Canned vegetables & legumes

Red beans, lentils, chickpeas, sweetcorn, peas, chopped tomatoes, ratatouille: canned vegetables and legumes are the most reliable reserve on board. They mind neither heat nor damp, stow in the bilge and can be eaten cold if the gas runs out.

Legumes also bring plant protein, which matters once the fresh meat and fish have been eaten early in the trip. Combined with rice or pasta, they make a complete meal in ten minutes.

A useful habit: write the end date of the cruise on the tins you carry from one trip to the next, and stow the oldest at the front. Rotating stock stops you finding forgotten tins two seasons later.