Pantry reset for a family of five who grew from from toddlers to teens in the blink of an eye!

Just before Christmas I was called to help the Wilkinson family with their pantry as it was no longer working for them - they were losing track of their food!

When I got there I found a large pantry, doors wide open, full of small plastic containers holding partially used packets of food. I also saw that bread and pet food was being stored on the kitchen bench, taking up valuable real estate, as their pantry had run out of room.

This poor pantry needed an overhaul as the family had grown from a family of five with three toddlers, to a family of five with three teenagers – one of whom has a love of baking and looks set to be a future chef.

First request for the pantry was to remove expired food! They were an amazing family to work with. I had members of the Wilkinson clan stepping in to help with emptying the pantry and checking all the food to see if it had expired. Tunes were turned up and it became a game - brown rice with a 2014 expiry was the winner of oldest food found! Five giant bowls of expired food were sent to the green bin, with packaging recycled where possible.

Everything was pulled out of the pantry – and each item was assessed. Old lunch boxes, picnic ware, cookbooks and aprons were downsized. The owner had a great collection of trays and larger plastic storage containers, as well as an un-used wine rack and an ideal box for storing bread – all of which I utilised in zoning the new pantry space.

I hopped on a ladder and wiped down all pantry surfaces before the food was returned. Zones for baking, beverages, dinners, and pet food were set out, including a breakfast bar which separated the children’s cereals from mum’s muesli, and an area for the owner’s pretty collection of colourful gins – because why can’t a pantry be both functional and beautiful.

My favourite moment was right at the end of the job, when the owner exclaimed, “Oh my goodness! The doors close!”