There’s a trend with my star ingredients, have you noticed? They tend to be store cupboard ingredients! And this month’s is no different.

Having a well and thoughtfully stocked store cupboard (that includes longer-life ingredients in your fridge, your freezer stash and the dried goods in your cupboards) makes meal planning easier, is great for making food go further, allows for interest and variety in your meals and is your ticket out when plans change and you need to create a meal from seemingly nothing.

Bulgar wheat is a whole grain and fibre rich, making it a good alternative at mealtimes to rice. It’s got a satisfying chewy texture and is really tasty too, even more so if you mix through herbs and spices.

You can serve it as a side dish, add it to salads and soups, cook it as a pilaf instead of using rice or use it as a stuffing (take a look at the feta stuffed roasted peppers and aubergine recipe).

Why not prepare a pan full for dinner one day this weekend (it’s delicious with roasted meats, vegetables and fish) and use the leftovers in your lunches this week?