Do we actually need to get two weeks of food in?

We live on an Island (a big one, but still) which only needs a day or so of heavy winds before some things start running low in the shops.

Rubbish meals are better than no meals. But with a tiny bit of extra thought you can have much nicer meals.

Supply chain disruption in the event of extreme weather. It’s not about reaching a supermarket, mine is 5 minutes walk away. It’s a good idea to have a couple of packs of dried pasta, some jars of pesto or similar, chopped tomatoes, rice, chickpeas/ lentils and some herbs and spices in to rustle up a quick meal anyway, in case you haven’t had time to shop. I always have onions, carrots and potatoes in plus fresh garlic, usually chillies, peppers and other things like couscous. Freezer has meat which I’ve split up from large family packs now there’s only 2 of us here. Canned soup is another stand by though I don’t like it.

they aren’t suggesting a full on preppers store just to keep in long life products so if a poor forecast happens the shops aren’t stripped of every pack of spaghetti!

I should probably get some water in though as the only liquid stored in my house currently is alcohol or tonic water.

I think if you live in remote area this is more relevant. I used to live in a town with one steep road in one steep road out and with one food shop it would run out of milk/bread if it snowed (and not even that much), but only for a few days and it was the elderly that were more vulnerable. But I live in London and while we probably do have enough pasta/sauces/tinned tuna etc to last a very boring week, I don’t have the space to store that much more.

For those who have never had to think about this, it can be daunting.

But the idea is to have a few extras, that are shelf stable or frozen, of the kinds of foods you and your family normally eat. And an alternative way to cooking them if your power/gas were out.

So if you normally make your pasta and tomato sauce fully from scratch, add an extra couple of tins of tomatoes to your cupboard. But maybe also think about having 1 or 2 jars (as cheap or as high end/organic as works for your family and your budget) so that if the power is out, you still have something easy and quick to cook. The same with curry or chilli and rice.

Alternate sources of cooking could be a 1 ring camping stove (that you already have for camping/picnics - or autumn is a good time to pick up as stores try to get rid of camping gear to make space for ski gear (outdoor stores) or bicycles (eg Halfords). Or a gas BBQ in the garden - we use ours for all sorts and have used it when the power went out. A charcoal BBQ would also work but takes more effort and is less consistent in cooking…but if that’s what you have, it’s better than nothing. Do you have a small fire pit and could that be used safely?

And also think about what can make bland food taste better - herbs, spices, cooking in stock rather than plain water, having sauces that work for your family (ketchup, mayonnaise, secret sauce, chilli, Caribbean, bbq….).

What do you normally drink and do you have some bottled water for drinks? Could some squash and fizzy water work instead of normal pop?

Do you have a flask so any water you can heat can be kept hot (you might be able to get a kettle boiled in a neighbours house, or boil a large pot but only need 1 cup now but later on want washing up water)? Do you have some paper plates (even leftovers from kids parties) so you don’t need to do a lot of washing up?

Do you have a rainwater barrel in the back garden that you could use to fill a watering can or bucket to be able to flush toilets?

Do you have any power banks to recharge phones (eg for holidays)? Could you get into the habit of keeping them charged up, especially if bad weather is forecast?

It’s not about buying loads of things and having a massive stash - just thinking through how your family, in your location, would manage if the power went out for a few days or there was flooding or a lot of trees came down blocking you in…and having a few sensible things done to deal with those situations before they happen.

And if bad weather is actually forecast, I tend to try and get organised beforehand by charging my devices and powerbanks, getting laundry washed and dried, making sure I have 1 spare bottle of milk and some bread and fresh fruit/veg in the house, and also clearing away clutter on the main paths through the house to prevent trips and falls in low light conditions.

I think you need to think again.

We've always had about a month's worth of dried goods and water. It's just sensible. It does stem from us living rural and being snowed in. But we lived in a town after that and had problems one year. It's because the chain is now 'just in time ' so supermarkets don't keep stock. Anyway regardless of world disasters its just sensible - what if the family were ill and couldn't go out. I feel a bit antsy if I don't have stocks!

We had bad snow last winter which meant traffic couldn’t get in and out of our village, the local shop couldn’t get supplies, people couldn’t get deliveries, big supermarkets had empty shelves as supply chain disrupted. If you didn’t have a car that was capable of driving in those conditions or were elderly etc then you would have had a good week at least with very limited access to food supplies. We probably have at least a week if not two just with normal freezer and cupboard supplies anyway. It’s just common sense where we live!

There are already several really good threads about this.

This is advice that has been given for many years in other countries. But British people seem to be the only ones that take it as an insult, get angry about it or just ignores it. Or start talking about toilet paper, again.

It’s not just about being able to help yourself for some time, it’s just as much being able to help other more vulnerable people if needed.

But for some it is just easier to think they will just pop to the shop around the corner instead of taking some responsibility.

I think 2 weeks food as in what we usually like to eat and 2 weeks of SHTF diet are very different, & most people have a few days food already . It’s not only weather, we are overly dependent on computers and vulnerable to cyber attacks which could affect the supply chain too .

I agree. I work on the fringes of emergency planning and it's clear from threads like this that the biggest challenge won't be dealing the actual disaster, but the obstructive and contrary attitude of the tin foil hat wearing section of the population.

If people have a few basic supplies in, they can wait at home in reasonable comfort, meaning that resources can be directed towards people who have been catastrophically affected by whatever is going on.

Exactly. The same people will complain when there is no water in their taps and expect the Government to help. It’s just so odd.

This is the brochure that has been sent out to us, and it has some good advice. It has got nothing to do with stockpiling, it’s about being expected to take responsibility for yourself and others. Not waste resources just because you couldn’t be arsed not to follow some simple advice.

rib.msb.se/filer/pdf/30874.pdf

Did you sleep through 2020?!

We use a generator when the electricity goes off, here in Ireland

Dh needs it for work sometimes but it's so handy. Keeps the lights 9n etc.
Can cook on hob, but it's not strong enough to use oven .
In Ireland here after the last storm , generators were selling out.
About 5 euro of petrol runs it for the day

Definitely - this months shopping Will cost almost £500 for 2 people, but will hopefully have everything we need

Also, our bedside lamps are rechargable lamps so can keep us going during the night until dh sets up the generstor

I’m stocking up gently - when I use a tin of tomatoes I buy two to replace it. Bought the massive bags of fusilli and rice last time I needed more, instead of the small ones.
etc. and bought 48 toilet rolls cos I’ve got garage space.

Also don’t forget pet food!

You don’t have to go out and buy loads just slowly increase stores

So you’re 100% sure that the nearest supermarket will be open and stocked and able to take payment ?

With a bit of careful planning we could probably go at least six, possibly eight weeks as long as we had electricity and water, but I have recently been thinking a bit more about how to cope with losing those. What changed my thinking was not any government messaging, but a question on a YouGov survey.

I think ultimately while the UK supply chain isn't overburdened with resilience the far greater threat comes from the hybrid warfare we are already experiencing in Western Europe. There was an Iranian cyber attack on a UK power plant earlier this summer, and Germany has had Russian attacks on Leipzig airport; the moment they called Russia out for it within days their power grids were being attacked too.

If a cyber attack affects the national grid, and knocks out electricity, you are going to be eating a lot of "homemade meals" in a day.

Freezing food is not 'prepping'. Cans, jars, packets, and bottled is the way.

Depends where you live surely, near a river thats a flood risk, in a very rural area with limited roads in/out, in a very hilly/mountainous area where power sometimes goes out. Then yeah I would definitely be having food in stock. I live in a Manchester suburb and there has never been any kind of weather disaster here. I can walk to 6+ shops including a big Tesco, Aldi and lidl within a mile. I genuinely can't see what would possible happen here that would mean I need 2 weeks worth of food in the house 🤣

I always have a few days worth of food in just with the freezer and basics. I could probably a week's worth if the meals were rubbish. But it's not something I plan for or would remotely worry about.

That's great until everyone else has the same idea and panic buys because they have no stuff.

I have probably a week to 2 weeks worth of food in at any given time. I bought 6 bottles of water and a large pack of toilet roll plus a torch just in case

Here is the UK version of the Swedish booklet. Most governments will publish something similar, it's the main focus of a lot of people's jobs and is no different to fire, police and ambulance services, which most people are fortunate to rarely or never need.

Prepare - Prepare

Unfortunately it doesn't seem to be available in booklet form, which would be better as it would still be available offline, although there was a more basic version delivered to all homes some years ago.