top picks under 10

Annam Ponni Boiled Rice is parboiled Ponni, the staple table rice of Tamil Nadu. Parboiling before milling firms the grain, so cooked rice stays separate and does not go pasty, and it holds up well to being reheated.

Best for

• Daily steamed rice with sambar, rasam and kuzhambu
• Curd rice and lemon rice
• Lunchboxes, where it holds its texture for hours

How to cook it

Parboiled rice needs more water and more time than raw rice. Rinse twice, then pressure cook one cup to two and a half cups of water for three to four whistles, or boil it in plenty of water for about twenty-five minutes and drain. Soaking for thirty minutes first shortens the cooking and gives a more even grain.

Pack and storage

5Kg bag. Store in a cool, dry place, sealed after opening.

TRS Toor Dal is split pigeon pea, also sold as tuvar or arhar dal. It is the backbone of sambar and of most everyday North Indian dals, cooking down to a smooth, mildly sweet golden purée.

This is the larger 2 kg pack, which suits a household cooking dal several times a week.

Best for

• Sambar
• Dal tadka and dal fry
• Gujarati dal, and rasam

How to cook it

Rinse two or three times. A 20 minute soak shortens the cooking but is not essential. Pressure cook with about 3 parts water to 1 part dal for 3 to 4 whistles, or simmer for 35 to 45 minutes until the grains collapse when pressed. Finish with a tempering of mustard seeds, cumin, garlic and curry leaves.

Pack and storage

2 kg. Store in a cool, dry place, sealed after opening.

Annam Brown Sona Masuri is the same medium-grain South Indian rice left unpolished, so the bran layer stays on the grain. That gives it a tan colour, a firmer, chewier bite and a nuttier taste than white Sona Masoori, and it needs more water and more time in the pot.

Best for

• Everyday steamed rice with sambar, rasam or curry
• Curd rice and lemon rice, where the firmer grain holds up
• Pulao and one-pot rice dishes

How to cook it

Soak it for at least an hour before cooking; without a soak the bran keeps the grain tough. Pressure cook one cup with two and a half to three cups of water for four to five whistles and let the pressure fall naturally. In an open pot, boil in plenty of water for about thirty-five minutes and drain. Rest it covered for ten minutes before fluffing.

Pack and storage

5kg bag. Store in a cool, dry place, sealed after opening.

Pfand / Deposit: €0.32 for the 4 glass bottles (4 × €0.08) – charged in addition to the price (zzgl. Pfand), not included in the price shown.

Desperados Tequila Beer 4x330ml.

Jagermeister – 0.35L.

Classic herbal liqueur—best served ice-cold for a bold, smooth taste.

Doppio Passo – Primitivo Salento IGT.

Rich and smooth Italian red wine with a fruity character—great with meals and gatherings.

Breakfast Spread Essentials covers the toast table in one order — one sweet, one nutty, one chocolate — so there is something for everyone at the table.

Inside: Nutella 450g, Creamy Peanut Butter 350g and Langnese Sommerblüte Goldklar honey 125g.

Between them they handle toast, rolls, pancakes, waffles and porridge, and they go well beyond breakfast: peanut butter into satay sauce and cookies, honey into tea, marinades and salad dressings, Nutella into crepes and a filling for stuffed parathas.

Keep the Nutella and honey at room temperature rather than in the fridge — both go hard and unspreadable when cold. Honey crystallising in the jar is normal; standing it in warm water clears it.

Daily Cooking Masalas gathers the five TRS spices an Indian kitchen uses almost every day, so you restock them in one go instead of noticing one at a time that a jar is empty.

Inside: TRS Coriander Seeds (Dhania Whole) 100g, TRS Cumin Seeds (Jeera Whole) 100g, TRS Chilli Powder 100g, TRS Brown Mustard Seeds 100g and TRS Turmeric Powder (Haldi) 100g.

Between them they cover the two halves of most Indian cooking: the whole seeds for the tadka that starts or finishes a dish, and the ground spices that go into the base. Almost any dal, sabzi or curry starts from some combination of these five.

Keep each jar tightly closed in a cool, dark cupboard, away from the heat of the hob.

The Kellogg's Breakfast Combo pairs the two cereals that cover most breakfast tables — one plain, one chocolate — so there is a choice in the cupboard on a school morning.

Inside: Kellogg's Cornflakes 500g and Kellogg's Choco Krispies 420g.

Cornflakes are the neutral base that takes whatever you add — cold milk, hot milk, banana, honey, or a spoon of sugar — and they are also what goes into cornflake chivda and a crisp coating for cutlets. Choco Krispies are the puffed rice version coated in cocoa, crisp in cold milk and the reliable answer when a child will not eat plain cereal.

Reseal the inner bags after each use and store in a cool, dry cupboard so both stay crisp.

The Asian Stir Fry Pack brings together three different Asian noodles in one order, so a stir-fry night does not depend on which single pack happens to be in the cupboard.

Inside: Diamond Glasnudeln (long glass noodles), Ayuko Udon Noodles 300g and Miyako Ramen Noodles 200g. Glass noodles are the thin, translucent ones that turn slippery and soak up sauce — good for a Thai salad or a stir-fry. Udon are thick, soft and chewy, at home in a broth or fried with a dark sauce. Ramen noodles are springy and thin, built for soup.

Three shapes, three different dishes. Each noodle cooks differently — follow the times on the individual packs, and rinse glass noodles in cold water after soaking so they do not clump.

Red Label Tea – 450g 

The Frisch Flavour Duo Pack is four bags of funny-frisch chips — two flavours, two bags of each.

Inside: 2 × funny-frisch Currywurst Chips 150g and 2 × funny-frisch Oriental Chips 215g. Currywurst is the German classic in chip form, tomato and curry powder over a salty ridged crisp; Oriental is warmer and spice-led, with a paprika and cumin character rather than heat.

Two contrasting flavours and enough bags to put a bowl of each on the table, which is really how chips get eaten when people come over. Store in a cool, dry cupboard and clip the bags shut between sittings.

The Kölln Breakfast Combo brings together two German oat classics — one ready-flavoured, one plain — for people whose breakfast is a warm bowl rather than a cold one.

Inside: Kölln Fruit Oat Porridge 375g and Kölln Organic Oatmeal (Bio Haferflocken) 500g.

The fruit porridge is the quick one: hot water or milk, a stir, and breakfast is done. The plain oat flakes are the flexible one — porridge cooked slowly on the hob, overnight oats, muesli, oat flour for baking, or a binder in cutlets and kebabs. Having both means you can have breakfast in two minutes on a weekday and make something slower at the weekend.

Store both sealed in a cool, dry cupboard.