Talk to Tesco about your store cupboard hero and your top three ways to use it - you could win a £200 Tesco voucher NOW CLOSED

[AngelieMumsnet]

We've been asked by Tesco to find out about Mumsnetters' store cupboard heroes.

Here’s what Tesco say, “The Tesco Eat Happy Project is our long-term commitment to help children have a healthier and happier relationship with their food. We’ve got lots of recipes for healthy, tasty dishes that we think they’ll love – especially if they help you prepare them. But we’re keen to hear your recipe ideas too.”

So, what is your store cupboard hero and what are your top 3 ways to use it? Perhaps you always keep pesto in your cupboard, to stir into pasta, pep up a risotto or spread onto pastry to make a savoury puff? Or maybe you like to have lentils in stock, to add to soup, bulk out a stew or make a warm winter salad with?

Whatever your store cupboard hero is, Tesco would love to hear about it!

Everyone who adds their comments to the thread will be entered into a prize draw to win a £200 Tesco voucher.

Please note that any comments posted on this thread may be used by Tesco in further marketing material (anonymously, of course).

Thanks and good luck,
MNHQ

Tinned tomatoes too. Used in all sorts of pasta sauces, casseroles/stews and for pizza.

stock cubes!
In with frozen mixed veg makes a very quick soup!
in the water when cooking pasta gives a subtle flavour to the pasta (esp good with noodles)
added to a simple white sauce makes an easy sauce for pies or for pasta bakes.

also eggs - they can make a meal themselves in so many ways so obviously great to always have in the cupboard.

Have to have tinned tomatoes.. Its used on a daily basis for all our meals. Well, we do use fresh tomatoes too sometimes, but tinned will always be there as a back up and for some dishes it has to be tinned for the consistency.

Penne pasta - always a packet in my cupboard and always on my weekly shopping list. I work as a childminder and sometimes a parent might get delayed on the commute home so I quickly cook some penne pasta to satisfy a hungry child.

we always have Glenrick pilchards, corn beef and rice. we make a lovely meal out of these the whole family love it

mine is pasta and egg noodles they can be rustled up in no time and tinned tomatoes and spices and honey and soy sauce and rape seed oil a little goes a long way

Chickpeas

1. In a stew
2. In fajitas
3. Quick salad with olive oil, tomatoes etc

Worcester sauce

I use it in a shepherds pie, bolognaise, and it's gorgeous over cheese on toast!

I like the way it adds a subtle 'zing' to a dish

Red lentils. My son loves a lentil/carrot/onion/cheddar dish ive been making him since he was a baby.
Also its easy to bung red lentils into a curry as they don't need soaking.
I also make soup with them too, they break up well (I'm too lazy to blend my soup!).

Mine is marmite and our top three uses are:

1 Adding a teaspoon of it to homemade vegetable soup to add flavour,

1. On toast
2. On rice cakes

Passata. Used for so many things, pasta sauce, curry, chilli, casseroles.

For me it is squirty cream. It can be quickly added to liven up any dessert, if you have any unexpected guests. Easy to improvise with and a trusty long-life product that can be kept in the cupboard

Nutella.... On pancakes and bread, melted with cream or milk for a luxury desert sauce on a "we need chocolate now" steamed/microwave chocolate pudding, and other uses are of a different saucy variety. Haha !

Coconut Oil, i use it in smoothies, porridge, coffee and for a host of beauty uses. Also for stir frys and curries.

Mine is tomato puree, has so many uses from topping pizzas, to stews, shepherds pie, spag bol

Stock pots are my store cupboard hero's, I use them to add flavours to home made soups (spicy butternut squash) being my favourite, I us them to add flavour to dishes such as spaghetti Bolognese, risottos, casseroles etc and they are also great for flavouring things like plain cous cous, I always like to have a pack in my cupboard

Red Lentils: top uses are a) soups as a thickener/protein and also just as a lentil soup, b) lentil, carrot and cheese bake, c) lentil dahl

Tinned mixed beans.

• To make a quick bean salad for lunch, mixed in with some salad dressing, cubed feta, herbs and chopped red pepper/cucumber/whatever salad veg is in the fridge.

• Use instead of kidney beans when I'm making a chilli, to jazz it up a bit.

• Make a bean stew with fried onion and garlic (and chopped up sausages, optionally), plus chop and throw in any veg that are lying around like peppers, courgettes or aubergine, tin of tomatoes, red wine, tip in the can of beans, simmer and eat with bread and butter.

There's even more you can do too - bean soup, beanburgers, mixed bean hummus...

I like the idea of getting proper dried beans but in practise I really use them a lot when they're ready in a tin.

Smoked Bacon
Keeps for ages in the fridge or better still in the freezer, I wouldn't be without it !
Great with a big breakfast on the weekend but mainly I add to Spaghetti Bolognese to give it some added flavour and I add to soups such as Minestroni, Pea & ham & also to Casseroles.

It's just got to be onions, because they make meat dishes go further

I always keep tinned spinach in the cupboard. I add it to pasta, sour cream and red salmon for tea during the week and often to chicken curry at the weekend. It also brightens up stews/casseroles and is a great addition to smoothies make in my new Nutribullet! Any left over from the can can easily be frozen to use in the future.

I always have pickled onions in my cupboards. I put them in sandwiches, as a snack, in salads and as part of a beano!

Worcester Sauce.

I add it to everything! Scrambled eggs, lasagne, spag bol, cottage pie, meatballs, veg soup, home made pasta sauce, cheese on toast

Has to be tinned tomatoes.They are great for so many recipes

I always make sure i have some tins of baked beans as they have a long life and are filling and everyone in our house likes beans!