We’ve all been there: you come back from vacation and the only thing in the fridge is an end bit of low-fat Cheddar that was a mistake three weeks ago, and is now definitely past its best. That’s dinner sorted at least, but the question remains, what are you going to have for lunch tomorrow when—horror of horrors—you have to return to work?
The skill here is to look beyond the packet of garam masala that you bought two years ago, and the dust-coated box of artisan pasta some well-meaning soul gave you for Christmas, and see the potential in the kitchen cabinet stalwarts and the fridge lurkers.
Replace canned tomatoes, beans, chickpeas, pasta, and couscous after you use them and you will be guaranteed to be able to make a nice, quickish, and inexpensive lunch next time. Add a few freezer- and fridge-friendly items to this bounty and not only will you always be able to make yourself something palatable for lunch, but you will also be able to delete the pizza delivery number from your phone, forever.
Here we list the items that we find indispensable, but you should tailor these to your own tastes. If, like us, pasta with puttanesca sauce would be your final supper of choice, make sure you always (barring actual disaster) have jars of anchovies, olives, and capers. This way, you will never be caught short. Of course, sometimes disaster does strike, and you won’t have these things. This is when you have to look harder: that pack of instant noodles that someone once brought round and left, or a half a bag of couscous and some tomato paste that can be transformed into something delicious, with a little bit of effort.