Larders

The word larder comes from the Medieval French lardier, referring to the preservation of whole joints of meat for winter by potting them, covered in lard, in huge barrels. While stately homes might have had a full complement of larderium for potting meat, salsarium for salting meat, along with fish, game and dry larders, modest homes would have had a simple outdoor meat safe.

Fast-forward 60 years and the tide is turning. Oxford-based building company Symm says around half its major projects include a larder, while Jon Rosby, MD of John Lewis of Hungerford, says that his kitchen company has seen an enormous rise in demand over the last two years from nostalgic homeowners choosing larder cupboards to help recreate a rustic, homely kitchen. Marta van Emden, of environmentally conscious Cornish kitchen designers George Robinson, adds: ‘We have definitely noticed that the larder cupboard is a must-have in new kitchen design – for about the last year we’ve been putting one in more or less every kitchen we do.’ Brigit Strawbridge, whose charity the Big Green Idea (thebiggreenidea.org) is dedicated to showing people how easy sustainable living can be, remembers her grandmother’s larder with fondness. ‘It’s great that larders are coming back into fashion,’ she says. ‘There is nothing quite as green as a larder, for so many reasons. Many things keep just as well in a larder as in a fridge, and because they help you to cook and preserve in bulk, it saves time, energy and trips to the shops. And if you can reduce the size of your fridge or freezer you can save more energy in the kitchen than by cutting out any other appliance.’ 

Buying a larder cupboard
The modern alternative to the built-in larder is the larder cupboard, a cross between an ordinary kitchen cupboard and a separate storage room, constructed to fit into your kitchen alongside other units, and perhaps even integrating appliances such as a fridge, oven or coffee maker. Styles vary, but what they have in common is the ability to store a range of food in a combination of drawers or pull-out baskets, shelves and racks. They’re often full-height, incorporating a cold shelf made from slate or marble and perhaps a series of small holes in the doors for air circulation. Helen Davies, designer at Roundhouse, sees larder cupboards as part of a trend away from wall units, offering a ‘wardrobe of food’ in which you can see everything in one location. It would be hard to find a top-end kitchen manufacturer who doesn’t offer at least one larder (sometimes called a pantry) as part of its range, and many of the mid-range suppliers offer similar designs, too. As well as buying off the shelf, you can have them made to your own specifications, whether you require a capacious walk-in or a simple half-height, pull-out version. 

Most are made from natural or unpainted wood with panelled doors and timber or marble shelves, but larder cupboards do have a sleek, modern equivalent, in glossy laminate with stainless steel, chrome or glass fittings. Expect to pay at least £1,000 for a small version while the sky’s the limit – literally tens of thousands – for huge, bespoke larders with all the trimmings.

How to build a larder