouldn't. If you have the space and money. I have tinned tomatoes, coconut milk etc. I never run out of anything. When I get down to the last one it goes on the shopping list and I buy 3 or 4 more.

We have a food store in our cellar/basement, and keep that topped up each week. Every once in a while we do a tins and dried foods shop.

I used to be Mormon* and my wife is a prepper, so we have a food storage mindset! Definitely can make Welsh cakes in a pinch.

*back in the 90s and early 2000s the Mormon Church encouraged members to buy whole wheat and hand grinders. I still have some of those supplies so could even grind my own flour for the Welsh cakes if the need arose...

I do, which makes moving house a pain (move every two years on average due to nature of job etc.)

I love the secure feeling of a full cupboard though.

I need to do a stock-take of my cupboards. DD likes baking and she moved out and into her own place a few weeks ago... my store cupboard is looking distinctly bare.

Could certainly manage to rustle up Welsh Cakes though, but it would have to be either raisins or dried apricots. 😂

Also depends how far you live from a shop, for me its a 25 minute drive each way so no way am I ever going to run out of anything.

I have no currants so no Welsh cakes here

But I could do the plain ones

Yes, and yes, could rustle up Welsh cakes.

Probably could feed the 4 of us for a couple of weeks, although would currently run out of fresh veg first.

I remember my parents struggling to pay their mortgage when interest was 14% and my Dad had lost his job. I remember my Nan, giving my Mum bags of tins and staples from her larder. I swore that I would be able to do that, when I was grown up.

And yes, I have.

My cupboards and freezers are always full, as were my mum's.
I don't bake so there's never any baking stuff in, except for flour.
I tend to buy the same things when shopping, whether it's needed or not, especially tinned stuff.
So for example, I might have two tins of baked beans in the cupboard, but I'll still buy four when shopping.
I do one big shop for everything once per month, then just buy bread and milk as needed.

Yes but we are always using our stock and are careful to not let things go bad before they can be used. I hate a fridge/freezer or pantry full of expired items. We have a fruit/vegetable and herb garden and so we always fresh produce on hand, we also freeze summer fruit and vegetables to use during the winter. When I cook, I will freeze a couple small portions of each meal so that I have quick dinner options for the children and those get rotated in and out each month. We make our bread so have flour, etc. We have dried and canned beans, rice, pasta, lentils. But again, there is not point in having a well stocked house if you aren't actually eating those things otherwise it just goes bad. And yes, it is a privilege to be able to stock up on things, buy in bulk, etc.

We don’t bake (although there probably is some flour for making crumbles) but we keep plenty of tins, dried stuff like pasta, cous-cous, rice etc. The freezer is well-stocked but it is generally “freezer food” for lazy days (quiches, oven chips, frozen veg, chicken burgers, waffles type stuff) and not home cooked things.

Did someone say Welsh cakes? I feel some baking coming on.

I think I was an army quartermaster in a previous incarnation. My
food cupboards are full and meticulously tidy. The fridge and freezer are well stocked. I tend to forget that it's just DH and me at home now and I don't have to shop and cook for a houseful of hollow-legged scavenging teenagers.

My mother rolls her eyes at my food stash, but I learned the habit from her. She dreaded being stuck at home with a sick child and not being able to shop for food, and she always kept a well stocked larder and never ran out of essentials like porridge oats or tea.

Absolutely and I could knock up a plain welsh cake .

I make everything from scratch- baked goods, sauces, snacks, everything. The only freezer items I buy ready made are chicken nuggets (for me, not kids), puff pastry and a frozen pizza for emergencies. We make ice cream, pies, lasagne etc all from scratch, no jars of sauces. So our pantry is filled, and thankfully huge. I have duplicates of most things- often different brands or sized packages. I don't think I've ever had to rush to the shops to get an ingredient. And if I want to make something we usually have everything needed.