Hubby went shopping yesterday to stock us up for a potential self isolation situation. He didn't come back with any toilet roll or hand sanitiser but he did come back with lots of beer and wine - phew!!! What has everyone else stocked up with?
All stockpiled for a Coronavirus lock... - Low-Carb High-Fat...
All stockpiled for a Coronavirus lockdown/self isolation
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Sardines.
I went mad in Costco recently for olive oil, light & extra virgin, coconut oil, also tomato purée, Pesto, & as almond butter. This was all before the panic buying. I just got over v excited by the bulk- buy environment!
I upped the variety of frozen veg we have - bought a bag of spinach, Mediterranean mix and butternut squash. I already had peppers, green beans and berries. We have Costco membership, so I don't need to worry about olive oil or coconut oil - we have a giant bottle of each that we use to top up smaller bottles in the cupboard.
Just me that's opting for the alcoholic choice then!!
We already have a good stock of alcohol I did top up on some mixers for it though!
I need to order more Nespresso pods. We could always hop in the bath after going to the loo but there’s no substitute for good coffee...
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Absolutely - the café I go into in town has said they will deliver coffee beans/grounds if necessary - bless him
Coffee ticked off! ☕️
I’m topping up my frozen organic whole milk supply for coffee & kefir, & adding a litre of organic cream. The coffees & cheeses I like were on offer in December & January so I’d already bought a few months worth of those & frozen the latter. I’ve frozen soups to eat if I’m too ill to cook anything. Otherwise, I stocked up on household, tinned & dried stuff in anticipation of Brexit last year. I plan to make a few batches of garlic soup this week, partly to ensure I have some in case of infection as I find it helps clear run if the milk winter infections & flu, & some to ensure I have a personal exclusion zone so nobody comes close enough to infect me.
Simple recipe, basically French onion with as much garlic as is tolerable to you:
1kg shallots, 200mls EV olive oil, whole head of garlic, tblsp mixed herbs, stock cubes (I use veggie boullion), pepper, 1-1.5l water. Finely slice shallots & sweat in oil till soft, whilst crushed garlic oxidises for 20 minutes to release allicin, add seasoning & water Then simmer for 30 minutes.
In Spain it’s eaten with stale bread to thicken it, in Germany with a slice of rye bread with baked cheese on top. Being moderate carb & needing some grains, I like a little whole grain sourdough but it’s tasty enough to eat without.
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Nice to hear Hubby has got his priorities right
It's pretty serious over here in Asia. Apparently, the humid climate enhances transmission. Like Hidden , I can face the End of the World with equanimity as long as I have coffee. So we're well stocked up on coffee beans and UHT milk. As far as the basics go (food, water, power) I'm basically off-grid here, so not really an issue. We've got enough solar capacity to run the chest freezer. I'll be looking to buy a few hens this week so at least we'll have guaranteed eggs; it's one of those things I've been intending to do for a while but just never had much incentive to make a chicken tractor.
Other people buying oil ... good idea. That didn't even occur to me! 20kg of fat could potentially keep you alive for several months if this turns into The End of Civilisation As We Know It.
I'll be doing a bit of 'panic buying' myself today, so will get some butter and pork for the freezer.
Wow sounds like you really are living off the land, a million miles away from my cosseted life in Surrey! The less people around you the better I think 😊
You're in Asia??? I thought you were somewhere like Hereford or something - where on earth did I get that from? Yes good idea to get the oil. Now where can I keep chickens??
I used to have a neighbour who kept one hen indoors, like a pet
I've also heard of people keeping them on balconies, and my sister has several chickens and ducks in the backyard. They mostly look after themselves, although of course you do need a reliable source of scraps to feed them with.
I do have a couple of hectares in Devon (sitting there doing nothing). Possibly I mentioned that at some point.
May I look after it for you? Just so nobody steals it whilst you’re in Asia. 🤗
You jest, but stealing land is actually a thing over here. They'll steal anything that isn't nailed down in an eyeblink. Stealing something that is nailed down just takes a bit longer ...
If you're serious (ie., you'd like to do something with it) and you live in Devon, send me a PM!
I’d like live in Devon in a yurt on a small holding. 🤗
Unfortunately it’s just a dream as I presently have issues keeping my houseplants alive.
Land ownership is different everywhere, not so good if yours is being pilchard.
I like that people can go anywhere in Scandinavia as long as they don’t cause damage, whilst we have huge areas wasted solely for critter shooting.
No, it was something to do with the flooding. I thought you said something about the river Wye. Must have been someone else
My husband did the same!
I just ordered a weekly shop times two so we have a week’s food in reserve. Costco has no loo rolls, kitchen rolls or cleaning products and we’re almost out so ordered some loo rolls from Groupon. They haven’t arrived yet, hope the lorry hasn’t been hijacked!!
Really no opportunity here to stockpile anything useful! The shelves are bare. I ended up going to two separate shops yesterday as there were no eggs in the first...now that did make me close to panic😂 When I found some i bought 2 dozen which will last our household a week at most but that was all they had 🤷♀️
My main concern is keeping my elderly mum safe and sane if she has to self isolate for months as is being suggested this morning 😢
Yes, it's really worrying. My dad is 69, so I think he should self-isolate but I can see it becoming quite boring quite quickly. Ok if you have a garden.
By the way, I live the bunny picture! Is it yours?
Thanks Cooper, my mum has a garden too so at least she will be able to get outside. She’s 88 with various health conditions and some mobility problems but is very sociable so will really struggle not going out☹️ Hope your dad is ok
We do have an elderly mini lop bunny but this picture isn’t her- got this one online. She’s not very photogenic these days, bless her!
We went to the garden centre today to buy compost and plants so we can crack on with gardening if we have to self isolate!! I also make quilts so I've bought some more material. I have asthma and a low white blood cell count so will probably cut myself off so been making sure I have loads to do
I wish I'd had time to plan ahead! I was away for work Mon to Thu, but when I came home I had to self-isolate due to the virus hitting my partner's work... We moved 10 days ago, and I have so much I could do - garden, furniture, decorating, but it will all have to wait until we can visit the shops.
Bad timing! Anything you could order online?
I am in France shopped 3 times in last 10 days all shelves full here, no panic buying yet. I have always kept cupboards stocked with tins, dry goods, freezer of meat and freezer for veg soups dairy etc I hate shopping and will sometimes go a month in-between shopping, as I just can't be bothered. It keeps freezer healthy by stuff being used. The thought of stuff in a freezer 2 years makes me feel queasy. As of last night all business closed in France except food shops, chemists and tobacco 😂😂😂😂 God forbid the French get short of fags during a respiratory virus epidemic 😂😂😂😂 they drink Calvados in this area that would kill any virus. X stay well everyone
"God forbid the French get short of fags during a respiratory virus epidemic 😂😂😂😂 they drink Calvados in this area that would kill any virus.". Indeed! 😂
😂 gotta love the French!
Bloody hell panic buying here today, its because the french wont avoid cafes and are a bunch of naughty kids, Macron has slapped us with a shut down curfew aided by martial law pmsl the french will ignore that as well. Had to pop to supermarket as kettle blew up this morning and it is like a zombie apocalypse empty shelves, assistant said brits are shopping here and taking it back to uk!!! very strange times we are living in. I have a feeling we are not being told something, lets face it more die every year from flu and no one bats an eye. You can bet all services and national debt will dbl under the excuse of this virus, its the new brexit.....god help us (shakes head)
The shelves are literally empty in the UK. No loo roll, paracetamol, fish, chicken, rice, pasta or anything really. Sainsburys even sold out of salad!! 😳 I think in a couple of weeks the number of cases is going to explode here. My son's uni has closed and all children apart from GCSE level have been told not to come into my daughters' school.
I tend to keep the cupboard and freezer well stocked but I bought an extra pack of coffee beans (can’t imagine running out of coffee ☕️ 😳) and more eggs 🥚. Also, feta, halloumi, Parmesan and wax-covered cheese 🧀 as these all last a long time. Just steeling myself to think about having a meal with the tin of anchovies we bought from a great Spanish shop a while ago. They seemed a good idea at the time but I can’t think what to do with them now. Any ideas?
BF uses anchovies in his excellent chicken Ceasar salad. So many places don't include anchovies which was part of the original recipe. Other than that?. Sounds good, tho. Canned fish/seafood makes a lot of sense. Maybe a cauliflower crust, feta, anchovy, black olive pizza with an egg in top?
Hi coffee is my thing. Both decaf and not. 😊 Don’t blame you for wine and beer although I only use a little wine when doing a casserole. I may get a bottle though. 😊😊
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I often cook with wine - sometimes I even put it in the food!!
Thinking now would be a good time to try my hand at making cheese. I found a sheep and goat milk farmers market to get supplies. Mozzarella is easy (from the YouTube videos anyway! 😂😂😂) and Brexit, my little Corgi, loves it!
Let us know how the cheese making goes
BridgeGirl, I will! I found a few videos and it doesn't look more difficult than making yogurt in my crockpot. It takes a bit time but could be so worth it. The first one I want to make is bleu cheese but it makes my BF gag! 😂😂😂 I'll spare him this time and probably try a sharp cheddar. There is a several month cure but if I can do them, what great holiday treats and gifts.
Cat food. He only eats a certain brand which we get for him because there’s no waste as he eats it all. We always have plenty of biscuit in for him but I’ve put some extra boxes of his food away in case we have to self isolate. We’re fine missing meals but his stomach is on a strict timetable!
Yes I ought to think about that too! Leo is on a grain free diet due to a 💨 issue. Don’t think we could stand the smell if we had to give him normal cat food!! 😂
I think this is smart. Worse case scenario the army will deliver food before letting us starve.
Cats, not so much.
Mind you, a hungry cat will eat whatever you serve.
Will your army really deliver food? I can't imagine that happening here in the states. Logistically, it would be so difficult given our size and broad geographical space. How do you decide who gets help?
I do admire your country. Based what you did in WW2, there is nothing you can't do.
That was pure speculation. But I can't imagine the government would let us starve to death, so anything is possible. The army has stepped in during firefighters strikes, so there is precedent.
In the US, this sort of thing is more state based, so you would expect local authorises or the national guard.
Actually, if crisis support came from charities, pets might do better than people. British love animals more than each other. I remember during the height of the Greek economic crisis, there were reports of people taking their children to orphanages because they couldn't feed them, but the next day the charity collector on the station was asking for money to rescue Greek donkeys. He was getting a lot of donations.
I stocked up on dog food dry for Brexit, too. He's a very finicky eater and changes his food preferences all the time. One day he loves chicken and the next won't touch it. However, he's very happy with my dehydrated turkey or beef I make him, or salmon almond flour biscuits...if all else fails. My BF says Brexit treats us like The Help. I just don't see it! 😂
I love that your doggie is called Brexit!
BF named him! 😂 It certainly appoints him to his country of origin and time of birth!
He's a delightful pup! So smart and funny! Id like to train him to herd sheep. He 's a natural. I take him out 2x a day to train him and wear off his energy. He's very reasonable and loves to herd anything. 😅
At one time, I owned a hobby farm and had a flock of sheep which I lambed for 2 years. Brexit would love to do this sort of thing.
cheese making for Brexit...whatever his Highness wants! 😂😂😂
If everybody stopped stockpiling and just shopped normally there would be enough for us all.
Trouble is, the nutters don't listen
You’re right. Trouble is, once it’s started you have no choice but to join in unless you want to go without altogether.
People are scared they’ll run out in a week’s isolation. It’s bad enough when shops are shut for two days at Christmas & they fear they’ll run out.
I did my stockpiling slowly from over 18 months ago whilst there were no shortages, as we were advised to, & just added a few extra things to each weekly or big monthly delivery shop to set aside. We were warned of potential paper shortages, & I bought imported stuff such as olive oil, pulses, passatta, herbs & spices & generally things we don’t produce here, as well as some essential meds & supplements.
What country do you live in? Doesn’t sound like England as I am not aware of any advice about coming shortages 18 months ago. Surely the Coronavirus didn’t exist yet that far back?
If I had known I would have done the same as you.
Anyway, for some of us it is now not just a week’s isolation but several months if you are over 70.
We were told to stockpile for no-deal Brexit. I didn't 🤨
Were we? I missed that! I am so dead!
There’s a Facebook Brexit prep group, & many newspaper articles about what we were likely to be, & currently, short of. The UK imports over 70% of paper pulp & lumber products so we were warned. Topic of conversation on the prep group was pretty much along the lines of this forum post. There was some issues with people going overboard & clearing shelves of the likes of OTC meds in panic & lower stocks of the things the shops have run out of now, though only temporary. It goes to show how unprepared the country was, & is, that we’re in this situation now. There’s worse stuff to be short of than loo paper since it’s tissues & sanitiser we need to keep our sneezes & touch from infecting others.
I just bought a few extra bits each week over the past 18 months as advised when the shops were able to restock easily. I often waited for when things were on special offer, so no need for crazy shopping now, just to ensure I’ve enough easy to eat fresh stuff for self-isolation. I’ve distributed much of the surgical spirit to people I’m in contact with to keep them safe, & my son & friends know I’ll help if they run out of boggy paper.
To tell you the truth Brexit had completely gone out of my mind with all this virus business but I remember thinking that the hype about shortages at the time was highly exaggerated and we should all just buy what we need to leave enough for everybody.
The only thing that’s made it worse now is the over seventies’ ‘house arrest’. How can you possibly buy enough provisions for four months, financially or storage wise! In particular fresh food. If we don’t die of the virus we probably will because of bad nutrition 😏
I've just had an email from a local supermarket asking people to shop later to allow those more affected to get in early for products they need. Hopefully there will be other shops offering to do deliveries for people who can't get out to shop, & lower delivery charges, minimum spend, etc. There needs to be something organised for those who have nobody to help them. A couple I know who have a corner shop said they'd deliver basics to their elderly customers. Another shop in Scotland has made up corona virus packs with soap & sanitiser to distribute freely to thier customers with offers to help. We all have to look out for people at this time & help where possible. I'm distressed that food banks may have to close as there are so many people in need. Also homeless shelters. People who can help could ask local voluntary services what they can do, such as driving, collecting or delivering as I've noticed some folks offering on Twitter. There doesn't seem to be much help from the top so we need a bottum up approach for more than loo paper.
I know, it's a pain in the bum (especially as we are having to ration toilet paper!). I have a great butcher where I can use contactless, but my greengrocer only takes cash. At the moment our county has a very low number of deaths (long may it last) but I'm thinking when things get worse, I shall wear sterile gloves to receive the change which I can then sling. Wasteful I know but I don't wanna die!!
Almond milk and my favourite coffee
Same as you🤣🤣🤣
Vodka/Slimline Tonic/Extra cheese/Eggs/ A spare cannister for my soda stream and I made my own hand gel with isopropyl alcohol and aloe vera gel.... I'm usually a TP hoarder so all good there....I must admit I was concerned last week so ordered Pantry staples for my daughter and grandchildren which she laughed at, but is now grateful for..... Being a healthcare professional I can't work from home, but fortunately our Union has secured an additional 20 days sick leave for anyone effected by Covid19, I'm pretty Hardy so sure I'll be fine.... Please handwash and then handwash again, oh and wipe your phone's, they're a reservoir for all kinds of nasties... All the best from Oz...
A good Gin/Tonic or Mojito? I developed a taste for Mojito's in Cuba.
I should dig out my soda stream. Do they have a sugar-free, artificial sweetener-free tonic? I
May I ask what Slimline is?
Stay safe Aussie64! God Bless all you healthcare workers!
Slimline just means sugar free
Don’t wreck your gut bacteria with toxic chemical sweeteners.
Xylitol is the only one considered safe.
Take care down under. I need to buy more handcream as my hands are so dry now from all the handwashing!
Try surgical spirit, it contains a little castor oil. I use it on my feet, & with wipes for camping.
I opted for surgical spirit which I’ve used with baby wipes for camping trips for years & to spray in shoes. I had a chat with my son who said the recipes for natural aloe gel with vodka & tea tree oil wouldn’t be sufficient to kill the virus. I’ve also added some SSp to bought hand gel which makes it more pleasant after use. I thought the 5l I bought a few months ago would last till 2022, but have been sharing.
Isopropyl alcohol combined with Aloe Vera gel is the recipe released by WHO, It's 90% alcohol so a 1/3 to 2/3 mix is the recommendation. Vodka is only good for ingesting to keep the innards bacteria free 😂
I'm pretty sure Surgical spirit/isopropyl/rubbing alcohol are all the same??
I know rubbing alcohol & SSp are the same. I must check the bottle for isopropyl.
I have sodium peroxide too, but don’t know what that’ll be useful for.
I never normally keep much in the house and tend to shop as I go. I am looking around my kitchen and seriously thinking we might be in trouble!!! Said to hubby we should go to a supermarket on our next day off and see what we can get before it is too late. I am thinking I need, well, anything, but maybe skimmed milk, oats, lentils, canned pulses, frozen onions and frozen veg, flour, eggs.
Good luck! Our supermarket had most things in stock yesterday but my son lives in Manchester and there the shelves were like Mother Hubbard's cupboards
That's a good list sunny369. Are your stores well stocked?
I haven't been in any supermarkets as yet to see as run off my feet in my own workplace (healthcare related) I made it to my local shop at the weekend and it looked like it had been hit by a hoard of locusts! My husband is off tomorrow so we might go to Morrison's in the evening, see if there is anything left at the end of the day
I haven't really stocked up more than normal, but did notice a lot of gaps on shelves. You can always use the wine as hand sanitizer!! I'm worried about my sons and their families, especially youngest as he hasn't been well, has 4 kids and limps from pay day to pay day. DIL unorganised so if they go down it will be all on me, I'm the only grandparent under 70, well until the end of July🤣
Ha! I thought about stocking up on wine and then I thought, no, if we run out that isn’t a bad thing! I didn’t feel comfortable stocking up but I do have a box I’ve set aside that will keep us from starving for about 5 days in an emergency. Carbs for family (pasta, rice, flour, popcorn, beans) plus nut butter, tuna, nuts and oil. We also have some frozen veg and sausage. And one bag of dog food that will last our dog 5 days.