Basic 'No Frills' Starter List
One month emergency food supply for two people.
All these foods can be bought easily on-line or at local supermarkets, although it would appear that supermarkets are running low now.
The food supplies below are all the basics and enough to get you through at least one month of Coronavirus lockdown.
They should be purchased slowly if need be so as to build up good supply. However, in the present coronavirus situation I would not advise waiting around for too long.....
They are all long lasting foods which can be stored away easily and safely, and will take up a relatively small amount of space and can be mixed and matched to give meals over a one month period when you have to stay put and hunker down in one place.
Also, fresh fruit and vegetables should generally be avoided, these will spoil far too quickly. The same goes for fresh meats, unless you intend to freeze everything (and have several big freezers to accommodate everything)
By far the best way is canned products, you can store much more in a smaller area, they will last for years and still be nutritional sound and you get far more for your money.
Lets begin >
Canned Meat/Fish > 31 Cans
Another very good tinned food to buy are these Fray Bentos Pies.
I highly recommend these and as you can see here, they're always part of my stock...!
They have a long shelf life and store very easily, but just as importantly, they taste really good.
One pie will also give you two average portions, so their good value for money as well.
Try to buy them when they are on offer. But expect to pay around £25 for 6 pies.
See the full Fray Bentos Pies range here.
Canned vegetables > 48 Cans
Canned Fruit > 24 Cans
So far that's a main meal each day consisting of: meat & veg + a dessert for two people.
Fairly mundane but your can mix it up with the following to may a variety of meals.
All canned foods will last at least 5 years if you can store in a cool, dark place.
Rice / Grains / Pasta
* Choose whole food, organic for their extra flavour and added nutritional content.
Ideal food for bulking out meals and giving extra carbohydrates for energy.
Mixing with a sauce will also give flavour and extra taste.
Additional Essentials
Centrum Advance Multivitamins & Minerals tablet
100 tablets 1 1/2 supply/2 person
Total 1: £12
Additional Flavourings
Next, try to include flavourings like salt, honey, soy sauce etc. All these will not spoil and can make a boring meal quite tasty.
Add a few treats as well: chocolate is a good one, as well as some sugary sweets, these will boost your mood and give an energy boost.
In fact, anything you especially like to eat is worth considering so long as it's got a shelf life and will not spoil.
The best and easiest type additional flavours you can add are simple 'cook in sauce' mixes. Add these to the rice or pasta along the tinned vegetables and they make the plain meal far less boring.
I always have a lot of various types in my stockpile - you can only eat plain rice or pasta for so long..!
High Calorie Snacks For Energy
Some foods are well worth including in you stock, purely as a snack to give you energy.
High calorie and long life foods include:
Peanut Butter
Gives around 100 calories per teaspoon to keep you going
Popcorn
Per serving you will get about 130 calories
Sultanas
40grams of raisins gives about 120 calories
All In One Boxes
Army ration packs are a quick fix idea if you want supplies quickly.
They provide all the calories and nutrients, already planned out in different meals that are easy to prepare and taste reasonably good as well.
Although not to everyones taste and palette, these make a good standby supply, but be aware of the price. They work out quite a bit more expense than conventional shopping.
Also see my full MRE Ration Packs article here;
* opens in new window.
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