Pantry sort-out therapy

As we approach the twelfth week of lockdown, it’s hardly surprising that for many people, it’s becoming more than a little bit trying. In England, people are enjoying marginally more freedom to see friends and family, and there is hope on the horizon of further imminent easing of restrictions, including the re-opening of many shops and other retail businesses.

Of course, in the other nations of the UK, things are still very different, and lockdown is still very much as it was back in March. Wherever you live in the United Kingdom, it can be tough to keep smiling and carrying on. We all want to play our part and protect our loved ones, the wider community and the NHS, but at the same time, it is immensely tough to be stuck at home for so long, unable to carry on our daily lives and enjoy the simple pleasures that we took for granted just a few months ago.

It might sound little trite, but that old saying that keeping busy helps does actually have some truth to it. And on that note, today on the blog we’re going to talk about having a good old pantry sort-out, to help boost your mood and get organised whilst you have plenty of spare time.

Kilner jars to the rescue

Whenever we offer advice about getting organised in the kitchen or pantry, we always start with storage of dry foods, such as pasta, rice, and pulses. How many times have you gone to your pantry or food cupboards and found that a bag of rice has split and spilt its contents on the shelf, or that something stored in its original packaging no longer looks as fresh and appetising as it once did, perhaps because it’s become damp or been exposed to the air for too long?

If this sounds familiar, then it’s time to think about decanting all of those items into Kilner jars or similar glass storage jars. Once you’ve made the initial investment in suitable jars, you’ll wonder why you never switched to this approach before! Glass storage jars, whether they are clip-top jars or screw lid jars, make it a breeze to keep your cupboards tidy.

They take up far less space on the shelf than bags of pasta, rice and so on, and you can easily see exactly what you have in stock, making it easy to know when to add items to your weekly shopping list. Consider buying a range of different sizes, to accommodate all of the loose items that you regularly buy. Don’t forget a tall, thin jar for spaghetti and make sure that you buy storage jars that are big enough to store the quantities that you normally buy. It’s no good switching to glass storage jars if you find that you can’t actually fit a whole bag of rice or lentils into the jars you’ve chosen!

Using Kilner jars as spice jars

We’re big fans of buying herbs and spices in larger packs than are typically sold in regular supermarkets - try buying direct from a specialist retailer or food store instead, and prepare to be amazed at the difference in price and in quality! Of course, it may be a little while before you can shop in store, but there are plenty of suppliers of herbs and spices online, to get you started with this approach.

And instead of using tiny clip-top jars for your herbs and spices, think big and go for jam jar sizes, or even bigger. This will allow you to buy larger packs of herbs and spices and consequently to be more generous when you are cooking with those herbs and spices. If you sometimes feel that your cooking lacks the punch that comes with restaurant food, try adding a little more of the herbs and spices that are in the recipe.

Fresher, more authentic herbs and spices, along with a more liberal approach to how much you add, will really make a difference, and you'll soon be convinced that this is the only way to source all those herbs, spices and other more unusual ingredients.

Be ruthless

Whilst you are transferring everything to storage jars as part of your panty sort-out, it’s important to be ruthless. Is there a tin of anchovies at the back of the cupboard from 2009? Half a packet of dried noodles that look distinctly past their best? No-one likes to waste food, but if there is no chance that you will ever eat an item you find in your sort-out, then it makes no sense to put it back!

Check all dates on tins and other items and prioritise any that are approaching their sell-by date to ensure that they get used before longer-dated food. If you have in-date items in your cupboard that you know you’ll never use, consider offering them to friends or donating them to a food bank

How’s your pantry sort-out going? Be sure to share your story with us on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram.