Prepping for brexit

[Numberonecook]

Ive just started getting some bits together ready for brexit. As a food scientist I am very aware of how much produce comes into the country and the resources needed to get things around the country. Im also aware of the chain and how everything is ‘just in time’ And a delay in the chain could lead to serious shortages and price rises.

This really worries me as there is 5 of us to feed. So, what non food essentials do you think I should also consider? We are not prepping for huge disaster just 6 months or so. I’ve got things like toiletries, loo roll etc. Anything else?

Every time I go to Aldi I pop in a carton of almond milk to add to the stash.

Well I have finally started our stash. Seems like mostly tinned lentils and chickpeas so far. Need to buy rice and pasta too. Other priority item ideas?

@HalloumiGus - what do people eat in your house. Focus on that. What about some tinned fruit.

When I was a 70s kid, I liked to whip up a powdered instant whip chocolate thing and artfully layer it in a glass with broken up chocolate biscuits. Nutritional value? Near zero. Sense of joy at my work? Huge. Tasty? For me, yes. Not everyone's cup of tea but you might be able to find similar.

Cheese and eggs are eaten a lot ditto bread and fruit / veg but none of them are terribly storable.

Can I ask for advice?

I've been lurking here and on the Brexit threads for a long time. For the last couple of months I've been adding to supplies of things we'd normally eat and which will keep. It's just 2 of us, both adults, and I think we now have a good supply of:
rice
pasta
tinned pulses
tinned tomatoes
tomato puree
cereals
oats
tea
coffee
UHT milk (but will keep adding)
longlife fruit juice
tinned fruit
dried fruit
chocolate
flour
yeast
sugar

Still need to add to supplies of:
oatcakes/crackers
packaged sliced rye bread - long bbe dates
tinned veg
alcohol
herbs and spices

Nearer the time I guess I will need to get things like potatoes, carrots, onions, and other veg that will keep

We are vegetarian and all of this is what we'd buy anyway (apart from the tinned fruit and veg) but is there anything I'm missing that would be useful?

For non food, I've got good supplies of:
toilet roll
toothpaste
soap
deodorant
shampoo
san pro (including washable pads)
dishwasher tablets
washing up liquid
cleaning products
laundry tabs
candles

I know I need to stock up on first aid supplies and over the counter medicines

I have some bottled water, but only about 20 litres at the moment. I suffer from anxiety and have found it possible to prep only by thinking sensibly about being prepared and buying more than I need in the hope that we will use it gradually and/or give to food banks if 'no deal' doesn't happen, but the thought of water/sanitation and power supplies failing is something that really worries me and I haven't done anything to think practically about that because I feel that I can't 'go there'

However, I have bought a wind-up radio/phone charger, and I also know I have nothing to cook or heat with. I've never been camping and have no idea about alternatives. So, should I buy a camping stove and heater, and if so what do I get, and what do you use for fuel?

I've got reasonable supplies of rice, pasta, various tinned & dried goods. Toothbrushes, soap, candles etc. No crackers, biscuits, bottled water etc yet, they are on my list to buy in the New year. Everything is dated at least 2 years, some as much as 5 years. We do have a couple of windup torches.

I'm sorry you are dealing with extra anxiety @spacechimp .
My personal view is that problems with power are not a likely consequence of Brexit- different in NI due to all Ireland grid. I'm pretty sure that contingency plans will focus on having a functioning power grid.

If, however you really feel it is necessary, there might be some sales on at high street shops you don't normally visit where you can get a little camp stove set up. Places like Trespass or Mountain Warehouse.
Have a careful think about where you would use it - indoors is not a good idea (seriously not good). But if you access to a a yard or patio it might be doable - have a brolly handy!

I have bought a packet of nutritional yeast flakes but I'm not really much good at a non meat diet. we aren't veggie or vegan and if you are already you probably already have a good idea about creative meals and nutritional balance.

I don't remember seeing treats on your list - you might be better at this than me but I get a lot of comfort from a biscuit.
Maybe do some practicing making bread (not with a bread maker) good for relaxing and useful.
Don't spend loads of money but that sort of thing might help.

@spacechimp I prep for loss of utilities, but at a low level basis. So I have thick clothes, thermals, blankets, a few electric heaters (if there were reductions in gas supplies or big price hikes), thermal curtains, and room in the house which we could all live/sleep in if it got really cold etc and we wanted to preserve body heat. I also have a few torches, plenty of candles (with lighters and matches), a few solar lights, and a wind up radio. We have loads of books and a few board games to occupy us if we had no TV.

Handling the thought of prepping with anxiety is tough, but it seems like you are doing a great job. For me prepping is giving my family a few options rather than being able to live off grid for the next 3 years.

The only thing I would add to your stores are powdered/liquid washing powder (then you could wash your clothes in cold water if the electricity was temporarily affected, e.g. if we have a very cold winter) and a pack of rubbish bags (if rubbish collections were temporarily interrupted due to weather or refuse collectors strikes).

Thank you so much @bellinisurge and @ElyElyOy - that's really helpful.

I hadn't even realised it wasn't a good idea to use a camping stove indoors so I've a lot to learn!
I can make bread to a really simple recipe. It's a bit stodgy, but will experiment in the next couple of months. Forgot to mention the treats - apart from chocolate I've bought a couple of big tins of shortbread and biscuits which were on offer for Christmas, and will keep gradually adding things. Things like that, plus coffee, are certainly comforting to think I have. I don't really drink much alcohol, but was thinking I'd get some supplies as it might be useful.

Someone on these threads had mentioned bin bags before, so I have been making sure we have extra supplies of these. Washing powder/liquid is a good idea, so will add that.

We do probably have enough warm clothes and blankets, but will look at getting some thermals in the sales. We have one oil filled radiator that can be plugged in, but that's it. Gas central heating, and no working fireplace or anything.

I think it's partly the scale and uncertainty that freaks me out. But losing water and power supplies is the big fear for me

I'm sure you already know much more than me about meat replacements @bellini as you've given so much brilliant and reassuring advice on here, but if you like pulses then replacing meat with lentils is a good swap in lots of dishes (chilli, casseroles, bolognese type things)

I'm trying the best I can to manage my anxiety, but Brexit has been massively triggering for me. DH was very dismissive about the idea of a Brexit stash, but has been adding bits and pieces to it over the last few weeks, so it's helpful to know that I'm not alone in trying to prepare. Still can't quite believe we are actually having to do this.

@spacechimp - thank you for bigging up lentils.
It sounds to me like you have some well thought out stuff there.
My dh for ages refused to even countenance extras. We now have a joke about "the stash".
Dh gets pretty anxious himself. I always say that we can do what we can for the confines of our little home. If power and stuff is a problem, it will be a problem for everyone and it will be a focus for fixing.
Good idea to familiarise yourself with local radio frequencies on a wind up radio. Even mark them on the screen thing with nail varnish.
Being prepared to sit tight with some food supplies is better than most people have planned already.
Self entertainment is a great idea as pp have suggested.
Not sure when there are birthdays in your family but maybe even think about putting a little birthday treat aside to pull out on the day.

Great tip re local radio stations. And I read a lot so not short of books for entertainment. No birthdays until autumn for either of us. The thought of things still being awful then is hard to contemplate. I so wish we weren’t having to think about any of this

I've been piling stuff up under a dresser we have and a bloody mouse has got in and destroyed some of it. Luckily not all, I'll have to clean the outside of all the unaffected packages though. So annoying, but at least it happened now when I can replace easily!

Will stack inside plastic boxes with lids. They can't get in that, can they?!

Mice can go through plastic, they can't go through glass or steel.

I have all my stuff stored in large plastic boxes with lids. I think I'll invest in a couple of mouse traps.

Much painful experience has taught me that the old fashioned snap traps (Not the very cheapest ones) are the most efficient and the most humane and also that mice seem to travel in twos and threes so clusters of traps work well. If you have pets, you can get pet safe mouse trap boxes so paws can't get snapped.

#atemywiring #atemyfood #atemycooker #tapdancedonmyceilings #caught40inaday #usedtolovethemnowloathethem

@AnotherShirtRuined off topic, but if your username is where I think it’s from, I LOVE those books!

@ladypartridge I love Amelia Peabody, she is fabulous and ALWAYS prepared for anything and everything

@AnotherShirtRuined I knew it!!! Love her forever

Is Amelia Peabody the one with the trusty parasol? Maybe a handy addition to the preps

Actually, Canadian Prepper was going on about some sort of ninja umbrella one time. Maybe that is what he meant ....

@bellinisurge That's her. She also wears a belt of accoutrements such as rope, matches, a small flask of whisky, and the like

Omg @Peacocking, 40!!! We have snap traps down now. Agree they are the most efficient. Fingers crossed it's only one or two now borderline diabetic mice. Have left some food out where they were feasting on sugar to lure them to the traps.

Brexitdestruction - the best/worst of it is that we have a LOT of cats who are clearly too pampered to bother. The only pet bothered by the mice was the collie who thought, and still thinks that there are ghosts on the ceiling and trips over her own feet to this day wandering around staring at it.

Story of our mice...

We have an annex on the side of our house that was rented out to an elderly gentleman. Very quiet and reclusive guy. He told us he had mice. We took mouse traps to him the next day. He told us he no longer needed them as he no longer had mice. We were very confused. Apparently his friend is a Christian and also a witch. I wasn't aware you could have dual nationality so to speak, but it seems she does. He told us she had cast a spell to get rid of the mice and they were all gone now. No traps were ever accepted by him. He remained convinced of this until the day he moved out (with the annex and our house having blown electrics and considerable mouse damage). By this time there were mice throughout the building and we gained much experience in mouse control and repairs.

Why can't you use a small camping stove indoors? Surely it's the same as using a gas hob cooker?
Obviously as long as you watch it cooking and have a window open

It's not advisable without lots of air - carbon monoxide poisoning as well as the risk of stuff catching fire.

A carbon monoxide detector is handy generally but if your emergency plans include using a camping stove indoors, I would say it is essential. Also look into fire blankets or whatever. Again, really don't recommend camping fires indoors.

Camping stoves and gas stoves are completely different: it’s to do with how the gas burns. Never mind the fact that there is a massive fire risk. Seriously seriously dangerous: people have died from using them inside.