In my larder

You often get a section in recipe books that tells you what the author thinks you should have in your kitchen to be a 'good cook'. Now, I don't really subscribe to that idea - and it would cost a fortune to keep all of the ingredients they suggest on the go all of the time - I mean, things go off, even dried spices etc can get a bit fusty musty.

But - I am intrigued by figuring out what the basics are to make interesting, healthy and easy meals. Are there items that I can't live without? Are there things that really I keep buying but hardly use and throw out more than actually makes it into a dish?

So I am going to start listing what I keep handy and are my mainstays. At the right hand side you will see a list 'In my larder' where I will list what I keep close to me in the kitchen and I will also blog about why these ingredients or tools are important and what I discover is not so important. And maybe I will clear out my utensils drawer at some point so it is easy to shut!