Prepping for Brexit thread

[Deleted User]

I found a very useful book in Waterstones this morning which is recipes for 101 non meat burgers many of which are TVP based which will give them a meaty 'mouth feel' even though there is no meat in them. I think if meat becomes even more expensive than it currently is it will be a once in a while treat when I find a YS bargain and hopefully we'll not feel too deprived if I can make good enough mock meat burgers to replace actual meat on an everyday basis. I'll make a few of the recipes and if they are nice I'll post the title and ISBN number in case anyone else would like to find a copy.

DigForVictory

Bless your researches MrsLW & number me amongst the curious!

I observe that some think (Guardian Brexit financial survival guide) there is no point in stockpiling food as

For other goods, the savings from stockpiling in advance are probably minimal

Up to a point. I reckon Carney is spot on when he says probably inflation which means I'll be getting a better return on my baked beans & loo roll than my savings account & I'll have more peace of mind. Any changes in bowel habit can then be attributed to the additional fibre in my diet.

A potentially unwise call was to suggest shoes might leap - which will see everyone with an even modest case of the Imeldas racing to their favourite suppliers stocking up In Case. (If the reporter doesn't get a kickback from the shoe stores, they've really not thought this article through!) I have hugely fond memories of childrens' Hush Puppy shoes which came not just with the shoes but also a fleet of insoles to adapt each shoe to its wearer's foot. Something to consider to extend the reusable life, I think.

DigForVictory

What the devil were Bremner Bird & Fortune ingesting in 1996?!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f6a_weyzkY4

That husband chortled throughout somewhat worrying.

Primrose

I,m sure we'll manage on the food front as long as we have plenty of onions. I remember that during the last war they were apparently almost impossible to get hold of because virtually all our onions were imported, and of course they're an essential ingredient in most cheap savoury dishes.
So, some dried onions might be a useful item to hold in stock although leeks will substitute in an emergency if you have some space to grow some.

I commend making the front garden earn its keep as a food source. Soft fruit bushes have replaced ordinary shrubs in ours and my redcurrant bushes are currently groaning with fruit which needs to be picked although we're not a huge "dessert" eating household. Still they can always be turned into fruit syrups which is a useful source of vitamin C. I remember people used to forage for rose Hips for vitamin C during the war. You could buy bottles of Rose Hip syrup but thats one preserve I've never tried making.

[Deleted User]

Make redcurrant jelly rather than syrup, it's much more stable to store, syrup sometimes ferments in the bottle and then the bottles explode if they're glass or blow up so hard if they're plastic you can't get the lids undone. Jelly like jam will keep for years, I'm currently (no pun intended) using redcurrant jelly I made in 2010 and have years subsequent to that in store and it's as good as the day it was made and goes with most things that need a tart but sweet accompaniment and I always pop a couple of tablespoons into red cabbage German style which is a winter staple in our house. It's nice if all you have is roast potatoes and stuffing and good with sausages as well as lamb and pork so I'd opt for jelly over syrup any day.

Rose hip syrup is something I made by the bucketful when the girls were small but you have to be meticulous in getting all the tiny hairs and seeds out of the hips before you cook them and then put all through a jelly bag to make sure. The syrup is delicious as a drink or over ice cream or even over a sponge pudding and really does give a vitamin C boost in colder weather but for long term keeping it has to be sealed into sterile bottled and the caps sealed with melted wax after the sealed bottles have been sterilised in a water bath with water to cover the tops of the caps. It's fiddly but worth it.

SunMoonStars

Does anyone know if you can still buy the actual syrup on the high street anywhere? I have just had a quick look in google and got mostly home made recipes.

I remember we were given a lovely sugary spoonful of it from a Boots bottle every time we went to grandma’s on a Saturday lunchtime, must have been in the late 70s / very early 80s, just before sitting down to the usual wee willie winkies and chips with HP sauce. Marvellous.

DryTheRain

Primrose wrote: »

I,m sure we'll manage on the food front as long as we have plenty of onions. I remember that during the last war they were apparently almost impossible to get hold of because virtually all our onions were imported, and of course they're an essential ingredient in most cheap savoury dishes.
So, some dried onions might be a useful item to hold in stock although leeks will substitute in an emergency if you have some space to grow.

Hey Primrose, interesting thought about the onions - I mean they are the basis for many if not most dishes, and even if you have a veg patch or allotment I reckon it'd be difficult to grow enough in the event of shortages.

So has anyone tried cooking with dried onions (I think I have a small packet lurking), are they any good, and how would the MSE experts recommend preparing them?

Similarly I've been eyeing up things like dried leeks, powdered egg and tomatoes, again would be really interested to hear about experiences using these or other dried ingredients x

DigForVictory

There are many tales of powdered egg during the war - I believe technology has improved considerably, so urge you to read for entertainment unless from the manufacturer.

Dried leek? A new idea & definitely one to research.
Thank you!

cuddlymarm

Hi SMS
Lakeland sell rosehip syrup. I used to buy it when we had a local shop but they’ve changed brands from the one I used to get. The old brand wasn’t the yummy sweet stuff we had as kids though. Nice though.

Suffolksue

Delurking
Didn't it used to be called 'Delrosa'