8 foods you'll always find in my house

1. Yoghurt
Not the most exciting perhaps but such a practical food. Yoghurt is not only essential for a complete breakfast but also useful for snacks, baking, dips and cooking. Use it instead of cream, creme fraiche or milk - when making an omelette for instance. Or have you ever made a carbonara with full fat yoghurt instead of cream? If not, I recommend you try it.

Pasta carbonara

2. Nuts
I eat all kind of nuts, but my current favourites are peanuts, almonds and walnuts. Maybe it's a pregnancy thing or just my slightly obsessive personality but at the moment I eat walnuts with absolutely everything; pesto, stir fries, bread, muesli... They're also rich in omega 3, which apparently is proven to increase the chance of having the next Kate Millet or Albert Einstein popping out of your womb. One can at least dream.

3. Garlic
I'm part of the tiny minority who actually likes garlic breath - raw too for that matter. Fried garlic and I'm in heaven. I don't know if it's because me and Jon eat so much of it, maybe I associate it with home, him, us, cooking, comfort, but I can't think of many smells that I like more. It's by miles the best and most dynamic ingredient for flavouring the food and it's got lots of health benefits. Being an anti-inflammatory is perhaps the best one.

4. Eggs
Especially when I'm in intense training eggs are an essential source of protein for me. I have at least one boiled egg for breakfast, a few more at the weekend when I scramble them, and they're often a component in my other meals as well. It's good as a glue to keep burgers together, various noodle dishes or just simple vegetable omelettes.

5. Wholegrain pasta
I love pasta in all its various forms, so although it may not be the healthiest of carbohydrates, I'm gonna eat it anyway. There's just no end to what you can make of it. Usually I would have pesto and cheese in the fridge too, for the weak moments when I have absolutely no motivation to cook. Top it with some walnuts and suddenly you have a pretty decent dish.

6. Crispbread
It's quite funny, but this is the thing I always ask Swedish visitors to bring over, and my hand luggage is pretty much crammed with crispbread when I'm flying back to the UK. It works the same as yoghurt - perfect to have as a side with any meal throughout the day or just as a snack on its own - perhaps not quite as nutritious though. Preferably it should be Swedish crispbread or the Finnish one they have in Holland & Barrett. It's nothing like the British selection, it takes crispy to a different dimension. I can't really explain, it has to be experienced. Why not try it!

7. Frozen vegetables
Don't get me wrong; I have plenty of fresh vegetables at home too, but sometimes I run out of them and for those times it's good to have backup veg in the freezer. Although I'd ultimately want everything fresh from the garden, there are a few vegetables that I prefer to buy frozen, like peas and leafy spinach. The latter I discovered quite recently and I plainly find it more practical than fresh spinach. Now I no longer have to bin half a bag of unused soggy leaves.

Tomatoes from the garden in Sweden

8. Coffee
Last but certainly not least, coffee. This would be more appropriate on the list 'things I can't survive without'. It's been quite tough not being able to drink this as much as usual for the last seven months, partly because of nausea, partly because of the caffeine. I do have decaf or a small cup of proper coffee from time to time but I can't wait until I can enjoy unlimited amounts of this black gold again.