Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Only the apps you allow.

Meet the Other Phone.
Only the apps you allow.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
Chat

Join the discussion and chat with other Mumsnetters about everyday life, relationships and parenting.

Original poster

Cupboard Weirdos

209 replies

DinoLil · 15/08/2025 08:34

I took delivery of fancy tomatoes yesterday. Really nice ones and a lot of them. The website I got them from has some very interesting recipes that I'm going to try out.

Anyway, it's got me thinking. I've had to buy some odd ingredients to make said recipes and I'm now the proud owner of about 10kg of fancy tomatoes and a bottle of pomegranate molasses. Pomegranate molasses! I know what a pomegranate is, but a bottle of pomegrante molasses?

I can see that my £4.50 bottle will probably be used for one tablespoon and live in my cupboard until I rediscover it when it's 15yrs out of date.

What weird things have you got in your kitchen cupboards? Or your fridge? I know I've got a jar of marmalade that I made about 5yrs ago lurking with an elderly cucumber in my fridge.

OP posts:
Thread gallery
12
PiggyPigalle · 15/08/2025 16:45

I have and use most of the mentioned as I love ME food. Also try fresh walnuts off the tree and dipped in salt.
I do have an unopened jar of black salt. Bought years ago to replicate the smell and taste of eggs in scrambled tofu. I hate eggs, haven't eaten them since being a small child.

Your IOW tomatoes OP won't go off. Shop bought ones grow mysterious black spots and go mouldy. I buy two boxes of IOW toms every ten days, just for me. Never seen one go bad.

Crunchymum · 15/08/2025 16:51

Weirdest thing in my cupboard is Kicap Manis. Ordered it for a recipe over a year ago and still haven't opened it (nor can I remember the recipe that required it)

SoScarletItWas · 15/08/2025 17:59

DinoLil · 15/08/2025 16:08

Btw the pickled walnuts were out of stock so they've given me a small jar of pickled onions.

Sigh...

Are they silver skin because I think I’ve got some with obligatory dust garnish..?

Interested in this thread?

Then you might like threads about this subject:

General food
Espressoicecream · 15/08/2025 18:22

We have about 6 baby pouches of food that DD wont eat and are probably out of date now she's 3, a jar of pickled cabbage which I had on a jacket once and haven't had a jacket since, and the obligatory tin of manderin slices "just in case". Not sure what of!

We also have multiple bags of pasta in normal and gluten free. Fusili, bows, spaghetti, tubes. We dont really eat pasta.

And in the baking cupboard the requisite half bag of flaked almonds, dessicated coconut, an old pack of jelly and some chopped nuts. Which I believe everyone has to have hanging around.

Dabberlocks · 15/08/2025 19:07

DinoLil · 15/08/2025 16:05

@Dabberlocks You win!!!!! You can sit on my deckchair, I'll go and pour some more fizzy pomegranate drinks.

Anyone want a garnish of bee pollen?!

Isn't bee pollen just - well, bog standard pollen that's dropped off bees' legs?

Dabberlocks · 15/08/2025 19:13

Espressoicecream · 15/08/2025 18:22

We have about 6 baby pouches of food that DD wont eat and are probably out of date now she's 3, a jar of pickled cabbage which I had on a jacket once and haven't had a jacket since, and the obligatory tin of manderin slices "just in case". Not sure what of!

We also have multiple bags of pasta in normal and gluten free. Fusili, bows, spaghetti, tubes. We dont really eat pasta.

And in the baking cupboard the requisite half bag of flaked almonds, dessicated coconut, an old pack of jelly and some chopped nuts. Which I believe everyone has to have hanging around.

Make the jelly and add the drained mandarin oranges. Job done. I bloody love jelly and mandarins. Although it does help if it is orange or lemon jelly. Might not go so well with raspberry. 😁

TurraeaFloribunda · 15/08/2025 23:50

DinoLil · 15/08/2025 15:06

@Tinytigertail I'm going against your Christmas rule. I have Deliveroo arriving soon with pickled walnuts (yes!!) and some prosecco for you fancy peeps who say the pomegranate malarkey will go well in that.

I have ice cubes cooking in my ice cube machine (told you I love a gadget!) and the recipe I'm trying will involve a spiralized cucumber.

Oh and apparently sumac is like harrisa? I have a jar of that with a layer of dust on in the cupboard.

Just off to read all of the other posts since I abandoned you all to sit on the deckchairs. Oh and to do a mushroom/tomato swap with my neighbour. That took two hours! We do love to chat. I said to her I'd forgotten to brush my hair or put makeup on. Unlike me. She pointed out I'd also forgotten to put on a bra! The excitement of random cupboard/fridge/gadgets!!

Nooooooo! Sumac is nothing like harissa! Harissa is a spiced chilli paste. Sumac is powdered dried berries of the sumac tree. It’s quite tart but also “earthy” and savoury. It’s not hot at all.

TheNightingalesStarling · 16/08/2025 00:20

Thanks for courgette recipes.
These are the courgettes. I think I could actually slice one and bbq it like a burger!

Cupboard Weirdos
Dabberlocks · 16/08/2025 10:58

A friend of mine recently told me about a new international supermarket that's opened in a nearby town. I went there this morning for some black peppercorns.

O.M.G. You lot would have a field day in there!

DeirdreChambersWhatACoincidence · 16/08/2025 12:16

@Dabberlocks oh I can browse an international supermarket for hours!

Manthide · 16/08/2025 16:58

3luckystars · 15/08/2025 11:48

I was looking for pomegranate molasses!’ That is so funny I never found it, it was for a soup recipe and I searched everywhere and could not find it.

I can post the soup recipe here if you want it?

Dd1 loves it - she finds it at Sainsbury's

Campbellcarrotsoup · 16/08/2025 17:19

TheNightingalesStarling · 15/08/2025 09:23

I have just been given a courgette that could double as a baseball bat but my father, so any uses for courgette would be appreciated (beyond are normal use in sauces etc)

Courgette and lemon cakes or muffins also courgette and chocolate cake or fairy cakes both gorgeous

LarrySherbert · 16/08/2025 17:25

This is a very tasty way to use sumac AND pomegranate molasses! Don't worry about the Lebanese 7 spice, you can make that if you have the spices, just Google a recipe.

BrickSeal · 16/08/2025 19:47

TheNightingalesStarling · 15/08/2025 09:23

I have just been given a courgette that could double as a baseball bat but my father, so any uses for courgette would be appreciated (beyond are normal use in sauces etc)

Courgette cake is stunning! We also always end up with a bumper crop!

anon666 · 17/08/2025 09:04

Oh God, loads. I buy things with grand illusions then they sit there awaiting inspiration/motivation till the end of time.

Highlights include (all unopened)

  • an unopened bottle of rootbeer cordial that I bought from a temperance bar 5 years ago.
  • a jar of cherry curd
  • medlar jelly from a village Christmas fair
  • countless pastes (eg miso) that dont look as appetising aa they did in the shop
  • artichoke hearts
  • raw apple cider vinegar with mother
  • porcini mushroom flavoured oil

Actually I dont think mounjaro helped. I used to be such a foodie but lost my sense of adventure with food after a couple of episodes of intense D&V triggered by flavoured food.

anon666 · 17/08/2025 09:20

Oh God, loads. I buy things with grand illusions then they sit there awaiting inspiration/motivation till the end of time.

Highlights include (all unopened)

  • an unopened bottle of rootbeer cordial that I bought from a temperance bar 5 years ago.
  • a jar of cherry curd
  • medlar jelly from a village Christmas fair
  • countless pastes (eg miso) that dont look as appetising aa they did in the shop
  • artichoke hearts
  • raw apple cider vinegar with mother
  • porcini mushroom flavoured oil

Actually I dont think mounjaro helped. I used to be such a foodie but lost my sense of adventure with food after a couple of episodes of intense D&V triggered by flavoured food.

anon666 · 17/08/2025 09:31

Lol, I managed to post the same thing twice but forgot to mention my burgeoning collection of enormous marrows - which fortunately my Sri Lankan cleaner sometimes takes off my hands to make into curries. ❤️

DeirdreChambersWhatACoincidence · 17/08/2025 11:01

Oh cherry curd sounds lovely!

pontivex · 17/08/2025 11:56

This is very much off topic but I went to view a house a few years ago which was totally empty save a 1980s Aztec print sofa with very grubby shiny arms and a MASSIVE marrow in the kitchen.
The estate agent said ‘the vendors are happy to throw in the sofa and the marrow if you are interested in making an offer’ .

Manthide · 17/08/2025 12:45

@anon666 I had a huge jar of apple vinegar with mother until recently when I decided I needed the space!

grumpygrape · 17/08/2025 13:47

anon666 · 17/08/2025 09:04

Oh God, loads. I buy things with grand illusions then they sit there awaiting inspiration/motivation till the end of time.

Highlights include (all unopened)

  • an unopened bottle of rootbeer cordial that I bought from a temperance bar 5 years ago.
  • a jar of cherry curd
  • medlar jelly from a village Christmas fair
  • countless pastes (eg miso) that dont look as appetising aa they did in the shop
  • artichoke hearts
  • raw apple cider vinegar with mother
  • porcini mushroom flavoured oil

Actually I dont think mounjaro helped. I used to be such a foodie but lost my sense of adventure with food after a couple of episodes of intense D&V triggered by flavoured food.

I'll take the artichoke hearts please 🤗 Excellent 'roughage'

Fgfgfg · 17/08/2025 14:53

DinoLil · 15/08/2025 09:34

Hope this link works
https://iowtomatoes.co.uk/inspiration/isle-of-wight-tomatoes-fattoush
No idea what sumac is either. It didn't show up when I did a search on Sainsburys website.
Maybe it's like orris powder and pickled walnuts??

I have sumac! I use it to make my own zaatar.
You're welcome to my almost full bottle of Kewra water. I won't be using that again.

WideOpenBeaches · 17/08/2025 15:18

Can’t help with pickled walnuts, but a few recipe suggestions for using up some stuff …

COURGETTES:
Courgette gratin. With cheese. Can eat on its own.
https://smittenkitchen.com/2015/09/zucchini-rice-cheese-gratin/

This is flippin brilliant and freezes well.

PRESERVED LEMONS

Add to lamb meatballs with some cumin. Game changer.

HIBISCUS

https://www.waitrose.com/ecom/recipe/vanilla-panna-cottas-strawberry-hisbiscus-elderflower-syrup

Done this twice ^^ over the summer. Lots of compliments.

Can we add freezer ingredients?
I have a bag of frozen whole onions

zucchini rice and cheese gratin

An updated version of the Julia Child classic that makes it easier than ever.

https://smittenkitchen.com/2015/09/zucchini-rice-cheese-gratin/

trainedopossum · 17/08/2025 16:44

Ooh root beer cordial! Root beer is delicious but aside from a soft drink and root beer float I can’t think of any further use for it. I wonder if it would be nice in a mixed drink with bourbon.

Any fans of IoW tomatoes ever taste the smoked tomatoes? They’re delicious and addictive and I’ve never tasted anything like them. The oil they come in is incredible.