Brexit stockpile reality. Practical tips from a guy who has thought about things and who knows how to eat frugally.

Tip. Buy a pressure cooker from a cheap and cheerful Asian shop. Indians know the joys of a pressure cooker and it is very useful for cooking things faster and with less energy than you though possible.

Because you only want to fill your pressure cooker part way full, buy one larger than you think you need.

Stock up on dry beans, chickpeas, split peas, and lentils. These things are all good sources of protein, are available in bulk, particularly in South Asian shops.

The dried beans/lentils etc. are all cooked from dry much more quickly in a pressure cooker. Lentils generally don't need soaking and will cook in like 10 minutes (cookers vary), but dry beans and chickpeas will cook reasonably fast if you pre-soak them overnight

Rice and pasta are cheap. At least for now. And they are cheaper in bulk. Stock up. Seriously, a 25kg sack of basmati rice will keep you fed for ages. For variety, get 3-4 kinds of rice.

Buy some bulk spices, now. Again, in whatever the dodgiest looking Asian corner shop you can find. Cumin seeds, coriander seeds, mustard seeds, dried chiles, cardamon pods, cinnamon, turmeric. These things last years. Consider a mortar and pestle.

Invest in some large tupperware style boxes to store your stuff once opened. Weevils are a menace.

If you eat potatoes, rice, and beans/lentils/chickpeas, you will get the protein you need.

Tinned tomatoes last ages and are a huge source of vitamin C.

If you need meat and fish, and not everyone does, consider lots of tinned tuna and, dare I say it, Spam.

The dry beans, rice, pasta, barley, and other grains, if you work it out per portion are very shelf life durable, nutritious, and affordable.

The extra-concentrated tomato paste in the toothpaste tube is cheap and give a blast of flavour and nutrition to damn near anything.

Tinned anchovies are good for many things. Even if you don't like them straight up, they are a useful flavour component.

Some have already complained to me about shelf life issues. You should get a few years out of the dry stuff if you truly keep it dry and keep the weevils out. I've cooked 7 year old dry pinto beans recently without issue.

If we're getting more than 7 years into this whole thing and my advice is still relevant, join me in the armed struggle.

Those of you thinking I'm having a laugh, everything I say here is deadly serious.

Frozen spinach is another good multiplier. Also, fresh ginger and fresh turmeric root last a small eternity in a freezer.

Onions, turnips, potatoes, carrots, parsnips, etc. will last half a year or so if stored properly in sand. https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/edible/vegetables/vgen/storing-root-crops-in-sand.htm

If at any point you need a tasty recipe for any of this stuff, by all means, ask.

There's nothing in this thread I haven't done at some point. There's been points in my life where I've had little income. But one look at me will tell you I haven't starved.

Dry powdered citric acid works as a poor man's lemon juice and in slight (pinch) quantities works as a preservative like salt.

Baking soda and salt are hugely useful.

Dried mushrooms last forever. A little goes a long way. And the soaking water is poor mans’s beef stock

It’s not that we’re going to starve. It’s that there will be shortages and there will be higher prices.