What’s your food situation?

[GreyishDays]

Just wondering how everyone is doing.

We had a good start with a Brexit stash. Have had a couple of click and collects and one normal supermarket shop. DH has been checking regularly for stock though. Our supermarket has been up and down in terms of stock.
We have most stuff, couldn’t get cornflakes last week and can’t get tinned tomatoes. Trying to cook with potatoes as much as we can as pasta is sometimes not available. Loo roll arrived as normal last week in the clock and collect.

I think we’ve been quite lucky and fortunate to be able to stock up in advance.

How’s everyone else doing? Missing major stuff and having to eat odd combinations or fairly complete now.

We also made Kinder Bueno fudge yesterday so the calories are aplenty over here.

Yes my "silly brexit stash" has meant we haven't had to leave the house at all for the past few weeks and could stay here quite easily without going out for a good few more weeks. We are not a part of the problem.

Pretty dire. Hadn’t been shopping for 8 days when the household went into self isolation due to symptoms. No fresh veg left except carrots. Hardly any frozen veg left (a bit of spinach). Tinned also running low ( have beans and tomatoes). Not much fruit left ( an orange and some raisins)
Only meat is 6 sausages, also have frozen fish.
No cheese left. 4 eggs.
We have potatoes, some rice, some pasta and nuts left from Christmas. And frozen bread, jam, Nutella. Out of butter, nearly out of oil.
No delivery slots in next 3 weeks despite DH being in shielded/ extremely vulnerable group. Can’t wait to be able to shop next Monday. Family of 6 and I’m skipping meals regularly so there’s enough for everyone else.

I have to shield my youngest so I’m not going to the shops. Thankfully I brexit prepped so I have loads of tinned food and pasta, though I should have bought more rice. Freezer is pretty full for my wee girl, but I should have bought more frozen peppers.

I’ve joined a couple of food growing sites, so I’ve started preparing stuff for growing. I have so much to do, in order to catch up! You can grow lots from the bits of veg you normally through out, such as spuds, carrots, etc.

No real issues, we normally have a good store cupboard and I've been able to replace on an as and when basis. We have milk delivered by the milkman and the butcher does home delivery as well.
I normally do a monthly shop at Home Bargains to stock up on crisps and sweet snacks but have foregone that, so my regular shop has been more expensive.
We have everything we need and are still eating nice meals that we want and enjoy. I have also managed to clear out some of the freezer which is an added bonus.
I've also got a large click and collect order from Waitrose tomorrow. I usually have home delivery but this is not available, when I looked online there was every slot free for click and collect. Not sure if I just got lucky or things are properly calming down in my neck of the woods.

I do have wine though!

It's fine. Using co-op and local fruit and veg place. No problems.

In the last week or so our local sainsbury's has had pretty much normal stock other than no handwash. Prior to that, it was hard to get the items I think everyone has found it hard to get hold of - toilet roll, pasta etc

@T0tallyFuckedUpFamily I hate to tell you but unless you're growing those carrots etc for their greens they are not going to grow. You can't grow root vegetables from their tops. It would be amazing if you could.

You can eat carrot greens in a salad though. Plus it works well for spring onions where you eat the tops.

Fine here, we're rural and already have (before Covid) a weekly delivery of veg from farm shop, and we get milk, bread eggs delivered too from local dairy. Our village shop is tiny but well stocked in terms of (very expensive) ready meals, sausages etc. I've been there once since the schools shut. DH still has to go to work occasionally so he's been to the 'big' supermarket on the way twice since the schools shut I think. We fully expect DH to be called back to base soon (he's military, and they will use him at some point). when that happens I will survive on local farmshop produce - I can go there and collect orders you make online so the kids can stay in the car.

I’m a bit of a hoarder and also buy in bulk whenever anything I use is on offer, so doing fine. Unfortunately my husband is shielded and I went into lockdown with him, 3 weeks ago, when our son moved out to stay with a friend until this is over. This does mean that I can’t leave the house either, so having to rely on family getting me fresh goods, such as eggs, milk and bread (though I do have flour and yeast and some uht milk if there is a problem).
My husband doesn’t eat pasta, and with it just being him and I at the moment, I don’t really use it much. Actually have several kilos of it, as I bought 12kg when it was on offer in Morrisons last year (so definitely wasn’t panic buying). I also bought 6 x 24 loo rolls at the same time (again as extremely good offer in Morrisons). 6ft freezer is pretty full too, but fridge at the emptiest it’s ever been.

I have supplied family with some things they couldn’t get, like toilet rolls, bleach, rice and pasta, plus son took a very large box of food, loo rolls, soap powder etc. when he went to his friends!

I do feel a bit guilty, but can honestly say I did not panic buy (in fact bought less). Family have been nagging me for years that I should stop buying as much, but a left over fear from having very little food when young, means there is a compulsion to fill it, if there is a space in my cupboards. I suppose I am having the last laugh, with them now having me supply them. I have also helped out a couple of neighbours as well.

To be honest, apart from fresh goods, I probably had 6 months supply, which is the length of time I honestly expect husband and I to be in lockdown!

Not much freezer room so we go out once a week for milk and bread etc but we're making do with what we have in more.

@Ragwort You REALLY shouldn't be 'visiting' elderly relatives

I always prep for winter with stuff tucked away (handover from growing up in the middle of nowhere) and had a bigger box because of Brexit (the uncertainty over what would happen with imports/foodprices). I'm still not through the toilet paper that was in the loft from Oct/Sept (48 rolls).

DH finally saw my stashed food in all it's glory. He's taken the piss out of my propping for years but is now a convert. We had to self isolate because DD1 had a boiling temperature probably just a cold for 2 weeks and it wasn't a problem. I've been buying what we need for a week and not topping back up, but I could still do another 2 weeks starting tomorrow if I needed to, possibly longer but we'd be eating strange meals by the end. I have 3 tubs of self raising flour, 1 plain and 3 bread flour bags. I can make DH a birthday cake next week for his 50th.

I also have gaviscon, because instant mash/super noodles etc give me heartburn.

@Picklypickles Just use Disinfectant. You do realise that's all Dettol Laundry Cleanser is, right?! Look on the back of disinfectant bottle and it will give instructions for use with laundry

But the rice do come in huge bags and if you don't have a big rice container, I don't know how you cope with it.

I routinely buy 5kg bags of rice as so much better value (world aisle Tesco) and they all seem to come with ziplock so no special container needed. Our just lives on the side next to toaster.

I’m in the higher risk group but not the shielding category. Once I stopped relying on getting a supermarket delivery and looking elsewhere we’ve been fine. I’ve used farm shops, a pub, a bakery, a deli and frozen meal deliveries who have all been brilliant. I’ve realised that I don’t need the supermarkets at all!

I cook a lot and always have a well-stocked larder and freezer. I have always got a stock of flour (bread/ self-raising/ plain) spare pasta and rice and a good stock of tins. I have been able to replace most things I have used except for bread flour, dried yeast and pasta (but I haven't run out yet) I am shopping about twice a week in Lidl and Morrisons for my inlaws/parents and 2 sets of neighbours who are all isolating. We are eating well and I am making the most of leftovers and using up things from the back of the cupboards and freezer.

Don't understand how people are only going every two weeks when they don't have veg boxes, how are you getting 5 a day?!

Last week I found a small bag of apples in the back of my fridge with a Best Before date of 25th Feb. One had a small brown bit which I cut off - the rest absolutely fine and I’ll be eating the last one today. Best Before dates on fruit and veg are a load of nonsense. The way you store them is key.

We're find, there hasn't been much of an impact on supermarket supplies where I live but OH has been doing the food shop and he hasn't been paying attention to the shelf situation but I've just placed an online order (local shop has just started a click and collect type service so trying it out - no problem getting a time either, placed the order today and can pick it up tomorrow) so will see if they have everything or not.

I have started being more frugal with cooking though anyway even though we haven't had an issue. Making leftovers stretch further by cooking some rice with them, making lots of stews, that kind of thing.

Managed to get Ocado delivery for tomorrow, we are self isolating since teen DS started with symptoms on Tuesday, order doesnt come to tomorrow night and the bread and milk isnt going to last until then. We have a local residents group with people willing to shop but they only accept cash and we have none in the house, also wouldn't be happy handing it over anyway.
Hoping adult DS who lives several miles away will be able to get us what we need for now.

Fruit and veg is my biggest concern. I don’t have dairy milk so usually buy long life in reasonable quantities but I’m starting to eat into that stash. I got a shopping order at weekend but can’t find another for 3 weeks so will need to start looking at local shops or risk a trip to the supermarket in person. I’ve looked at some of these veg boxes and they wouldn’t last me more than 2 days!!

@HavenDilemma - what kind of disinfectant? I'm going to sound really thick now but I don't think I've ever used disinfectant before!!

but didn’t stockpile or have a silly’ Brexit stash

Well let’s hope you stay healthy and there are no further episodes of panic buying or delays in food supplies, or you’ll be out to a few different shops, looking for your salmon, while I stay safe in my home. 🤷‍♀️

Outside cold store still has potatoes, carrots, onions and turnips from last years harvest. I’m so jealous. Was the cold store there when you got the house or did you build it from scratch?

I hate to tell you but unless you're growing those carrots etc for their greens they are not going to grow.

It was just a photo from the internet to show examples, but I do plan to grow the carrots for the greens as I believe they can be really tasty and are very nutritious. I really want to make use of every veg as I used to be very wasteful before this.

I'm still coming to terms with the shame I feel at having ignored the Brexit preppers ...

At almost the last moment I stocked up on beans and wholemeal flour - but was mostly unprepared. So there's been some obsessing over supermarket delivery slots. I've had two myself since lockdown and arranged two more for isolating/vulnerable relatives.

A few changes to habitual diet. Far too much baking at first, mainly because I find it a soothing activity. And I'm finally making full use of the freezer which previously only housed milk, icecream and the odd loaf. I admit to being pleasantly shocked at the excellent quality of frozen vegetables, something I'd scarcely bothered with before.

I have given up alcohol for the duration of lockdown. Need a clear head and a sober immune system even more than liquid escape ...