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Emergency food essentials: what to stock and what to skip

Meze style dishes in tins on a supermarket shelf

Emergency food essentials: what to stock and what to skip

Lulu Grimes

Published: October 23, 2026 at 10:51 AM

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From tinned staples and ambient grains to meals that need no cooking, here is how to build a sensible emergency food stash you will actually want to eat

It’s time to talk about your pantry/box under the bed/spare cupboard/car boot/wherever you have room to keep some extra supplies. We’re all being encouraged to keep some stocks of food and water on hand as part of the Government’s Be Ready campaign. This may or may not have come across your radar; it is in the news, but the conversation hasn’t reached fever pitch yet. I refer to this stockpile as an ‘apocalypse pantry’, not because I think there’s an actual apocalypse coming right now, but because I don’t yet have a better name. What would you call it? The ‘just in case’ stash?

We are not talking all-out prepper here – just enough to get you through a flood, major power cut, water shortage or any other scenario that could cut you off from power, water or the rest of the world. I know stockpiling anything is a luxury not everyone can afford, and I hope the authorities help people who have no extra resources first; keeping an eye on your friends and neighbours is also part of the ask. Community is vital for this. We asked Reddit (there are some amazing communities on the platform) what people would put in their pantries.

So, what to stock and what to avoid? Here's a few things to consider:

A pertinent point seems to be that you have to think of items that you already eat. Then, you can rotate new stock in and eat the old, so nothing goes out of date. And, you’ll be happy eating familiar things.
If you have no power, you’ll be eating everything cold – unless you still have charcoal or gas for a barbecue (using the chimney starter, rather than the whole barbecue, might be a good call here), camping stove or, at a pinch, fondue or raclette set and enough heating packs or big tea lights to keep it going. Hot drinks are probably out. If you can boil a kettle, you’re golden (looking at you, Pot Noodle and friends), but don’t count on it.
Your food needs to be nutrient-dense; 15 packs of Jaffa Cakes only count as supplementary snacks. Think: protein, fibre, gut health and vitamins. No one knows how long this hypothetical storm will last.
Think ambient: if the power goes off, your freezer will gradually defrost and the fridge will warm up. If it’s a snow emergency or the weather is cold, you can move everything outside. At uni, we used to hang shopping bags outside the window as supplementary fridge space.
You will need a tin opener; not everything has a ring pull. Anyone who has read Three Men in a Boat will know that tins of pineapple are tricky customers. A jar opener might also be useful if you have trouble with some lids.

After extensive questioning and debate, these are the items the Good Food team thinks they could last on for several days. There’s a range to suit all tastes; please do add suggestions to the comments. I hope you never have to use your stores for anything other than everyday eating, though it may be comforting to have them.

Let’s assume that you’ll eat all the fresh stuff in your fridge that doesn’t need cooking first. If the freezer is slowly defrosting, eat what you can safely from there, too.

Emergency foods to include in your stockpile:

Water

This pains me, as I don’t buy bottled water unless it’s sparkling – and then rarely – but I can’t survive on the wine stash. You need 2.5-3 litres per person per day (recommended amount) just for drinking; hygiene is another matter. Don’t forget any pets.

Beans – baked and otherwise

Nearly everyone I asked had eaten cold baked beans at some point in their life; this was the go-to tin of choice. Other cooked beans are also a good option, and I include chickpeas, peas and lentils under this. Jars, tins and ambient packs are all instantly accessible; whatever you already eat, buy a few more. Merchant Gourmet make a good range.

Jarred beans on a shelf

Ambient packs of rice and grains

Microwave packs will do just fine cold. Most rice brands sell packs of cooked rice.

Tinned fish and seafood

Storecupboard heroes that you should always have (assuming you like and eat fish), in a sauce, if you prefer. I like sardines, mackerel (but do check it is mackerel before assuming the nutritional content) and tuna. I also buy trout, pollack, cockles and whelks from Sea Sisters.

Open can of tinned fish in a tomato sauce

Pickles and olives

Cornichons, gherkins, pickled cauliflower and carrot, sauerkraut, kimchi, onions, etc – whatever you like and is likely to make a plate of food more perky and appealing. Make sure it doesn’t need refrigerating after opening – though you’re probably good for a couple of days if it’s cool.

Condiments

Mustard, chilli oil and chilli crisp, ketchup, soy sauce, flavoured oils etc – you do you. Go easy on anything salty that will make you thirsty.

Meze style dishes in tins on a supermarket shelf

Exciting meze-style dishes in tins and jars

Stuffed vine leaves, baba ganoush, gigantes beans – you get the picture. I’ve found a tin of Lamiri shakshuka that I’m keeping in rotation. One of my local shops has an astonishing selection.

Tinned and jarred veg

Again, the world is your oyster here. From white asparagus, artichoke hearts and mushrooms to red peppers, bamboo shoots and peas, if it will can or jar, then someone has preserved it. We’ve decided that if you stock tinned potatoes, some cheese, a fondue dish (with the means to heat it) and gherkins, that would be a good fondue combo. Failing that, without heat, you could grate the cheese, slice the potato and add some chopped gherkins, and you’d have a salad of sorts. I have hundreds (they seem to multiply) of individual mayo sachets that I can use up. Please could food delivery platforms beloved of teenage boys add a ‘no condiment’ button alongside the ‘no plastic cutlery’ button?

Tinned, jarred and dried fruit

A surprising amount of jarred fruit comes in alcohol; Opies has quite a big range. If you’ve got sponge fingers and a carton of custard (plus squirty cream), you’ve got yourself a trifle. Tinned, jarred, puréed or dried, fruit is useful. Again, get what you usually eat. Don’t forget dates, if you like them.

Cereal and long-life milk

My sister used to eat her cereal dry, so she’d be fine. Buy smaller cartons of milk to open for each meal. It goes without saying that some cereals are better for you than others; you could always stock some fun stuff to use as a sprinkle. Granolas and mueslis heavy in nuts, seeds, dried fruit and grains would fill you up well. Tins of evaporated milk that you can let down with water might also be an option, if you like it.

Peanut butter and jam

Peanut butter (and other nut butters) was a strong choice from most people we asked, though obviously not if anyone in the house has a nut allergy. PB&Js are popular. Ollie reckons you could do three days on peanut butter and banana sandwiches, if necessary (he has festival experience).

Chocolate

For cheering people up.

Bread, wraps and oat cakes, etc

Bread doesn't last long (it shouldn't – granted, some very suspiciously does), but you might have some in, so eat it all up. Wraps have a very long life if you seal the pack; I've always been too scared to look into how. Oat cakes are good as a ballast with most of the tins and jars mentioned above.

Tinned meat

Fish is better and, in most cases, less salty and contains fewer preservatives, but if you don't like it, think about canned meat that tastes good cold.

Condensed milk

For treats and desperate times.

Cheese

You may have it in the fridge. Hard cheese will keep for a while if it’s cool.

Lulu Grimes Lulu is one of our recipe writers at Good Food, but also writes about food and food issues for our Substack, Test. Taste. Repeat. Subscribe for more on planet-friendlier cooking.

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