Shelf life
Each issue, we take an everyday pursuit or situation and give it the *Monocle* overhaul. This month, we stock up on some late-summer essentials to fill the shelves of our perfect pantry.
As autumn draws near, it is time to restock our larder with all the long-life victuals required to season our sauces and add crunch to our katsus. While we spend a great deal of time sniffing and squeezing the fresh produce at Portobello Road market, we also spend a great deal of money on pantry staples at Globus in Zürich. It’s all very well nipping into a local butcher’s, baker’s or grocer’s for fresh chops or crisp veg, but some ingredients sit happily on the shelf for months until the occasion arises.
Top shelf:
(left to right)
Wasa knäckebröd (flatbread)
Kalles caviar paste
De Cecco linguine
Spigadoro black spaghetti
Sato-no-yuki tofu
Kewpie mayonnaise
Connétable tinned sardines
Trueman’s hotdogs
Rossini balsamic vinegar
Telma chicken stock cubes
Szdutian rice noodles
North-South sesame oil
Mulino Sobrino oatmeal
Middle shelf:
(left to right)
Cournichons
Shirako seasoned nori seaweed
Colman’s English mustard powder
Sanwa wasabi
Ortiz anchovy fillets in olive oil
Olio Carli extra-virgin olive oil
Lyle’s Golden Syrup
Mutti double concentrate tomato paste
Nature’s Store organic couscous
Seggiano roasted artichokes
Monjardin organic chickpeas
The Natural Kitchen’s arborio rice
Lamthong lychees
Momoya Tsuyu noodle dipping sauce
Organic raisins
Dried fried onions
Miso paste
Bottom shelf:
(left to right)
Carnation condensed milk
Dried porcini mushrooms
Lotus baby corn cobs
Kikkoman soy sauce
Nissin soba noodles
Alemany Mel de Muntanya honey
Annalisa kidney beans
El Navarrico piquillo peppers
Fortt’s Bath Oliver biscuits
McIlhenny Co tabasco sauce
Sunita tahini paste
Ortiz tinned tuna
J Barthouil foie gras
Menier dark chocolate
Cirio tomato purée
Tilda jasmine rice
Thai Taste coconut milk
Wilkin & Sons tomato sauce
Jif lemon juice
Iasa whole sardines in brine
In addition to the obvious – good quality extra-virgin olive oil, soy sauce and Tabasco – no pantry would be complete without an eye-watering wasabi, a bar of extra-fine dark chocolate, a bottle of easy-squeeze Kewpie mayo or a tube of Kalles caviar. Rustling up something from nothing couldn’t be easier.
Our 10 favourite food stores
1.
Fernandez & Wells
London
2.
Sahadi Importing Company
New York
3.
Dallmayr
Munich
4.
The foodhall at Magasin du Nord
Copenhagen
5.
Corduroy & Finch
Singapore
6.
Zingerman’s
Chicago
7.
Pusateri’s
Toronto
7.
GrEAT Food Hall
Hong Kong
9.
Globus Delicatessa
Geneva
10.
Hemköp underneath Åhléns
Stockholm
