Prepping for Brexit thread

I do almost all of my shopping in Aldi these days, so I have started to wonder to what extent Brexit will affect the chain, since they are German. I know they do buy from as many local producers and manufacturers as possible - which I think is great - but also much is imported from Europe.

I guess it won't affect them any differently that the other major supermarkets, and they do have plans for continued expansion in the UK so they must feel quite positive about the future. I wish I did

But - we make gin. It's one of the few things I have no doubt we'll be able to get hold of! I can see there being issues with lager supplies (German is about the only acceptable version in my mind), but I've cultivated a taste for ale in recent years, so I think I'll manage with the two.


Mushrooms from a mushroom kit taste amazing, but they don't work out any cheaper (we grow lots of the things in the UK).


If it all goes the way most things the Government is involved with go :cool:, I think that we'll end up having to eat more locally, as the supply chains will at least be disrupted, if not totally screwed.

Off the top of my head, that means lots more fish that presently is pooh-poohed (Mackerel, Coley, Guernard - which we sell to the French because it tastes lovely but requires some effort in preparing), eggs rather than pork (as most of our pork comes from the EU unless you want to pay higher prices for 'posh' pig), beef's been out of the question for many years for a lot of people due to the price - and if they can't kick the DUP into line, the supplies of Irish beef will be held up for a while at least - which gets us to lamb, as it isn't that much more expensive from here as it is the NZ stuff (if that deal is actually with us rather than through the EU, it'll be OK, if not, well, at least the UK farmers might get a look in), and chicken - as long as we stop wanting sanitised plastic trays of bits, as they usually come through the Netherlands.


You can get big bags of frozen Mackerel fillets from one of the online supermarkets at present, which would have the advantage of being usable throughout summer - and in the winter, fresh are ridiculously cheap if you have no problem with sticking your thumb up its 'arris under the tap to pull the guts and spine out. And kippers/smoked stuff is still cheap because nobody under 40 eats it, along with Herring, cockles, winkles and whelks.


Unfortunately, I'm landed with a fussy beggar who will eat any fish as long as it's white and any shellfish as long as it's a crustacean. I'll be fine for Fishy Requisites, but he'll have to make do with whatever I can get. Which means buying a very large bag or two of his acceptable Marine Lifeforms before the overseas processing and shipping back cycle is disrupted. He's less fussy when he's back home (big fishing port) because the quality available there is head and shoulders (or gills and fins) above the things punted out in the suburbs, but as we're unlikely to be able to move there by April, there's a lot of preparation if I want to eat Real Food.


I'm fine (I think) with grains and pulses, so I'll make sure I have a good supply of the ones we don't grow here - Puy Lentils, Camargue Rice, Kidney Beans, etc - tinned and dry for when we're really skint. I reckon we'll be alright for oats and barley could be making a bit of a comeback. And I will be stocking up on tuna and the essential black olives.


The secondhand breadmaker should be delivered tomorrow, so I'm going to start getting various flours and keeping them securely away from bugs, along with yeast, as sourdough may be easy to do, but it's already a big leap from the generic white sliced that he buys.


I'm most concerned about dairy substitutes - I can't tolerate cows' milk, it makes me feel sick. I'm not sure quite how much of that is the genuine lactose intolerance and how much is the idea that buying it encourages the Badger Massacre, though. But goat and sheep cheese/yoghurt is fine, I'll hope that the general public won't touch them out of fussiness - and I guess I'll have to stick to Oat milk rather than all the other varieties.



Other than that, I noticed the other day that a lot of soap/washing powder is made in France. So a couple of very big boxes when they're on special offer will stop that becoming an issue for some time.


My main concern is that the weekly medication that keeps me functioning as a normal(ish) human being is manufactured in Europe and there's been lots of screwups regarding medical stuff in the press. I don't want to find out that there's a disruption in the supply like I had a few years ago when the one approved manufacturer changed to a better delivery system but the NHS rules didn't allow for permitting the change - without decent arrangements in place, I can't see it being a seamless transition when people are still squawking about how great a No Deal will be. I can't stockpile it, but I think I might just get prescriptions at the earliest point rather than waiting for it to be almost run out/make sure I use up the previous batch before starting a new one if my dosage gets changed.


So, I have

Fish
Shellfish
Various fruit & veggies
- frozen, tinned

Lentils
Beans
Rice
- tinned or dried

Flour, yeast

Sea salt, pepper

Oats, barley, other grains

Meat (not processed meat products other than bacon, black pudding)
- freezer

Olives
Olive Oil - one tin should last a year (we can use rapeseed or lard for frying)

Washing Powder

Teabags and filter coffee


A sack of spuds in the cupboard, along with one of onions should last.

Add to that a couple of bags of charcoal for the mini barbecue (invaluable when the oven packed up), a Kelly Kettle and I think we'll be able to muddle through until things either settle down or civilsation grinds to a halt.

can I just say that I always thank any post that I have read, whether or not I agree with it. Some not to be named person just pm`d me to ask why I had thanked another person`s post. Honestly!!

I so want to start brexit prep, drat, have to wait until I have moved