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

we love canned tomatoes. I use it in spag bol, cottage pie and with a fry up :)

Oats - I love having porridge for breakfast, I use them to bake healthy flapjacks and to bulk out mince based recipes :) Also in smoothies :P

Baked beans, can be used in stews, on fry ups, on toast loads of ways - definatly a store cupboard staple x

Kidney beans! You can do so much with a tin of Kidney beans, its a filling meaty veg so you can do chillis burgers falafels.

baked beans!
I never have time to use dried pulses, but baked beans provide an easy protein boost to a lot of things. I add a tin to casseroles, the tomato makes the dish richer too. And of course they're the best on toast or with sausages :-)

I always have a tin or two of sweetcorn in the cupboard. This is great as a quick side vegetable for the children. I also use it in the following meals - jacket potato with tuna and sweetcorn, cheese omlette with ham and sweetcorn, tuna pasta bake, frittata, sweetcorn savoury pancakes, potato cakes with sweetcorn, salmon fishcakes, pizza topping etc!

Red lentils for me... I add them to pasta sauces, homemade soups and stews to make it more filling and protein rich. Healthy, delicious and they really thicken up a sauce nicely too.

Tuna

Handy for tuna pasta bake, as a topping for a jacket potato or to go in a fish pie

Sweet Chilli Sauce! I would use it in everything if I could! Luckily my husband and son are both fans too!

Love chickpeas - to make hummus with, add to a simple rice & pototo pilau or chicken curry amongst other things.

*potato

Tuna is my hero - in sandwiches, pasta and salads

Rice - for risotto, rice pudding, paella etc

My store cupboard hero these days is Nandos Piri Piri Salt. Gives a spicy kick to any meal.

My number 1 way to use it is my piri piri potato cubes (cut potatoes into cubes, par boil them, then roast them in a little oil). I sprinkle them generously on top turn them half way and sprinkle them again. Lovely kick off them - they are my new favourite.

Veg is boring. Its hard to get them to eat veg. Spicy peas though actually become something they WANT to eat. Boil up some frozen peas, drain and serve. A generous sprinkle on top of them when on the plate gives them flavour.

Finally, my third favourite way to use my Piri Piri salt is on popcorn! Microwave some popcorn, sprinkle on while hot. A delicious alternative to just salt, butter or sugar!

Can't live without it these days.

Tinned chopped tomatoes. They make a great sauce when a cup of water is added to them with some vegetables and herbs. They are great for little ones who won't eat veg as they are easily hidden. Also use in cottage pie and added to a tin of chicken in white sauce with some chili powder for a quick easy meal with rice.

Another one for tinned tomtoes - Spag bol, lasagne, pasta bakes, chilli, soups, home made sauces, shepherds pie, and so many more things it goes in, cheap, nutritious and a easy way to make meals spread further

Sorry to be boring, but more tinned tomatoes. Buy the basic peeled plum tomatoes and then whizz them up with a hand blender and either make a quick pasta sauce, add to curry paste or use to make soup for lunch.

Tinned Tomatos are great, always have them in, but as they've been mentioned loads previously i'll talk about a different store cupboard favourite - porridge oats.

Great in turkey burgers, adding some bulk, flavour and nutrition.
Great to add to a basic biscuit/cookie mix
Great for making a quick crumble topping
Great for breakfast of course too - on their own with milk/water or soak them overnight with mixed berries and yoghurt.
You can even add them to your bath or make beauty scrubs with them (although never tried this personally!)

UHT milk

I use it for all cooking which requires milk, it then means I have to by less fresh milk. We already use at least 5 pts a day fresh milk so that's always a good thing..

Goes in
Rice pudding
Porridge
White sauces
Homemade yoghurt

Other heroes are oatmeal, tinned tomatoes, lentils, flour..

And another....... haha

Got to be tinned tomato - so incredibly versatile, fab store cupboard favorite.

Our cupboards are full of pasta and pasta sauce and tuna!

Also tinned carrots and potatoes for when I'm feeling a little bit lazy.

There is also cornflour for that messy play activity I still haven't attempted!

Hot chocolate powder because I drink the stuff like other people drink their tea and coffee! But also tea bags because I do like a bit of tea, too!

Lasagne sheets and plain flour to make cheese sauce for said lasagne sheets. I was going to make lasagne once. Still haven't got round to it! But the good thing about store cupboard products is, they usually last a while. So they'll still be good for when I finally make that darn lasagne! lol

Anything left over in the cupboard that is surplus to requirements, I take with me to the playgroup at the children's centre on a Thursday for the food bank collection!

Also, chocolate spread. Because why not? ;)

Mine has to be curry powder. I use it for curry (obviously), flavouring chicken and making stew. YUM!

Oats all the way! I use them in the winter for their great breakfast benifits at the start of cold days, cook them and blitz into smoothies all year round (anything with banana, honey or coconut milk is a favourite in our house) And finally they're always helpful for sweet OR savoury flapjacks - my mum used to make 'cheese jacks' using mature cheddar and flavoured with rosemary, and now my family all love them too!

teco at the moment is so reasonable on every day prices im having to look round for cheaper shops

Ground All Spice. I couldn't live without it!
I add it pasta sauces, beef dishes and often use as a marinade. I also add to cake mixtures such as carrot cake to add a lovely spice kick??