Kitchen and food store: what to keep, how to store it, how to cook it

What to keep in

• The 7-day no-cook food box: tins that actually taste OKA ready-made UK shopping list for a week of food that needs no fridge, no cooker and no kettle, a 7-day menu, and how to rotate it without changing…
• How to choose tinned meat and fish for your emergency food cupboardWhich tinned fish and meat to keep for emergencies in the UK: oily fish, salt, portion sizes, dented or bulging tins, best before dates and ONS…
• Dried beans, rice, pasta, oats and lentils: how to store them in a small flatHow to keep dried pasta, rice, oats, lentils and beans in a small UK flat: dates, sealed containers, cupboard pests, cooked rice and kidney bean…
• Prepping on £5 a week: a 12-week plan to reach the Be Ready 3-day kitA week-by-week plan to build the GOV.UK Be Ready 3-day emergency kit for about £5 a week: free steps first, then food at ONS average prices, a torch,…
• 30 days of emergency food for a family of four: a UK shopping list with real average pricesA month's food store for two adults and two children, built from ordinary supermarket tins and dry food, costed with the ONS average prices for…
• UK stockpile shopping list: the Be Ready list, aisle by aisleGOV.UK's Be Ready advice is to keep 3 days of non-perishable food that needs no fridge or cooking (such as tinned meat, fish or vegetables, dried…
• Emergency food at home: a 72-hour UK cupboardGOV.UK recommends keeping 3 days of non-perishable food that doesn't need refrigeration or cooking, such as tinned meat, fish or vegetables, dried…
• What to stock up on for winter: a calm UK listWhat to keep at home this winter for snow, storms and power cuts: the GOV.UK Be Ready 3-day basics, a short winter add-on, how to build it with…

Storing it safely

• Food storage containers, labels and rotation: a simple system for your emergency cupboardHow to store emergency food at home: which containers the Food Standards Agency mentions, what to write on labels, how first in, first out rotation…
• Long-term food storage in the UK: mylar bags, buckets or tins?How mylar bags and oxygen absorbers work, which foods suit them and which don't, why '25-year' and 'one-year supply' lists are mostly American, and…
• Stock rotation at home: first in, first outFirst in, first out means you eat the oldest food first and put new shopping behind it. The Food Standards Agency says a use-by date is about safety…
• How to open a tin without a tin openerThree ways to open a tin with no tin opener: a metal spoon, a sturdy kitchen knife, or a rough stone or concrete step. Step by step, with the cut…

Drinks and water

• Oral rehydration salts, sports drinks and dehydration: what to keep at homeWhen the NHS says to use oral rehydration salts, how they differ from sports drinks, the signs of dehydration, who is most at risk, heatwave advice…
• Water filter jug vs emergency water filter: which one helps in an emergency?A filter jug is for the taste of safe mains water. Portable filters, boiling and purification tablets do different jobs. What the DWI, GOV.UK Be…
• How much water to store, and where to put it in a small flatBe Ready's 3 litres per person per day, what that weighs, where it fits in a flat, which containers to use, and how often to change stored tap water.…
• How long does bottled water last, and how long can you store water?Why bottled water has a best before date, what that date means, how long self-filled tap water keeps (6 months), where to store it, and a simple way…

Cooking and the fridge when the power is off

• Cooking without electricity: what's safe indoors and what isn'tCamping stoves, butane burners and barbecues are outdoor-only because of carbon monoxide. What you can do indoors in a power cut: no-cook food, a gas…
• Cooking in a power cut: what's safe, and what to keep outsideIn a power cut, electric hobs stop and many gas cookers need power too. The Food Standards Agency says a camping stove or barbecue can be used to…
• Fridge and freezer in a power cut: how long is food safe?The Food Standards Agency says a power cut of less than 4 hours is unlikely to affect chilled or frozen food. Keep the doors shut: a fridge should…
• How much electricity does a fridge-freezer use a day, and what does it cost?Read the kWh/annum figure on your fridge-freezer's energy label, divide by 365 for daily use, then multiply by the Ofgem price cap rate. Worked…
• Medicines that need a fridge: what to do in a power cutMedicines that need a fridge, such as insulins, some injections, liquid antibiotics and eye drops, are kept at 2°C to 8°C. NHS trust advice says…

Free tools and shopping lists

• Water and food calculator
• Fridge and freezer power cut timer
• 72-hour home kit shopping list
• Long-life food compared

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Official sources

1. Food Standards Agency: Home food fact checker (read 4 Nov 2026 for our guide)
2. Food Standards Agency: Food safety in a power cut (read 4 Nov 2026 for our guide)
3. GOV.UK: Best before and use-by dates (read 4 Nov 2026 for our guide)
4. NHS: Fish and shellfish (read 4 Nov 2026 for our guide)
5. GOV.UK Be Ready: be ready for emergencies (read 4 Nov 2026 for our guide)

Official advice comes first. If a source says something different now, follow the source.