To be surprised that some friends are buying extra food because of Brexit? part 2

[Satsumaeater]

Here is a new thread

Link to old one: www.mumsnet.com/Talk/am_i_being_unreasonable/3472089-To-be-surprised-that-some-friends-are-buying-extra-food-because-of-Brexit?pg=1

Buying some stocks of long-life foods you will use anyway is win win surely?

• if a hard brexit doesn't happen you just eat the food normally
• if a hard brexit happens, you eat the food smugly while leave voters go hungry

^^

Love a bit of Brexit bingo @TheElementsSong

Mistigri

I saw the early prepping threads and felt panicked a little, but not a lot. Then my husband said that we ought to start prepping, and I believed him.

I'm am 1000% not the sort of woman who defers to her husband's opinion, but about this sort of thing, he is very well informed.

(I did a history degree, he did politics - he's incredibly attuned to the here and now, the nitty gritty detail of the present. I am good at telling everyone what happened and why!)

We have been overbuying stuff as well. Seeing what the shops are like around here when there’s a bit of snow, let alone anything else, we thought it’s best to be prepared. Haven’t spent a fortune and haven’t bought anything that isn’t perishable or we don’t eat anyway. We have a fairly big garage too so it’s not in the way and is cold and dark so should be ok.

bellinisurge

^^

We're ready. There's stuff I'd like to add but in all if there's a panic today we can just avoid it and manage.

My stocks are for more than Brexit, a financial catastrophe comfort blanket, so either way it's business as usual here.

I went to Sainsbury to make sure I had supplies of marmite, crumpets, Lurpak and peanut butter, in case I can't get back to the UK in April. Whether I'm in Belgium or Cornwall I can normally produce a month of meals at a push.

Is the promised website up yet?

I do think the panic is a bit over the top but I don't ever "run out" of food anyway. There's always some tins, sauces, pasta etc in the cupboard and always a few things in the freezer. If there was an issue tomorrow, I could easily manage on what I have here for a week, maybe two. So I don't see a need to buy any more than that.

i could probably eek our supplies out for 2-3 weeks. was hoping to buy another bigger freexer at end of month and stock up on meat and veg etc for that.
hopefully if people rush out this week then the supermarkets will be able to replenish quickly and we can then keep stocking up until march.

@TheElementsSong Thank you for making me smile

I have a Brexit Box on the go. Likely to spread under the stairs as an Asda shop of pasta, rice, jars, baked beans etc is coming tonight (although notoriously they are rubbish at supplying what I've ordered!!). Both our Aldi and Lidl had UHT milk in though and plenty of supplies.

Apart from UHT milk and a packet of powdered egg, it's all stuff we eat anyway, so we'll just eat it as usual if there's no problems or keep it to take camping in July . I'm aiming for basic cupboard supplies for 4 weeks.

I'm not expecting chaos but I am expecting there to be some limited choice and potential panic buying at the point of Brexit causing some shortages. I don't want to be dealing with trying to do a regular weekly shop with a pre-schooler in tow if items aren't available and it's busy. If the worst happens we might head out for meat/veg/milk and see what there is, but we'll have a load of staples at home, plenty of frozen veg, some frozen meat. I'm thinking of it being a bit like when it snows.

Sounds very sensible

Can I just add that you should think about protecting your stocks from mice or other pests, as I just lost several packets of rice and sugar to mice that had got into the kitchen.

It's in heavy duty plastic containers now that should at least take them a while to chew through. 😉

I've got quite a bit of fish that I buy fresh, then clean and freeze, but I always keep a good supply of that in the freezer anyway, and most of the other stuff I buy: vegetables and salad stuff appears to be grown here and would anyway be difficult to stockpile. Certain fruits might be an issue but I'm sure I can manage without.

Other things like tinned tomatoes, pulses, nuts, coffee, I usually have a good supply of anyway.

I live on my own but I realise it's going to be a lot more difficult for families if things do get really short.

I think the biggest worry for me, and for a great many people, is going to be the medicines they need, which are not produced here, but as far as I can tell the government are stockpiling certain essential medicines.

I suspect though, that this vote tonight is not going to change a great deal in the short term.

Just wish the whole situation hadn't happened. Bloody David Cameron has got a lot to answer for, but he's sodded off, and unlike the vast majority of people on this benighted island, if everything goes horribly wrong, he's got a nice soft cushion to land on in the form of his wealth, as do most other members of the government who are responsible for the bloody awful mess we're in.

Went to Tesco yesterday tins flour uht milk were all pretty much empty

Fuck (DM). The fact that most of the stuff you eat is produced here is a red herring.

Wank (DM) The UK currently produces lots of carrots. Most people might have a couple of portions of carrots a week. But if people can't get the tomatoes, peppers, aubergines, sweetcorn etc (produced overseas) that they generally eat they will switch to buying more carrots. At that point the UK no longer produces enough to meet demand. Prices rise considerably and it takes time to grow more so more can't be provided to the shops overnight. Thus shortages of home grown products arise.

Our Aldi had plenty of UHT today, and plenty of everything else too. No signs of extra activity at all. Everyone's probably bought supplies in November round here after the Beast from the East last winter!

I have heard peppermint oil wiped around cleaned cupboards can help deter mice Brexit. Don't know if that would help your situation, some houses are hard to secure against the critters I know.

There was an interesting post on Twitter by Riverford Organic pointing out that March/April is the ‘hungry gap’. So the gap between winter produce finishing and summer produce being available. These are the months we import the most from abroad to cover the shortfall.

I haven’t started prepping but have turned over half my garden to fruit and veg. I think we’ve got enough dry stores to get us through until they’re ready. If need be.

Thanks Fay, I'll get some.

I think we've got them all as there's been no sign for over a week but I've no idea where they got in, so more could easily appear in the next lot of freezing weather seeking warmth!

i dont get this tbh

Yep, hungry gap in early spring is a thing.

There is a "hungry gap" in March/ April even in much more clement climates. I have done the smallholding thing in the south of France and in March you might be lucky to have the tail end of your leek and cabbage crop still in the ground. By the end of April, some broad beans depending on the weather. And rhubarb. Lots of rhubarb.

Good luck ....

I'm happy to live on rhubarb crumble but we'd need an awful lot