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Original poster

Do you keep a fully stocked larder?

92 replies

BerriesNutsConkers · 27/09/2023 17:43

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.

OP posts:
DelurkingAJ · 27/09/2023 21:18

Mixed bag here. In extremis I reckon (apart from milk) we could eat for three or so weeks from freezer and store cupboards. But it would have to be desperate times as DSs would probably be unimpressed by lentils and DH would grumble about the lack of meat by week three. I could comfortably feed us in the normal manner for a week or two and yes cakes, scones etc could be made now.

Beezknees · 27/09/2023 21:26

I've got jars of spices but I don't keep a stock of baking ingredients, because I don't do any baking. I don't keep loads of tins either.

FuckingHellAdele · 27/09/2023 21:29

Yes. To a silly extent at times really.

But I was brought up in a very poor household, where food could be scarce for weeks on end. It wouldn't be unusual to open the fridge and see only a tub of the cheapest margarine, and feck all in the cupboards to put it on

I remember my siblings and I eating marmalade (that one of the neighbours had made and sent round for us) straight out of the jar, as there was nothing else for us to have, and days pretending we'd 'forgotten' to bring our packed lunches, but also not wanting to let the dinner ladies see, because then we'd get given a school dinner that my mum would then be asked to pay for.

I guess I get comfort from knowing that my own kids would never have those feelings that I remember. It's also quite handy when we frequently realise that they have a cookery lesson the next day, and have the required ingredients in!

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BiddyPop · 27/09/2023 21:38

Yes I do. I grew up living outside a rural village so we had to shop weekly when we went to the local city. And we also had frequent power cuts (70/80s). And oil crisis meant lack of money so DM made an awful lot from scratch (also there weren't the conveniences there are today). DH was similar, lived on the edge of his village.

We both work looong hours and have a fussy DD. So I tend to keep a very well stocked larder to deal with the "I don't eat X anymore" nights and nights we don't want to cook. I batch cook for freezer and keep lots of chicken and prawns there too for emergency dinners. We like lots of different cuisines and we both like to cook. So when bad weather or lockdowns or power cuts come, we have no issues. Or I get a hormonal urge to bake chocolate cake at 9pm at night...

BiddyPop · 27/09/2023 21:40

I frequently get up to find "someone" has finished the bread on Friday night so bake scones at silly o'clock on Saturdays for breakfast (we never run out of coffee....🤣)

RudsyFarmer · 27/09/2023 21:41

I don’t have a larder but if the question is whether I have flour and dried sundry items in the cupboards then yes, yes I do.

dearanon · 27/09/2023 21:44

I do. I was very hungry as a child and now as an adult who never wants their kids to feel or know that feeling, I have everything in stock and freeze leftovers, special meat deals, and can cook lots from scratch so I can make almost anything anybody wants anytime they want it.

I know that's more unusual but I only need to go to the shop to buy milk and bread. Even then, I have milk in my freezer and a couple of loafs.

mathanxiety · 27/09/2023 21:48

I do.

We get very harsh spells during winter here (polar vortexes /vortices? etc) and it can be downright unpleasant to have to make a dash for staples I've run out of. Assuming the car will even start...

MaudGonneOutForAFag · 27/09/2023 21:53

Yes, we got into the habit when we lived in the country and were a long way from shops, and haven’t stopped even though we live in a city. Also, we both grew up poor, and I think DH in particular gets a sense of security in having a lot of basics in the house.

Oxonc3 · 27/09/2023 21:57

Yes, plenty of baking stuff, pasta etc and could make welsh cakes but do i need the special
stone thing, or can you use a big frying pan??

nearlywinteragain · 27/09/2023 22:01

Yes.
But only because I grew up in a chaotic household and there wasn't always enough food.
In came in useful during COVID but I'd like to be able to be more chilled around food supplies.

theduchessofspork · 27/09/2023 22:08

I used to, probably because I grew up in the country and my mum did.

But I haven’t cooked in decades so I was stocking for my fantasy life not my actual life.

Now I have a well stocked fridge and freezer of things that don’t really need cooking 😁

ohtowinthelottery · 27/09/2023 22:19

Yes I do. Always stocked up with tins and packets, spices and dried herbs, meat, fish, bread, some veg and pre cooked meals in the freezer. Baking goods stocked up too - could rustle up a cake at short notice.
I only shop once a week and never meal plan in advance. I just look in the fridge/freezer/cupboard each day and decide what to cook.

Redlarge · 27/09/2023 22:43

I was brought up in a low income household and mum always had tins, rice, flour etc. Ive kept it up.
I have tins, fish, herbs,cereal, pasta, stock cubes, oats, jams and loads of frozen veg and batch cooked mince in the freezer.
I dont have a large budget and i dont buy luxury or convience food.
I do a 'store cupboard' shop 1/2 times a year to top up pantry and freezer thats about £100. And when i shop every week with a budget of £50 i buy fresh and always buy at least one extra thing thats not 'needed', even if its a bag of rice or 28p tin of toms. It keeps me topped up.
I was off sick earlier this year and on ssp. The food in the house kept us going for a couple of months with a couple of food bank visits.

InterFactual · 27/09/2023 22:45

I have a wonderfully full larder but I couldn't make a proper meal out of any it. If you need 5 tubs of baking soda, pickled onions or a bag of raisins I've got you covered. If you want a proper meal then you'll have to go to the shops as I only have random bits and bobs that don't go together.

In my defence I think I have ADHD. The contents of my cupboards says a lot about the state of my brain!

Shodan · 27/09/2023 22:50

I do, but sometimes have to throw things out that I just haven't got around to using. Porridge oats and dried fruit are the worst offenders.

I couldn't make Welsh cakes (just as well, as they're a particular weakness of mine and I'm on a diet again) but I could make bread or ginger cake or somesuch.

I also like to try new things so atm there's bags of pine nuts/sesame seeds/pumpkin seeds etc for new dishes I'm adding to my repertoire.

Not a larder item but I once nearly ran out of cheese. That was a very scary day.

Redlarge · 27/09/2023 23:02

dearanon · 27/09/2023 21:44

I do. I was very hungry as a child and now as an adult who never wants their kids to feel or know that feeling, I have everything in stock and freeze leftovers, special meat deals, and can cook lots from scratch so I can make almost anything anybody wants anytime they want it.

I know that's more unusual but I only need to go to the shop to buy milk and bread. Even then, I have milk in my freezer and a couple of loafs.

I freeze all leftovers.. then i use them for dinners for work for me as well as making regular 'fridge soup' anfld freezing that for my lunches. They always turn out nice and i always have some lentils or beans to throw in for protein.
Freeze veg scraps for stock too. Although i use a lot of frozen veg so less waste.

I add oats and greated carrots to mince and batch cook generic veg/mince/tom sauce which i freeze and can turn into chilli, pastas cotgage oie etc quite easily without having to buy fresh.

Zippedydoodahday · 27/09/2023 23:02

Yup. Everyone mocked my Brexit cupboard but was very grateful for my vast supplies when Covid hit. We were supplying loo and pasta to half the street.

Xmasbaby11 · 27/09/2023 23:03

Yes definitely! I replace as soon as we finish something eg coconut milk even if we have no plans to use it. Dh and I are the same - it makes us feel secure.

I can always make a cake with what we have in - my go to is a lemon drizzle cake. Always have lemons in plus basic baking ingredients.

we are lucky we can, though I think we’re a bit ott and often have eg 3 jars of strawberry jam in the cupboard!

Redlarge · 27/09/2023 23:04

Shodan · 27/09/2023 22:50

I do, but sometimes have to throw things out that I just haven't got around to using. Porridge oats and dried fruit are the worst offenders.

I couldn't make Welsh cakes (just as well, as they're a particular weakness of mine and I'm on a diet again) but I could make bread or ginger cake or somesuch.

I also like to try new things so atm there's bags of pine nuts/sesame seeds/pumpkin seeds etc for new dishes I'm adding to my repertoire.

Not a larder item but I once nearly ran out of cheese. That was a very scary day.

Ha ha. Cheese is the best.

Nail123 · 27/09/2023 23:07

Yes! I have a fear of running out of my favourites after lock down!

PuttingTheGreen · 28/09/2023 05:22

@Shodan You need to do what I do and keep a couple of blocks of cheese and butter in the freezer.
It saves on panic and palpitations 🙂

Mum2aTeen · 28/09/2023 05:32

No, but we don't have the room or the money for that type of thing.
We shop for the fortnight, and that fills up our fridge/freezer and pantry. We don't have larders here (maybe in the richy rich houses/mansion's but in normal houses that isn't a thing) but we have the tiniest kitchen with no storage, so we can only get so much and the price or everything now I hate that the basics are like $400-$500 and that's basically my pay gone.

Caspianberg · 28/09/2023 06:13

Yes. We live rural so popping out for something we forgot is a long chore. In winter we can be snowed in, and I would rather just make something like scones from cupboard supplies than trudge an hour in blizzard to buy some bread ( that likely won’t even be there anyway)

Ceraunophile · 28/09/2023 06:25

I do yes, it’s rare for us to actually run out of store cupboard stuff. It’s why I struggle to answer the how much do you spend on groceries threads accurately because the food I buy is to keep us stocked up not just for that week. Although I found out during lockdown that my well stocked cupboards don’t actually feed the six of us for long!