Five cheap and easy stockpiling recipes every family should know

The government’s recommendation to stockpile food came as a surprise for many of us, but there’s no need to worry. There’s no need to rely exclusively on ultra-processed and pre-made foods. It is possible to feed you and your family with healthy, hearty meals, even if the worst happens. Ben Ebbrell from sortedfood.com has you covered. Here are some of his favourite options using easy-to-store ingredients Broccoli, chilli, and anchovy pasta (Photo: Sorted Food) Broccoli, chilli, and anchovy pasta 200g dried pasta (fusilli) 30g hard Italian cheese 1 small broccoli or a handful or frozen broccoli florets 60g tinned anchovies 2 cloves garlic 0.5 tsp chilli flakes Preheat the oven to 200°C and line a small baking tray with baking paper. Fill the kettle with water and put it on to boil. Add the pasta and a generous pinch of salt to a medium saucepan. Cover with boiling water from the kettle and place the pan over a high heat. Cook for eight to 10 minutes, until soft but still with a slight bite. Grate the cheese onto the lined tray in a shallow pile. Bake in the oven for six to eight minutes, until golden and lacy. Add the anchovies to a large frying pan, along with their oil. Peel, then finely grate in the two cloves of garlic and add the of chilli flakes. Chop and add the broccoli to the pasta when it is two minutes from being ready. After two minutes, drain it through a sieve.Place the anchovies and garlic over a high heat. Fry for two to three minutes, breaking up the anchovies with the back of a fork as you go, until fragrant. Tip the broccoli and pasta into the pan with the anchovies and garlic. Toss to mix everything fully and season to taste with salt and pepper. Divide the pasta between plates, crumble over the crispy cheese, and serve. Braised squash and beans gratiné (Photo: Sorted Food) Braised squash and beans gratiné Half a butternut squash or 500g frozen butternut squash chunks 1 brown onion 4 cloves garlic 3 tbsp olive oil 1 tsp smoked paprika 1 tsp chilli flakes 200g cavolo nero or frozen mixed greens 400g tinned butter beans 1 vegetable stock cube 100g cheddar 50g hard Italian cheese Fill a kettle with water and bring it to boil – this will be for the stock later. Preheat the oven to 220°C. If using fresh squash, cut it in half then remove and discard the seeds from one half with a spoon. Cut into 2cm pieces and put into a medium-sized baking dish. Halve, peel, and roughly dice the onion. Peel and chop the garlic and pop into the baking dish. Add the olive oil, smoked paprika, chilli flakes and a big pinch of salt and pepper then give it all a good mix to coat. Spread everything out into an even layer in the baking dish. Pop the baking dish into the oven and roast for 20 minutes, until soft and golden in places. If you are using cavolo nero, remove the stems and slice the leaves crossways at 1cm intervals. Crumble half a cube into a measuring jug and pour in 150ml of boiled water from the kettle. Stir it to dissolve. Once 20 minutes are up and the squash is tender, add in the tin of butter beans with the juice. Pour in the stock and add in the cavolo nero or mixed greens. Give it all a good mix and pop it back into the oven for 10 minutes, until the greens have wilted and the liquid has reduced by a quarter, so it’s thick and stew-like. Turn the oven to grill on high. Once it’s thick like a stew, grate over the cheddar and hard Italian cheese. Pop the whole pan under the grill for two to three minutes, until the cheese melts and becomes golden. Serve and enjoy. Teriyaki spam with edamame rice (Photo: Sorted Food) Teriyaki spam with edamame rice 150g sushi rice 2 tbsp sesame oil 200g spam 100g frozen edamame beans or frozen peas 10g chives, fresh or dried 2 tbsp light soy sauce 1 tbsp honey Rinse the sushi rice in a sieve under cold water, until the water runs clear. Add the rice, 300ml of water, and a generous pinch of salt to a medium saucepan. Place the pan over a high heat, bring everything to a boil, stir once, then cover with a lid. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for eight to 10 minutes, until the rice is cooked and all the water has been absorbed. Heat the sesame oil in a large frying pan over a medium heat. While the oil heats up, shake the meat from the tin of Spam and cut it into six even slices. Lay the slices of Spam into the pan. Fry for two to three minutes on one side, until golden, before flipping and repeating on the next. Once the rice is three minutes off cooking, add the edamame beans or peas, replace the lid, and continue to cook everything for the last three minutes together. Once ready, set aside for serving later. Finely chop the chives, or measure out the dried chives. Once the spam is ready, addthe soy sauce and honey to the pan. Fry for a further one to two minutes, tossing and moving the spam continuously, until the soy and honey coat the slices in a sticky glaze. Fluff the rice with a fork and divide it between bowls. Top each mound with three slices of glazed spam and the chopped chives. Tofu katsu nugget curry with pea noodles 4.5 tbsp plain flour 60g dried panko breadcrumbs 10 tbsp vegetable oil 280g extra firm tofu 1 brown onion 3 cloves garlic 20g ginger 1 tbsp curry powder 200g frozen peas 300g straight to wok udon noodles 15g coriander, fresh or dried 1 tbsp light soy sauce 1 tbsp sriracha Fill the kettle with water and put it on to boil – this will be for the sauce and noodles later. Beat 4 tbsp of the flour with 120ml of water and a generous pinch of salt in a large mixing bowl. We are looking for a double cream-like consistency here – loosen with more water if necessary. Tip the breadcrumbs onto a plate. Add all the oil to a large frying pan and place it over medium-high heat. While the oil heats up, cut the block of tofu into 12 even chunks, then tip them into the batter and gently toss to coat. Add the tofu pieces into the breadcrumbs, letting any excess batter drip off first, then press the crumbs gently to coat them fully. Once the oil starts to shimmer and loosen, carefully lay in the coated tofu pieces. Fry for two to three minutes on one side, until golden, before flipping and repeating on the next – you can do this in batches if needed. Once ready, transfer to a paper towel-lined plate. Halve, peel, and finely dice the onion. Peel and mince the garlic and ginger on the same board. Remove all but 2 tbsp of the oil in the pan into a bowl to fry with another day. Place the pan back over medium heat before adding the onion, garlic, and ginger. Add the curry powder and the remaining 0.5 tbsp of flour to the pan. Fry for a further one to two minutes, until very fragrant. Add 300ml of boiling water from the kettle in three stages, beating well after each addition to make a smooth sauce. Add the peas and udon noodles to a medium saucepan and cover with boiling water from the kettle. Place over a high heat and simmer for two minutes until cooked. Drain everything through a colander over the sink and return them to the pan. Roughly chop the coriander or measure out the dried. Stir the soy sauce and sriracha through the noodles. Spoon the pea noodles into shallow bowls. Divide the crispy tofu on top of the noodles and pour the curry sauce all around. Garnish with the chopped coriander and dig in. Thai squash and peanut soup with crispy rice ‘croutons’ (Photo: Sorted Food) Thai squash and peanut soup with crispy rice ‘croutons’ 0.5 butternut squash or 500g chopped frozen butternut squash 1 red bell pepper or 100g frozen chopped pepper 1 brown onion 2 cloves garlic 2-4 tbsp vegetable oil 400g tinned coconut milk 2.5 tbsp vegetarian Thai curry paste red 250g microwave brown rice 15g coriander, fresh or dried 50g roasted peanuts 1.5 tbsp peanut butter Juice of 1 lime or two tablespoons of lime juice Cut the squash in half. Peel, then remove and discard the seeds from one half with a spoon, then cut into 2cm pieces and tip into a medium saucepan. Or, add your frozen chunks straight to the pan. Deseed and cut the pepper into large chunks, unless using preprepared. Peel, halve and roughly dice the onion. Peel and smash the garlic and chuck them all into the saucepan. Add the coconut milk, 2 tbsp of curry paste and enough water to cover everything. Season with a pinch of salt. Place the pan over high heat, bring everything to a boil, then lower the heat. Simmer for 10-12 minutes, until the squash and peppers are soft. Break apart the microwave rice in the packet and pour into a large mixing bowl. Add the remaining 0.5 tbsp of Thai red curry paste and a pinch of salt. Give it all a good mix to coat the grains of rice in the mix. Heat 2 tbsp of vegetable oil in a medium frying pan. Add the rice in an even layer and press down. Leave to cook for around five to seven minutes or until a golden crust forms. Gently turn it over and repeat on the other side – don’t worry if the rice breaks into pieces; just get it nice and golden brown. Add some more oil if needed. Finely chop the coriander, or measure the dried equivalent, and roughly chop the peanuts. Once the squash is soft, add the peanut butter and the lime juice. Blitz everything until smooth with a hand blender, then season to taste with salt. Divide the soup between bowls. Top generously with chunks of crispy rice, coriander, peanuts and serve. For more, visit the sortedfood.com or download the Sidekick meal-planning app