Prepping: the new world...

MrsCD

Yes, I see your problem. How about packets of cooked pasta to mix with mayo and tinned veg? Potato salad...tinned potatoes, mayo, chives? Or could someone have a food flask handy to put some heated stew in to take to her? 

MayDogsandCoffee

@Cherryfudge agree with the smellies, we used to pack 'comfort boxes' for military out on ops.  Shoebox filled with decent teabags / coffee, sweets, books and such, but always included lip balm and hand creme. Sometimes added mascara for the girls, it dries up very quicky in certain climates.

DigForVictory

The upside of this storm is it is a handy test of the roof tiling. Which (so far) I have passed, without flying slates.

A moment of absent-mindedness meant we are out of sugar for tea, but Youngest is very sensibly disassembling the camping gear and retrieving the sachets of sugar. I do like a young man with Standards, even if I will have to resupply & he will have to reload.... 

DigForVictory

I got chatting with a senior gent as I snagged a tin of mackerel for the emergency rucksack. He warned me sardines were becoming hard to source let alone no longer cheap eating as we’ve negotiated away our fishing rights & (when we get it back) then sardine pilchards etc will return to the supermarkets, but at higher prices. “There’s none on the shelves in Aldi or Lidl.”

Can’t confirm or deny, but he was old enough to have seen the cod war & was shopping own label items so clearly not given to frivolling money on food.

Recalling GQ, and her shrewd mountain of tinned small fish, can anyone confirm sardine shortage?

boultdj

About half the sardine list on tesco website is missing, I personally prefer mackerel and I have a personal coupon for 15% off tinned fish this fortnight so was stocking up myself, I also put a couple of tins of tuna down, but again about half the mackerel was also 'not avalible', so look's like the gent could be right.  I know also the farmer's who grow peas said it was a very bad harvest. 

fionaandphil

Sardines  are sourced from Morocco and they are experiencing lower catches and overfishing. They also think there's a change of migratory pattern due to climate change.

YoungBlueEyes

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/6615636/glenryck-pilchards-in-tomato-sauce/p1

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/6618394/supermarket-sardine-shortage/p1

I don't look out for them cos I don't eat them, so I don't know if the situation has improved yet.

fionaandphil

I picked up some tins of sardines in Lidl this morning, ranging in price from 55 - about 60p and I think they had spicy tomato, oil and brine to choose from 

Mee

I thought I would check the tinned fish shelves while in my Waitrose and Lidl and found no sardines whatsoever.
I prefer mackerel too, but conscious that  sardines are bottom of the food chain with generally lower mercury levels plus sardine bones are a good source of calcium.

BusinessWorld warned of the effects of climate change in 2022 

https://www.bworldonline.com/economy/2022/09/19/475547/sardine-shortage-projected-as-migration-patterns-disrupted-by-changing-climate/

But there are other factors such as competing demand from other countries:

https://www.thegrocer.co.uk/news/canned-fish-importers-fear-shortages/68633.article

The Grocer also warned of this current shortage in March 2025:

https://www.thegrocer.co.uk/news/tinned-sardines-shortages-loom-as-morocco-supply-non-existent/702375.article

Changeyourlife25

Can I join you folks?

I’ve recently been in a constant state of wanting to eat through the pantry but then scared of not having any bits in, it’s probably due to me not keeping an emergency stash anymore 🤷‍♀️ and having that niggling away at the back of mind alongside the daily onslaught of news that seems unavoidable. 

I had a decent lil stash during Cov1d times but then convinced myself everything was fine (??) and stopped prepping 🤣  All that’s left of the Cov1d times fun is 4 tins of corned beef. It’ll need eating as well as the pantry bits, I definitely need a separate stash kept aside.

So maybe some bits squirrelled away under the bed will help me. 

I found some cash this morning sorting out an old binder then got a refund on the gas and leccy! So it seems like now’s a good time to start. I’ll take a few quid to town with me today and get some bits. 

I look forward to joining you all.  

Edit - Ok so I popped to town, £land has been shut down so no battery/lighter/sanitary prep
 
but I popped to lid1 and got a fair bit.  Nice BOGOF on the mushrooms, the cooking mixes are taco seasonings, and the tuna is a 4 pack.  Thankfully I had big DS1 with me to carry it all 🤣

My boys sorted out their rooms yesterday and had an empty under the bed storage box, I’ll use that.