No one can blame stockpilers this time

[BecomeStronger]

If government departments are advising people to do it

www.theguardian.com/education/2020/nov/17/police-warn-no-deal-brexit-would-have-major-operational-impact

Eeek thats quite official isnt it.

I was thinking of adding bits and pieces to my Tesco shop to take it up to the 95 items.

But I remember with covid 1 it was the fresh stuff I wanted.

What sort of thing do you think we should have in stock?

Ive got longlife milk, tea and coffee (essentials :) )
Tinned sweetcorn/tuna and pasta...
Some tinned fruit

But we would get bored of that! And I hadnt planned properly, more for if we had had to isolate. And Id assumed I'd still get a food delivery!

I generally keep fairly well stocked cupboards and freezer. I don't think I'll be doing anything extra but I will double check nothing's getting low.

There was a thread recently discussing this. Typically putting all the responsibility onto the schools rather than this incompetent government.

But yes, it's the fresh stuff that matters.

@LizzieMacQueen

There was a thread recently discussing this. Typically putting all the responsibility onto the schools rather than this incompetent government.

But yes, it's the fresh stuff that matters.

Better get growing our own!

There was a thread recently discussing this. Typically putting all the responsibility onto the schools rather than this incompetent government.

@LizzieMacQueen WTF HOW did ppl figure it was the schools responsiblity??

@yolopolo

There was a thread recently discussing this. Typically putting all the responsibility onto the schools rather than this incompetent government.

@LizzieMacQueen WTF HOW did ppl figure it was the schools responsiblity??

Because that's what the DfE have said?

"Stressing that schools would still be responsible for meeting children’s dietary requirements, the guidance said necessary changes might include “varying the timing and number of deliveries to allow for transport delays” and “ordering longer shelf life products during this period, such as frozen foods or foods that can be safely stored at room temperature”."

My approach to fresh stuff is to make sure I'm well stocked with the frozen variants of fruit and veg, and with multivitamins. Then when the shit hits the fan, buy top up veg from the sorry amount in the supermarket.

People who sneer about the shops being fine clearly had a very different experience to me in April. We had our Brexit cupboard for tinned, but fresh fruit and veg was very low on supply, and deliveries usually showed up with only half of the modest amounts ordered.

I rationed it out daily - 2/3 tinned/frozen to 1/3 fresh.

People who sneer about the shops being fine clearly had a very different experience to me in April. We had our Brexit cupboard for tinned, but fresh fruit and veg was very low on supply, and deliveries usually showed up with only half of the modest amounts ordered.

I must admit I never noticed any shortage of fresh fruit or veg at all, that section always seemed well stocked.

I really hope people don't start over-buying fresh fruit and veg in the run up to Brexit as so much will go to waste.

I've been building my freezer and cupboard up for the past couple of months.
I was caught out massively in Lockdown 1, no food, no delivery slots, we were locked in due to me having CV.

Never again. I was in tears at one point as we ran out of food and had to rely on takeaways for the dc, would come on here and people wanted takeaways closed down, and writing to their MPs etc. I cried even more when the reality dropped that I was fortunate to have funds for it. (MH and fevers don't mix well!)

@canigooutyet

I've been building my freezer and cupboard up for the past couple of months. I was caught out massively in Lockdown 1, no food, no delivery slots, we were locked in due to me having CV.

Never again. I was in tears at one point as we ran out of food and had to rely on takeaways for the dc, would come on here and people wanted takeaways closed down, and writing to their MPs etc. I cried even more when the reality dropped that I was fortunate to have funds for it. (MH and fevers don't mix well!)

Our Brexit stockpile took us through lockdown comfortably.

@Bibidy

People who sneer about the shops being fine clearly had a very different experience to me in April. We had our Brexit cupboard for tinned, but fresh fruit and veg was very low on supply, and deliveries usually showed up with only half of the modest amounts ordered.

I must admit I never noticed any shortage of fresh fruit or veg at all, that section always seemed well stocked.

I really hope people don't start over-buying fresh fruit and veg in the run up to Brexit as so much will go to waste.

It was genuinely bonkers around here for fruit and veg. I could always get meat and dairy, but fresh, frozen and tinned veg were the first to be completely wiped out.

Like I say, we coasted by picking up a few bits of fresh veg once a week to supplement the tinned stuff. We took as little as possible because we had enough tinned at home to supplement.

I completely agree about overbuying fresh, there's very little to be done for it. I'm planning to buy the longest-lasting fresh stuff I can near the end, like onions, carrots and cabbage etc, then leave people to it in the supermarkets.

@thecatsthecats Wow that's mad. I don't know what people do with it all, I bet so much went mouldy and was thrown away.

Have to admit there is only 2 in our house though so I guess it takes us longer to get through fresh veg so I potentially wouldn't have noticed much. I did notice the tinned stuff ran down quickly in our local supermarket.

The only staples I really had trouble with were eggs and toilet roll, but I did usually manage to get them from smaller local shops.

I will add that the DfE have asked us as LA's about our plans for food shortages due to Brexit. It has been added to the 'emergency plans' that LA's make for unprecedented times.

What will you eat if you can't get fresh stuff? Buy that.

Buy stuff that is needed for those with restricted diets.

Buy the nice to have stuff that won't be prioritized be that olives, anchovies, spices, herbs etc. The stuff that makes a meal nice rather than just food.

Get your toiletries, cleaning and laundry supplies. They won't go off and if we are limited with number of items on a shop it will help.

I'm buying UHT milk, tinned tomatoes and passata, dried pulses.

Keeping ahead of frozen fruit and veg.

I reckon with that, we can stay healthy even if supplies are a bit dodgy.

I have a question about stockpiling.
How do people who genuinely can’t afford it plan to cope if the worst happens?
We live payday to payday and some weeks our last £1 goes on a loaf of bread. I truly cannot afford to buy anything extra.
Our financial situation will improve as I’m back at work and OH will get more work, but for now we simply can’t afford it

@Purplelion there are several threads over on the Preppers board about stockpiling while financially restricted or on benefits. It doable for many people and lots of folks do it because they know they will be caught out otherwise.

It’s the effects of panic buying I dislike. Stockpiling now, if you feel the need, is fine. But panic buying is contagious and will empty out supermarkets quicker than anything else. I intend to have a small stock in well before Jan 1st. Having said that, even at the start of lockdown we just adapted the shopping to whatever was available.

Did you know that you can regrow onions, spring onions and leeks in water? Also if you plant garlic now (in a pot if you don't have a garden) you'll get garlic shoots which are delicious and then bulbs in the spring.

Also, I'm growing indoor tomatoes on a sunny window sill.

@Butterer I was wondering about cucumbers too! We go through about one a day between us and the guinea pigs. I might experiment...

I'm of the opinion that given sufficient warmth and light, things will grow. Plants want to grow!

I'm even planting stuff like lemon pips and avocado stones. Can't hurt.

Also, for those on a tight budget, tin cans make good pots. You can drill a hole for drainage or just add some stones or broken up polystyrene at the bottom before you add the compost or soil.