Finding the Right Corner

Most period homes already have a larder hiding in plain sight. Look for a north or east-facing wall, where the sun never lands, and you will usually find a cupboard under the stairs, a shallow alcove beside a chimney breast, or a deep-set pantry door that has been painted over and forgotten. These are the spots our ancestors used for a reason. Brick and stone walls stay cool, and a door that keeps out the kitchen's heat does most of the work before you have spent a penny.

Measure carefully before you commit. A useful pantry needs at least 45cm of depth for standard jars and tins, though 60cm is far more comfortable. Height matters as much as width: a tall, narrow cupboard will hold more than a wide, squat one, because you can stack upward in categories. Check for pipes, cables and damp patches first. If the wall feels cold and slightly clammy to the touch, deal with that before you fill it with flour and rice, or you will be throwing food away by spring.

Getting the Air Moving

A pantry that cannot breathe becomes a pantry that smells of old potatoes. Cool air should enter low and leave high, which is the principle behind the humble air brick you will often find set into an external wall of an older house. If yours has been blocked or rendered over, consider reinstating it, fitted with a fine stainless-steel mesh to keep insects and mice out.

• Aim for one low vent and one high vent where possible, ideally 100–150mm square.
• Never block an original air brick with shelving, boxes or insulation.
• If the space is internal, fit a small passive vent in the door or leave a 10mm gap beneath it.
• Hang a simple thermometer and hygrometer inside and check it weekly at first.

You are looking for a steady 10–14°C and around 50–60 per cent humidity. Much above 65 per cent and you risk mould on bread, nuts and dried fruit. A bowl of bicarbonate of soda left on a shelf will absorb mild odours, and a handful of bay leaves tucked among the dry goods is a quiet deterrent to weevils and flour moths.

Shelves That Earn Their Keep

Fixed shelves are the enemy of a pantry. Buy a set of adjustable uprights and brackets in a painted finish, or use traditional wooden pegs in drilled holes if you want something more in keeping with a Georgian or Victorian interior. Solid pine or painted MDF both work well; avoid bare chipboard, which swells at the first sign of damp.

Space shelves by what will actually sit on them rather than by neat symmetry. A useful arrangement is:

• Top shelf: bulky, rarely used items — preserving pans, spare jars, Christmas cake tins.
• Upper middle: dry goods in jars, cereals, pasta, pulses.
• Lower middle: everyday baking stores, oils, vinegars, condiments.
• Bottom shelf: root vegetables in a slatted wooden crate, plus onions and garlic.

Keep potatoes, onions, apples and pears well apart, as they give off gases that make one another sprout and spoil. A shallow lip or a strip of moulding along the front edge of each shelf saves a great deal of sweeping up.

Jars, Labels and a Workable System

Decanting into glass is the single change that makes a pantry feel like a pantry rather than a cupboard. Clear clip-top and screw-top jars let you see at a glance what is running low, keep damp and pests out, and stack neatly in rows. Choose two or three sizes and stick to them; a mismatched collection wastes space and looks muddled.

Label everything on the lid as well as the front, so you can identify contents from above. Chalk labels wipe clean and suit a rustic scheme; good-quality paper labels and a fine pen look crisper in a smarter larder. Write the date you opened the jar, not just the name. Flours, nuts and whole grains are best used within three to six months, and a date removes all guesswork.

Group by use: baking together, spices together, preserves together. Keep a small basket or tray for odds and ends that would otherwise roll about, and leave a clear square of worktop — even 40cm — for filling jars and sorting shopping.

Living With a Period Pantry

Old pantries need a little attention through the year. In humid summer weather, leave the door ajar for an hour each morning to let air circulate. In winter, when heating dries the house out, a pantry can become too warm if it shares a wall with a boiler or an AGA; check the thermometer and move heat-sensitive stores if needed.

Wipe shelves with a weak vinegar solution every few months, and empty and inspect jars as you go. Look for fine webbing in the corners, small holes in paper bags and any softness in root vegetables. Deal with problems promptly rather than hoping they will pass.

Finally, resist filling every inch. A pantry with a little breathing room is easier to keep clean, easier to audit, and far more pleasant to step into on a grey Tuesday morning when you are hunting for the last of the bread flour.