Staples and where to buy

Keep these in and you can cook most of our recipes without a special trip.

The ten staples

1. Tinned chickpeas
2. Red lentils (dried — they cook in 15 minutes)
3. Tinned chopped tomatoes
4. Rice, or microwave rice pouches for low-energy days
5. Pasta
6. Oat or soya drink (fortified)
7. Peanut butter
8. Frozen veg — peas, spinach, mixed
9. Curry paste and soy sauce
10. Vegan stock cubes — check the label

Nice extras: tofu, nutritional yeast, oats, bread, a bag of onions, garlic paste from a jar.

Where to buy

• Any big supermarket. Most have their own vegan range. Look for the word "vegan" on the front, or the Vegan Society sunflower logo. Own-brand is usually cheapest.
• Aldi and Lidl for low prices on the basics.
• World food aisles and shops for big bags of lentils, chickpeas, rice and spices — often far cheaper per kilo.
• Health food shops like Holland & Barrett for nutritional yeast and specialist things.
• Online in bulk for things you use every day. For example, plant drink in multipacks: oat drink multipacks on Amazon. Compare the price per litre with your supermarket first.

Next: reading labels →