The Brexit Cupboard-share your tips

[SistemaAddict]

We are now past the original brexit date and looking at halloween with the appropriate horror.
Those of us that gathered a buffer/stockpile/stash of food and household items or anything else is there anything that prepping has taught you? Foods that are better than others to gather? Foods that are great in recipes and add extra nutrients? Household items that you've appreciated having a supply of for times of illness, bad weather or lack of funds?


My own tips are as follows:

•Long life milk (Moo skimmed and semi skimmed are the ones I've tried along with Tesco's own label) are great in tea, hot chocolate and for making bechamel sauce


•Macaroni cheese is the ultimate brexit comfort food dish. Throw in some frozen chopped spinach to make it more nutritious or finely chopped broccoli if you like it (I don't). For further tastiness add passata, chilli, and anything else you fancy. Sure, it's no longer technically macaroni cheese but you have a quick and easy nutritious dish.

• grate and freeze cheese for ease of use in dishes like the above

• butter is suitable for freezing and the freezing process does not alter appearance or taste

• frozen courgettes and peppers can be roasted and added to homemade tomato based pasta sauce

• tofu is suitable for freezing

• always keep a loaf in the freezer

• cereal lasts 2 days in our house so we need to buy much more than originally thought

• tinned rhubarb makes a great crumble and is cheaper than fresh

• make use of supermarket offers on non-fresh or household items such as detergent and cotton wool and toiletries

• stock up on nappies if you have a child in them-they are made in Belgium I believe

• oats are cheap and great for breakfast, cookies and flapjacks

• Paul Hollywood's bloomer recipe is a good basic recipe and makes a very tasty loaf. I added poppy seeds to the top

• stock up on anti freeze as we'll be going into winter

• tinned potatoes work great in some recipes

• multi vitamins will help make up for any deficit of fresh fruit and veg

• there's no such thing as too many toilet rolls

• the library frozen food system is an excellent use of space

• tinned mushy peas are delicious

• tinned mushrooms are fine in pasta bake

• garlic paste is a store cupboard essential as is chilli purée

• cereal usually contains added vitamins so is great for children, the elderly or anyone with a chronic condition that might be in need of the extra

I'm sure there's lots of others too.

Credit goes to @bellinisurge for her calm and excellent posts on this subject and encouraging posters to get what they can afford, can store, and will use.

[RuggerHug]

Nutritional yeast is also lovely on popcorn!

[AdrenalinBrush]

I am actually going to stock up on some things, not because I think there will be any actual shortages but because I think this will become a self-fulfilling prophecy.

However....

multi vitamins will help make up for any deficit of fresh fruit and veg

Please, get a grip. This is not the 6th year into WWII

[BlackeyedGruesome]

So there will be shortages then?

[Apileofballyhoo]

Has anyone bought any laxatives, or bottles of prune juice or ground linseed/ flaxseed? I mentioned it before the old Brexit deadline, but just putting it out there again. In case fruit and veg are hard to get.

You can add flaxseed and prune juice to batter and dough for a bit of extra fibre.

[GeistohneGrenzen]

I remember putting a net of those small easy peeler citrus fruit straight in the freezer before the 'last' time and found they were fine to eat when almost defrosted. I think I shall buy some more and scatter individual ones in the gaps... this works with whole lemons and limes too - from my own experience if lemons and limes get lost in the depths for five years or so they may get a tad dehydrated, but can be used to make a lovely chunky marmalade

[BlackeyedGruesome]

Dried fruit is only 30g per portion. Dense and easier to store.

[bellinisurge]

Nice and timely tip @GeistohneGrenzen . I've recently had the chance to go through my freezer and will be reorganising it. Also found some unexpected treats including a piece of steak for a surf and turf meal dh planned - I don't like the turf bit but he does.

[GeistohneGrenzen]

bellinisurge Thanks! I should add that I've just eaten one whole, skin and all, as a cooling treat, just as soon as it thawed enough for my teeth to break the (very thin) skin. Thinking perhaps I should wash them before freezing next time, if I'm going to make a habit of this

[BlackeyedGruesome]

Write the date/ contents of tin on the top if you are looking down on them or date on front if looking sideways.

Record dates and amounts somewhere else as well.

[MarshmallowManiac]

Great idea @Ballyhoo, eat dried prunes all the time as really help with the fibre intake, also have them with my Weetabix and fruit in the morning

[MarshmallowManiac]

I am going to make a Shepherd's Pie tonight with tinned carrots, peas and mushrooms, will let you know how it goes

[AdrenalinBrush]

I freeze a lot of bananas and berries that never get eaten in my house. They can last 3 months in the freezer. You can defrost or throw in a smoothie. I also freeze leftover spinach (use instead of lettuce) and chuck that in casseroles, make into curry.

I am planning on filling my freezer up with frozen veg, fruit and loaves of bread.

[Apileofballyhoo]

Oats mixed with yoghurt and a spoon of baking soda makes an acceptable bread. It won't rise much (at all really) and takes a while to cook through but it's quick and easy to make. Lots of recipes online, they're all much the same. Basically 500g oats to 500ml yoghurt. That fills a 1lb loaf tin and a 2lb loaf tin for me. I do that so the to doesn't burn before it's cooked through.

[Mackerz]

Has anyone tried the tinned Bolognese, Chilli, Chicken curry from M&S?

Am making lots of home made “ready meals” for the freezer but thought the tins might be an easy option too (we can always take them camping next summer, if we don’t end up using them).