You can use fizzy drinks in place of eggs for baking - and more tips for cooking with store cupboard ingredients

As we all get used to living differently during the current lockdown, many people are starting to use up store cupboard ingredients for cooking in order to avoid the supermarket.

With this in mind, there are been a range of recipes, tips and advice posted online. Not to mention Jamie Oliver's latest TV show, Keep Cooking and Carry On.

One cookery writer known for her frugal tips on creating delicious meals on a low budget is Jack Monroe, who became a household name for creating £10 per week recipes for families with limited money to spend.

She has taken to Twitter and is sharing ideas and recipes under the hashtag #JackMonroesLockdownLarder

Some big names have praised Jack's tips, including Nigella Lawson. And many people have questions based on what they have left in the cupboard.

Cooking without key ingredients

One of the tips Jack has shared is the substitution of eggs for fizzy drinks when baking. Eggs can also be replaced by vinegar, mashed banana and apple sauce, she revealed.

A follower showed off their Irn-Bru fruit loaf in the replies, which looks easy and quick to make and doesn't use eggs - something that many of us are struggling to buy thanks to restrictions currently in place.

More information and recipes can be found on Jack's website.

Another source of store cupboard recipes is Jordan Moore - senior recipe developer at Gousto. He has shared some tips on how to make the most of what’s already in your kitchen.

Easy curry recipe

What you have: Coconut milk or cream, tinned or fresh tomatoes

What to make: Sweet potato and spinach curry with lemony rice (serves 2)

Ingredients

1 lemon1 brown onion2 tomatoes

2 garlic clovesSpinach150g baby leaf spinach1 tbsp curry powder130g basmati rice1 vegetable stock cube2 medium sweet potatoes50g solid coconut cream

Method

Boil the kettle, peel and finely slice the brown onion.

Heat a large, wide-based pan (preferably non-stick, with a matching lid), with 2 tbsp vegetable oil over a medium-low heat

Once hot, add the sliced onion with a big pinch of salt and cook for 10-12 min or until slightly softened.

Add the basmati rice and 300mlcold water to a pot with a lid and bring to the boil over a high heat.

Cut a few slices of lemon.

Reduce the heat to very low and cook, covered, for 10-12 min or until all the water has absorbed and the rice is cooked.

Cut the remaining lemon into wedges.

While the rice is cooking, chop the sweet potatoes (skins on) into rough bite-sized pieces.

Peel and finely chop (or grate) the garlic.

Once the onions have softened, add the chopped sweet potato, chopped garlic and curry powder to the pan and cook for 5 min further.

Meanwhile, chop the coconut cream roughly.

Dissolve the chopped coconut cream and Knorr vegetable stock cube in 300ml boiled water – this is your coconut stock

Cut the tomatoes into wedges.

Add the coconut stock and tomato wedges to the pan.

Increase the heat to medium-high and cook, covered for 10 min or until the sweet potato is fork-tender.

Wash and pat the spinach dry with kitchen paper.

Add the spinach to the curry and cook, covered for a final 2 min, or until the spinach has wilted – this is your sweet potato and spinach curry.

Fluff the cooked rice with a fork and add a few squeezes of the remaining lemon through and season generously with salt and pepper – this is your lemon saffron rice.

Jordan said, "Whip up this super-quick and tasty curry recipe for a serious flavour fix. It works well with whatever rice you’ve got to hand and any frozen veg you fancy. This Indian inspired store cupboard recipe is perfect for using up any wrinkly tomatoes or sweet potatoes."

Jordan’s top tip: If a recipe calls for tinned chopped tomatoes or passata and you’ve only got fresh or tinned plum tomatoes, simply use a potato masher to squash the whole tomatoes into smaller pieces. You can do this directly in the pan to save on washing up.