Do you have a lot of food in cupboards?

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Inspired by another thread (that some people think is possibly not genuine, although I dont have an opinion on that), Im wondering what people have in their cupboards to eat (not fresh foods)

I have rice, lentils, barley, freekeh, sauces, pickled onions, tinned toms, soups, beans, other beans, more beans, packets of ready cooked beans and lentils, dried lentils, jars of things, stock cubes, dried fruit (many varieties), flours, sugars, eggs, chutneys, tinned veg, olives, nuts of god knows how many types, I cant even remember what else, gravies, other condiments

Thats not including OH having biscuits, crisps, other snacks

Is this normal? (notwithstanding if someone has no money, I get that)

Im surprised the cupboards dont collapse when I think about it

Im reassured

I also batch cook and dont use/buy processed foods personally although OH loves packet foods and UPFs, we eat differently

But I think I need to make sure I dont buy one more single thing and just work my way through it all

Theres loads of things Ive also forgotton, bulgar wheat, pasta, honey, loads of chocolate, other baking ingredients

probably more lurking at the back, I know there is pomegranate molasses for example in there somewhere

Yes we have loads! Partly because I grew up in a house where there often wasn't much food in the cupboards and also because I like being able to make a meal even if I haven't been able to go to the shops. I do need to keep better stock of everything I have though. Off the top of my head I've always got in:

Pasta, rice and dried noodles.
Part baked baguettes, bags of crisps, crackers.
Jars of chutney, pasta sauce, marmite and peanut butter.
Tinned tomatoes, tinned pulses and other tinned fruit and veg.
Flour, sugar, nuts.
Herbs, spices and oil.
Cereal, porridge oats and dried pulses.

Plus in the freezer I always keep bags of frozen veg and some bread for toasting.

I forgot -
Maple syrup (the runny Canadian sort)
Food colouring (many)
Balsamic vinegar
Apple cider vinegar
Tabasco,Light soy, Dark soy, Worcester, HP, tomato, barbecue, sweet chilli sauce
Mango chutney
Mint, horseradish, cranberry, tartare sauce
ALL the mustards
Red & green pesto

Sounds normal to me, too.
We live about seven miles from the nearest food shop, so don't want to run out, especially in bad weather.
We always had bulging larders and cupboards when I was a child, including all sorts of home made jams, jellies, pickles and chutneys.
Apart from all the tins, dried and freezer stuff, I always have loads of tea, dried and UHT milk in, as the prospect of no tea is more than I can bear.

NB, putting flour in the freezer for a few days kills off any weevil eggs.

I think it's more interesting to ask "what's in your cupboard you never use".

I have 3 out of date tins of posh hot chocolate ( don't drink milk)
Lots of pasta
Lentils ( not a fan)

I don't think there is a single thing listed here that I don't have, and more besides.

We are both full on cooks and bakers so a well stocked pantry is a must!

It’s interesting how many people associate it with not having had a lot of food growing up. I think I do it as it’s how my parents had their kitchen set up and I just copied then OH went along with it as he doesn’t care much one way or another. Basically as soon as we start the last jar/bottle/bag of something we get a new one so it’s ready for if we run out and as soon as we are down to 3/4 tins of beans or tomatoes we get more.

Normal for me. I have three freezers full too.

Yep. Not tinned veg though. It annoys DH. I like to have stocks.

Pulses, rice (three types), pasta (different types), cous cous, tinned beans and tomatoes, noodles, flour (plain, Sr, wholewheat), nuts, tinned fruit, paxo, various stock pots, noodles, sugar (castor, icing, muscovado, granulated), tuna, sardines, olives, pickles, herbs and spices, vanilla and other essences, etc. HP, ketchup, soy, lea and perrins, capers, different oils, different vinegars. Bran, bran flakes muesli.

The fridge empties by this time of the week but there is a freezer with two loaves, two litres of milk, frozen peas, beans, mixed veg, chips, tubs of ice cream, frozen berries, a few ready meals, a few pizzas, two packs of Mince, chicken thighs, a couple of joints, a couple of chicken carcasses, chops, etc.

Various teas, coffees, hot chocolate.

I never felt the need to panic buy when covid started. Perhaps don't get me on the topic of Persil, dishwasher tablets, bin liners, wipes, and other stuff stashed under the sink.

No such thing as out of date hot chocolate!!!

Interesting people saying its about a lack of food growing up, mines the opposite, the cubpoards were always groaning and full up with multiples of tins of this and that, food on the worktops like bread and cakes and biscuits.

I have lots to cook with. I could make several different meals, but my DD would say there is nothing to eat 😂

You can always make biscuits and cakes, soups, bread, and main meals. A whole big cupboard of nuts, seeds and fruits. You can’t open packets and eat.

Hot chocolate made with oat milk is lovely.

It cost a lot of money.

I’ve pretty much got a fully stocked savoury larder. I don’t really bake now unless entertaining (due to watching our weight) but I am a keen cook from scratch for savoury dishes. I like to be able to make a soup, curry or pasta dish from the store cupboard if I haven’t been to the shops recently. We live in a village so it’s a twenty minute round trip to the nearest well stocked shop.

Yes. I grew up rurally and mum always keep very full cupboards as we would get snowed or flooded in on a frequent basis.

When covid hit I went 3 weeks before I needed to shop.

Good point, but when I shop now I just buy to replace what I have used, so the initial cost might be high but buying replacements isn't.

This is also a good question. I have some split peas I’ve had for ages, a jar of chutney that came in a Christmas hamper in 2023, some strawberry flavoured porridge the kids used to like but seem to have gone off and a few ingredients bought for specific dishes and possibly not used since (Asafoetida, Fenugreek & Sumac). I should try and look up a way to use some of them up really.

Not necessarily, things like this often come up on special offers so over time you can build up a stock pile without spending too much.

Sumac is lovely sprinkled on salad, coleslaw and potato salad

My cupboards sound like yours. I cook from scratch normally and batch cook. As I do this mainly on Sundays, my only usable time off, I like to know that all ingredients are to hand. I also like to have a decent stash of job perishables in case of disaster.

No. Spices, a baking shelf, sauces, stock cubes, stuffing, cereal and ice cream accoutrements. Crisps and biscuits.

And a bread bin with bread, brioche and welshcakes.

I don't think we have any canned goods at all and hardly ever buy them. No particular reason, just don't use them very often. Usually half a pack of pasta too but we don't each much of that either.

We live near plenty of shops and I shop daily so we only buy what we need that day.

It doesn't cost any more once established as you just replenish. I don't recall starting it by going shopping and buying shed loads of stuff and all the more obscure ingredients . They evolve as you decide to cook certain things and half packets are left etc and then you decide to replace as you want to cook that thing again sometime.

I went through my cupboard a few months ago and found stuff that had expired in 2018 !! I got everything out and lined up and we had a family ‘guess the expiry date ‘quiz 😂🤦‍♀️

I’m not talking efficiency, bulk buying. If you’re on the bones of your arse, foodbank, skipping meals you’re not able to build up a store cupboard.

I’m retired and live alone (with pets), my cupboards are a lot less full than when the kids were at home. I had years as a single parent of three teenagers and I was absolutely obsessed with having a good store cupboard. And a minimum of 50 loo rolls! Now, I’m on a restricted diet trying to manage IBS and gallstones. I’m perfectly happy with the same meals for days at a time. I have lots of tins (veg, fruit, fish, coconut cream), baking goods, condiments, stock cubes and spices, spreads (jams etc), porridge and weetabix, nuts, fresh fruit and veg, lots of cheese, eggs, milk, apple juice. Freezer always has some bread and milk, lots of veg, some chicken, fish and sausages, pizza, ice cream.

It sounds a lot, but on the many days I CBA to cook a meal I usually have porridge, or eggs or cheese on toast.