If the word ‘larder’ conjures up images of a Victorian country kitchen, think again. This far-from-dated, practical and highly desirable storage solution is a great asset in every 21st century home – be it slick urban loft or sprawling rural cottage. Today’s kitchen gurus have developed an amazing range of larders – or pantries if you prefer – to suit every type of room, décor and desire. 

“There’s been a recent surge in the pantry’s popularity following the growing trend to eat in,” says Lizzie Beesley, senior designer at PWS. “The increase in consumers both cooking and entertaining at home has paved the way for greater dedicated food storage, with pantries being the obvious choice for a space to store all ingredients in the same place.”

Other experts are witnessing the same trend. “Customers are revisiting traditional, homespun values like never before, and at the centre of this lies the kitchen,” explains Eamon Donnelly, md of Northern Ireland-based kitchen manufacturer Uform. “Hand in hand with the notion of the kitchen as the heart of the home is the old-fashioned walk-in pantry or larder. Of course, the 21st century kitchen has very different needs from the country kitchen of old, and so this very basic storage space has been given a contemporary makeover, with clever storage solutions created to maximise every inch of space.” 

And that’s the crux here. Today, we all have different perceptions of what a larder is – from a handy pull-out racking system to a separate walk-in cool room. Not only that, there are modern space constraints to take into account and creative whims to satisfy.

Since the invention of the fridge, the need for a separate larder has almost been negated, but the concept of a naturally cool, walk-in pantry where foods such as home-cured hams, preserves and racks of wine can mature and improve with age, and others such as fruit and vegetables can be kept fresh for longer, is still as valid today as it was in the past. 

It’s just that today we have a lot more choice.“Traditionally, a larder or pantry was a walk-in cool room which would have been on the north wall of a house with an air brick for ventilation and a marble or granite slab to keep perishables cold,” says Penny Coaker, director of design at Aldenham. “However, what people often mean now by a larder or pantry is a large cupboard or small room in which to store dry goods or bulky items.”

If space allows, a separate cooled larder room keeps the living space of the kitchen free from clutter and allows the kitchen to be warmer than the ideal temperature for storing food. Internally, it can be tailored to suit customer needs, allowing plenty of space for storing fresh foods and large items such as sacks of potatoes and drinks. 

However, a separate pantry is something of a luxury these days, and instead, a larder that is an integral part of the kitchen is just as effective, bumping up storage opportunities while creating a good-looking focal point. 

Such a piece of kit usually takes the form of a tall cupboard which opens up to reveal a whole host of storage solutions – from spice racks, willow baskets, bread crocks and wine racks, to granite or marble pastry shelves and electrical sockets for smaller domestic appliances.

New developments also mean that larders can incorporate microwaves and fridges so you can have a single bank of food storage and preparation at your fingertips. There are two choices: the more traditional, freestanding larder that can be taken with you when you move house, or a modern, built-in unit that fits seamlessly with the rest of the kitchen. Either way, most larders generally take the bespoke route, so the inside and outside can be designed exactly to suit a client’s home and lifestyle.

“The walk-in larder has so much to offer the customer, particularly since we’ve adapted the more pared-down designs of original larders, which would have contained only static shelves placed in a walk-in cupboard, to suit a modern kitchen,” comments Terry Ball, md of William Ball. “We’ve taken our customers’ favourite kitchen storage solution, namely load-bearing, pull-out drawers that allow access even to the very back of the drawer, and applied them to a full-height shelved larder unit.”

It really is all about adapting a tried-and-tested formula for today’s market. Bulthaup’s b2 cabinet offers a pared-down solution for flexible storage for kitchen tools and food. It’s stylish too, in a simple, back-to-basics way, as is Poliform’s Matrix and Boffi’s Zone modular system, which transform an entire bank of units into a wall of invisible storage behind sliding doors. For others like Blum, Siematic and Miele die Küche, it’s all about the racking behind the doors, so any cupboard can be revolutionised into a bespoke larder with over 20 different internal elements, including bottle shelves, spice baskets and coffee filter holders. Even compact kitchens can benefit from one of the new developments in larder design, a slim, pull-out unit, complete with flexible, adjustable racking to suit any need.

“We’re seeing customer interest in both traditional designs and innovative new takes on the old-fashioned larder, principally in the shape of tall, vertical pull-out cupboards that can be accessed from both sides, complete with practical chrome racking for storing goods of different sizes,” comments Uform’s Donnelly.

Yes, it seems that every well-heeled kitchen cannot do without factoring in a larder somewhere, be it a solid oak workhorse that opens out to reveal orderly storage, bread crocks and marble shelves, or a row of hideaway storage units to capture the hearts of the die-hard minimalist. And it needn’t break the bank.

As John Lourden-Davies from Bulthaup in London adds: “Well-equipped larders can be both large and potentially expensive. If budgets are stretched, consider a simple unit that can be added to internally when budget permits, to create the ideal storage unit. A substantial larder will not suit all rooms and the narrow pull-out version can still save the day if space is confined.”