Best tinned food options for a seven-day emergency food hamper

[Linnende]

In light of the recent government guidelines in preparedness for any emergency. I am trying to put together a 7 day emergency food hamper. I do not normally eat tin food. What are your favourite tin food options? Is there really any difference between supermarket own brands. Have you started preparing, if so, what are you storing away?

It depends if you intend to heat/cook or eat cold?

I’ve just added tinned fish to mine after a chat with my friend. Tuna, mackerel and sardines

If heating, tinned korma and tikka is quite nice. Soup obviously. Tinned tomatoes obviously versatile.

If eating cold, my favorite tinned things are chickpeas and lentils, tinned fish, and I love tinned fruit, especially prunes, peaches, pineapple, pears, apricots.

I’m following this - we have beans as we eat them and tuna and I was looking at the M&S tinned spaghetti Bol/ chicken in sauce etc today but it’s £4.50 a can. I want to get things we can actually eat on the off occasion not just sits there waiting for the apocalypse/ el non/ ww3 or whatever to happen 😂

Tinned soup
tinned ravioli

Things I could make from the cupboard that we would actually eat
tuna pasta
beans on something
chopped tomato’s / passata (again on pasta)
butter chicken sauce (but no chicken)
may get some tinned stew/ chicken in sauce/ pesto to go with pasta
wonder if you can get cheese sauce in a tin

may reignite my dream of owning a pressure canner

Chick peas, butter beans (we like them), taco mixed beans, baked beans (DH loves them), tuna, a small amount of tinned ham, tinned tomatoes (to mix with the beans), pesto, rice pudding if you like it (more carbs than protein, but filling and comforting).
I basically aim for protein rich foods plus something to make plain proteins taste nicer.
We have lots of couscous because it's prepped by just mixing hot or cold water into it then flavoured with bouillon powder, soya sauce or lemon juice and salt. It also contains some protein and it makes beans/fish/meat into more of a meal.

I just have some things in a separate small cupboard that don't require cooking as a prop against a long powercut. I've no other cooking method other than electric. I can't be bothered with anything else.

Tinned salmon, tuna, corned beef, fruit
Long life milk/soya milk
Cereal
Breadsticks, cheese biscuits, crackers galore (!),
Biscuits, chocolate.

And the usual powerbanks, wind up/solar radio and battery and rechargeable lights.

That'll do. Only me here.

7day main meals:

1. Ratatouille in a tin. Available at Sainsbury's. Serve with microwave rice.

1. Chicken curry.(Asda smart price, Sainsbury's value) Add tin of value carrots and tin of value peas. Serve with microwave rice. Serves two (or three smaller meals) add sultanas at heating up stage.

1. Asda chicken korma is very nice but more expensive. Serve with peas and rice.

4.Chicken in white sauce with tinned mushrooms, and tinned sweetcorn. Serve with microwave rice. Serves 2-3

1. Tuna, tinned peas, tinned sweetcorn, tinned tomatoes with pasta and white pepper or other spices. DD is veggie so we don't have tuna with it anymore. Nice with edamame beans. (Frozen)

1. Green lentils or tinned minced beef and onions, tinned tomatoes, tinned kidney beans, chilli powder, cumin, paprika, black pepper. Makes a chilli. Serve with rice.

(Tried all of these.)

Also include lunches:

Tinned baked beans, or baked beans and sausages.

Rice pudding with sultanas, and or other dried fruit.

Custard

Soups.

Tinned fish.

Tinned fruit

Non tins but longish dates:

Microwave rice.
Crackers
Couscous packets
Mugshots
Noodles
Instant custard
Dried fruits. (Aldi has a wide range)
Cereals that can be eaten dry.
Dried milk or boxes of milk/plant milk.
Nuts
Seeds.
Jars of olives, beetroot, pickled onions, pickled cabbage, gherkins, sun dried tomatoes.
Heat in the bag dal. (Add tinned carrots, tinned peas, small tin of beans, rice)

This is absolutely brilliant, thank you so much for the ideas.👍

I will put these on my shopping list, thank you👍

I hadn't thought of milk, chocolate is definitely a must 😆

Thank you for the recommendations, tin fruit is going on my list 👍

I totally agree with you. I am unsure whether M&S tins are any better than the cheaper versions. Watched a blogger on YouTube yesterday, testing tinned chicken tikka masala from Aldi and M&S. Aldi, I think it was £1.65 v M&S £4.50. I thought the Aldi one looked nicer, thicker sauce, natural colour. M&S sauce was very orange and a bit watery. His conclusion was that M&S tasted slightly better, but the Aldi one was absolutely fine, he couldn't justify paying more for the M&S version. I think I am going to look at the cheaper brands 👍

I think that is a fair point 👍

Definitely on my list 👍

Can I ask, what would be the logic behind storing tins that require heating eg chicken soup, or pasta sauce? Presumably that would be just to see you through any food shortage but not if power was off, is fhat right? Thanks

I assume for 7 days you've got a source of heat for cooking, whether gas or solid fuel?

M & S tinned mince is excellent, along with a tin of potatoes (any ones) is definitely a meal for two.
Sainsbury's tinned green lentils are good for bulking out any curry.
Sainsbury's "spam" is as good as the original but is a lot less, can be eaten cold or cut up and cooked.

Have a think about what meals you could prepare with your tins, some should be things you are happy to eat cold.

Tinned potatoes can be mixed with mayo and if you like a touch of mustard to make a potato salad.

Hot dog sausages are fine to eat cold as are a lot of the tinned fish options, you can get tinned fish with various flavourings, I like mackerel in tomato sauce.

On these threads I'm always referencing WearyWolfAdventures on YouTube.

He did a potato salad with prep food the other day, his had sweet corn in it.

One of his other hints / tips is that tinned food that is tinned in water, save the water for other cooking eg (and this assumes you have a method of cooking) if you want to make a pasta dish drain a tin of peas or whatever and use that water to cook the pasta then add the peas in to the cooked pasta.

Tinned fruit can give you a sweet hit, either eaten cold or if you have a cooker the basis of a crumble / pie.

Also have a think about jars and packets. Pickles last years and if you are down to eating cold tinned food a bit of pickled cabbage can pep up a meal. Pickled eggs might not be something you normally eat but again you might if your diet has been a bit boring for a couple of days.

@wanderingwillows

It depends on the emergency, you may have power or you may not also you may have a camping stove or a BBQ.

I think there are 3 types of emergency, 1 where you cannot go out for whatever reason but you still have a working cooker / microwave

2 - you have gas but not electric / or you have electric and no gas

3 - you have no power or gas and the shops are shut.

I use either a mobility scooter or a wheelchair, neither is much use in snow and once snow is there it can take a long time to clear. So I always have things in that I can eat with little prep.

Just another thought, some tins of things you can pure in to a dip, or mash with a potato masher / fork so chickpeas, peas and various types of beans.

Add some spices and you have a dip / vegi paté / hummus etc.

Adds a can opener to stash of food... Not a food, but just in case! Can you imagine being in a situation where you have all this put away and can't open anything (perhaps I've been on too many camping trips 🤣)

I try only to buy tins with a ring pull. But I have an opener just in case!😊

Also assume no heating / energy. What can you eat cold?

I have bought some tins of Rio Insalatissime (tuna salad). Can be eaten cold. I also have tons of chickpeas (but i cook with them anyway).

I always have plenty of food in the freezer etc which needs to be heated. Everything I have bought in tins etc is stuff that can be eaten cold.

I also stock up on crisps and chocolate (have lived through many power and warer cuts)