10 Gourmet Pantry Staples You Should Own in 2025

Drizzle over fresh salads, burrata, or vanilla ice cream sprinkled with sea salt. 

Extra-virgin olive oil is a kitchen essential – as pivotal as herbs and spices. Laudemio’s emerald-green oil, cold-pressed to preserve nutrients and flavours, is prized as a finishing oil rather than for cooking. Its story begins in 1985, when severe frosts devastated Tuscan olive groves; the Frescobaldi family responded by founding the Laudemio group to safeguard quality and provenance. Bursting with the aromas of Tuscany – freshly cut grass, artichoke and green olives – it’s a worthy pantry staple and a thoughtful alternative to wine when gifting a host.  

Serve on heritage tomato bruschetta, grilled peach salads, and with cheeses like Parmigiano Reggiano and burrata.

One of the easiest and most satisfying appetisers: freshly baked focaccia with extra-virgin olive oil and balsamic vinegar. It may not be traditional, but dipping fluffy bread into a sweet-and-sour mix is hard to resist. Giuseppe Giusti produces some of the finest vinegar, aged in small antique casks dating back to the 1700s and extracted in a limited quantity once a year in the Moderna countryside. Made from sundried grapes, it offers notes of plum jam and red fruits with hints of honey and vanilla – flavours that keep you coming back for more. 

Use to season fried eggs, rice and noodles, as a dipping sauce for dim sum, and to marinade barbecued pork.  

Adding instant umami and depth of flavour to Asian cooking, soy sauce is a versatile kitchen must-have. Descended from a Michelin-starred legacy, Amy Poon founded Poon’s Sauces in 2021, bringing the rich flavours of China to London. Dedicated to the purest expression of soy, her award-winning first extract soy sauce is pressed from organic soy beans, which are fermented in earthenware jars using a traditional recipe from southern Taiwan. Unlike many other brands, which press the husks of beans several times, Poon’s is pressed only once, extracting the purest essence. It’s the soy sauce equivalent of cold-pressed extra virgin olive oil. The result? A glossy, rich and deeply savoury condiment. 

Add a fiery flavour to oysters, shrimps, whelks, crab, lobster, and a Bloody Mary.

If you like your oysters with a kick, let us introduce you to the Rockfish Oyster Drizzle from Weymouth 51 – a brand named for the 51 types of chilli used in this fan-favourite condiment. Handmade in Dorset in small batches, the vegan-friendly sauce combines chilli fermented in wooden barrels for depth with lemon juice, garlic, fresh horseradish and apple cider vinegar. It uses only natural ingredients and is free from colourings, flavourings or preservatives, meaning it tastes as fresh as if you’d made it yourself.  

Season everything from roast potatoes and mushroom risotto to mint and radish salad and homemade popcorn.  

To some, truffle can taste overpowering, but infused products deliver that sought-after umami depth with more balance. This trio from Artisan de la Truffe, for example, adds gentle truffle aroma without overwhelming other flavours. Each salt offers its own nuance: pure white Sicilian with black truffle for deep aromas, hand-harvested IGP Guérande grey salt with summer truffle for delicate notes, and mineral-rich Himalayan pink salt infused with Bianchetto truffle for subtle sweetness. Discover more seasonal truffle products here.  

Sprinkle over raw fish, beef tartare and even desserts like lemon tart, dark-chocolate cake or ice cream drizzled with olive oil.

Fleur de sel, or ‘flower of salt’, is prized for its delicate crystals and clean, mineral-rich flavour. Softer than regular table salt, it’s best used as a finishing touch rather than in cooking. Les Terres Blanches is celebrated for hand-harvesting pure salts from hidden corners of the world, including this artisanal Fior de Sale from the sun-drenched coast of northern Sicily. Collected in WWF-protected salt marshes where crystals form naturally under the Mediterranean sun, it captures the essence of the Sicilian Sea. Presented in a tactile ceramic pot, it looks as chic on the table as it does in the kitchen. 

Spoon onto warm scones with Cornish clotted cream, spread over toasted brioche, or swirl into yogurt bowls.

Spread the word: jams, curds and marmalades are so much more than toast toppers – they shine in baking, cocktails, even savoury dishes involving marinades and glazes, and alongside cheeses. This trio offers something for every palate: tropical lime and coconut curd, indulgent sweet tutti frutti jam, and zingy lemon and honey marmalade. Perfect for hosting afternoon tea at home or gifting a foodie, it’s a set that earns its place at the table. See also our savoury condiment trio. 

Swirl into porridge with a tart cherry compote or stir through tea.

A honey’s flavour, colour and viscosity is shaped by its harvest season and location – which is why single-origin varieties are so special. This light Acacia honey is infused with a vanilla pod, lending a gentle floral note that deepens over time. Raw and unprocessed, it’s as versatile as it is distinctive; spoon it anywhere a touch of sweetness is welcome, from cheeseboards to buttered sourdough. Prefer a little spice? Try our cinnamon-infused honey.  

Melt into Atavi’s smoked pasta with orange zest and fresh herbs.

Flavoured butter is having a moment. Once the preserve of fine dining, it’s now inspiring home cooks: see ButterTok and inventive new blends entering the market. On that note, renowned for flavour innovation, pasta brand Atavi has brought its expertise to this rich, tangy sourdough butter. Complementing Atavi’s pasta collection, it’s made with freeze-dried sourdough, promising a toasty, fresh-from-the-oven taste with notes of apricot and lemon zest. For an earthy alternative, try their porcini butter, infused with deep umami to complement pancetta or truffle dishes.  

Sprinkle generously over rice, smashed avocado on toast, or use as a seasoning for salads, soups and stir-fries.

For the unfamiliar, furikake is a savoury Japanese seasoning made with dried seaweed (nori), toasted sesame seeds, salt and spices. It is typically sprinkled on rice for a rich umami kick. Emma Basic offers one of the purest versions, true to the brand’s ‘never any additives’ ethos, with all-natural ingredients and no colourings. It’s vegan, high in fibre (15g) and protein (19g), and – equipped with a double flip lid – easier to sprinkle evenly than standard bag packs.