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Humidity is your biggest enemy in a country house, so invest in a dehumidifier or at least spread silica gel packets around your pantry - that stuff really makes a difference. On my property I found that dry foods deteriorate much faster when humidity is above 60%, and moths show up right away; so now I use tightly sealed plastic boxes (not open bags) and put a label with the date, because it's super easy to know what's been there the longest and not leave anything forgotten at the back. Another important thing is keeping the temperature stable - if your pantry has big temperature swings between day and night, the food ages quickly, so try to pick a cooler, well-ventilated spot, away from windows where the sun hits directly.
Don't just dump everything together without thinking it through, because food spoils fast at a country property if you don't have basic organization. The biggest mistake is leaving things open, all mixed up, without separating by temperature or type - that's when pests, mold, and weird smells show up. And there's no point having a nice pantry if humidity is eating away at everything, so first you gotta fix the actual space itself.
The pantry needs to be dry, cool, and well-ventilated - if possible, away from direct sunlight, because heat speeds up decomposition. Get yourself airtight containers (glass or good plastic, not that cheap stuff that warps) for grains, flour, sugar, and cereals; this keeps insects away and keeps things fresh. More delicate stuff - like whole wheat flour, nuts, cereal with fat - you store toward the back or even in the fridge if the pantry gets too hot. Onions, garlic, potatoes go separately, in a dark place with air circulation, because they need to "breathe" or they rot pretty quick.
Organize by zones too: dry foods on one side, spices on another, canned stuff on shelves that can handle the weight. Label things with the date, at least the ones you don't use every day - doesn't need to be scientific, just a "June" written with a pen helps keep old stuff from getting lost in there. And if your country property sits closed up a lot of the time, double down on humidity control; a dehumidifier or even charcoal scattered around helps a ton with that.
I have a simple system that works well at my farm: airtight containers with labels (entry date and everything!) and clear zone division - dry stuff on one side, things that need to stay cool on the other, never leave it open! What I've noticed is that humidity ruins everything fast out there, so desiccants like silica gel in the containers make a huge difference, especially with cereals and flours that get moldy easily.
Pantry storage in a country house is kind of tricky because you're far from the supermarket and air humidity ends up being a permanent problem. At my place, I figured out the hard way that dry foods last way longer if you invest in a metal shelf unit (not wood, which rots) and keep everything elevated off the ground at least 20-30cm. Air needs to circulate underneath, otherwise that accumulated humidity ruins crackers, flour, sugar in a week.
What works best is actually separating things by zones: dry foods in the most ventilated and dry spot possible (away from the sink, windows that catch rain), fresh stuff like cheese, butter, eggs in a cooler place (ideally a cellar or fridge if you have electricity), and then the shelf items you open frequently. Airtight containers are essential - we use a lot of glass with sealed lids because plastic, after a while in a country house, dries out and starts letting moisture through. Write the date with a marker right on the container itself (those sticker labels peel off easily with humidity), that way you know exactly how long each thing's been there.
One thing nobody talks about: silica gel or even a cloth with coarse salt in the corner of the pantry absorbs humidity constantly. Change it every 2-3 months once it gets really wet. It's cheap and prevents mold on open food, which is the nightmare for anyone living in a country house. If you can manage to have the pantry with cross ventilation (two different openings, like a window and a louvered vent) it's gold - it creates natural air circulation.
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