Plan – Surviving Brexit

Category: Plan

Toddler Tuesday

#ToddlerTuesday

www.brexitsurvivaljournal.com Any parent of small children knows they don’t do “boredom”. If they aren’t kept busy, they will find something to amuse themselves and that can often be what you do not want them to do. They are also very often “picky” with their food and need foods that they will eat.

Surviving Brexit With Babies, Toddlers And Small Children

Hopefully, Brexit will pass off without anyone noticing any difference and you can just play with and feed your children as usual.

If it doesn’t, then preparing ahead of time will save your sanity and make life easier for everyone.

Food

Stock up on any special items you normally feed your child with, including formula (baby milk), rusks, and any foods you know your child likes AND that can be stored with a good long “use by” date. These might include tinned baked beans or spaghetti for older children or tinned soup. Remember to include treats appropriate to your child’s age, such as chocolate buttons and Smarties. They are not only useful as rewards or bribes but if there are problems preparing food, they can stop a child from becoming too hungry. You can also store sliced bread in the freezer, provided it is well wrapped against freezer burn. Frozen sliced bread can be toasted direct from frozen for a quick snack of toast.

Leaving Home

Let’s hope no one has to leave home but if you do, a prepared “go” bag, including a wash bag, pyjamas, clean underwear and a change of clothes for each child is useful. Remember nappies and wet wipes for any child using them. Other useful items for each bag include a bottle of water and a snack, such as a chocolate bar (appropriate to age).

Amusements

Just in case there are power cuts or you have to leave home, then including a game or book or toys in the go bag for each child can save a lot of trouble. Colouring books and crayons or coloured pencils are useful, low tech, easy-carry and cheap items to include. Books are heavier but may be useful for older children. A favourite toy may be vital to remember. Low tech toys are useful if there are power cuts even if you remain at home. You can always remove a few current toys to pack away because by the time October 31st comes around, those toys will seem new again.

Cold Weather

At October 31st, the weather in the UK is usually turning colder, even if there are a few days of Indian Summer. Keep some warm clothes on hand in case there are power cuts or lack of warmth or you have to move.

Brexit Survival Journal

Get checklists that will help you survive Brexit and provide space for you to add your own items with the Brexit Survival Journal.

Brexit Recipes – Survival Food For Brexit

How Long You Can Last Without Food

OK, while you can last about 3 weeks or so without any food, no one is suggesting a total lack of food in the UK following Brexit. There may, however, be shortages of certain foods at certain times, either due to import difficulties. or if fuel is in short supply, so supplies can’t get to certain areas.

A lot of the UK’s food is imported. For instance, bread is usually made with imported wheat as UK-grown wheat is not always suitable for making bread (ref: http://www.nabim.org.uk/imports-and-exports).

Imported Food

Many of the fresh vegetables we eat in the UK are imported: oranges, fruits and veg out of season, such as tomatoes, lettuce, courgettes and soft fruit. Maybe you don’t eat that kind of food?
Perhaps you prefer fish and chips? Most UK potatoes are home grown, so potatoes should continue to be available, provided transport is available. The fish might be a different matter.

“From a UK perspective, seafood material originating in the UK is generally exported for overseas consumption, whilst UK seafood consumption is largely reliant on imported material.” (ref: https://www.seafish.org/media/1653731/overview_-_brexit_and_the_uk_seafood_industry_1.3.pdf) In other words, most of the fish eaten in the UK is imported, while what we catch is mostly exported. Imports of fish to the UK are worth about £3bn, about one third of which comes from the EU. (ref: https://researchbriefings.parliament.uk/ResearchBriefing/Summary/CBP-8396)

Curry houses are not faring any better according to the Independent newspaper, with ingredients coming from the EU costing a lot more and staff shortages. (ref: https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/uk-curry-industry-brexit-staff-shortages-bangladesh-catering-association-a8677911.html)

What Food Will Be Available After Brexit

Hopefully, all foods we currently have will still be available after Brexit, even if takeaways are having difficulties, however, it is possible there will be some shortages and delays while trading terms are finalised. It would certainly be wise to stock up on basic foods, especially those that require little or no cooking and that can last in a store cupboard for a good while, provided that they are foods you would normally eat.

Baked beans

This is a staple item of many people’s diet in the UK but all the beans have to be imported because they do not grow in the UK. Baked beans store well, most kids will eat them and they are nourishing, having a fair amount of protein and fibre and also vitamins and minerals. Top them with some grated cheese and serve on toast and you have a hearty lunch. If the power is out, they can be eaten cold, so if you like baked beans, then stock up on them ahead of Brexit.

Other Tinned and Packet Staples

If you’re stocking up on foods that your family likes to eat and that are easily stored and cooked or heated, check up on your stocks of spaghetti in tomato sauce, soups, tinned ham, canned peas, pasta and ready made curry and tomato sauces.

Tinned fish

Most of the fish that ends up in cans: sardines, tuna, pilchards and most salmon etc is imported. If you like canned fish, then building up your stocks would be a wise move.

Flavourings, Spices And Sauces

HP sauce, a British staple is produced in the Netherlands. While Heinz tomato ketchup is made in the UK, many ingredients for sauces, flavourings and canned or packet ready -meals may be imported. Table salt is mostly produced in the UK but pepper is imported.

Cold And No-Cook Foods

Nuts, nut butters, dried fruit and porridge oats are all handy storage items and can be eaten without any cooking. Nuts and nut butters, especially provide protein and healthy fats. Dried fruit contains iron. Oats, chopped nuts and dried fruit make a handy muesli, together with some sugar if you need it. Nut butters spread beautifully on bread, soda bread or crackers.

Foraging

If you live near the countryside or have a large garden, you may be able to add some foraged items to your diet, if fresh foods are running low. Blackberries and plums can often be found growing wild, ready for picking in the autumn. Don’t forage near roads because of pollution. Don’t forage if you don’t know what you are picking. Some wild plants can be fatal.

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If You Have To Leave

Leaving

If you have to leave home, you need a plan of where to meet and where to stay. Leaving may occur when some people are away from home – at work or school or it may be in the middle of the night.

This is never good and can be worrying, especially if you have no way of contacting absent family members.

Preparation

Again, preparation is the key to reducing worry and panic as far as possible.

Local

Decide ahead of time on a local meet up place, such as a cafe or a friend’s house. Decide on another fairly local place in case that one is not available for some reason. This should be a place that you all know and where you can regroup. Write the address and phone numbers down and make a copy of the information for each family member.

Regional

In case a local meeting place is not feasible, decide on a regional meeting place that everyone should try to get to. This of course will be more difficult, especially if transport is affected, however, it gives everyone a place to try to reach. Add phone numbers of the place to the contacts list.

Main Contact Person

It can be handy to have a contact person who is not too close in your local area and / or one who is far away. They can act as an office, to take messages, pass them on, etc.

Secret Family Password

This can be useful if you think people may be in trouble or a way of saying that you are under duress. It needs to be something that can pass as a real question or piece of information, yet is only used in an emergency,such as asking about a non-existent family pet.

Emergency Bag

Having an emergency bag with washing, first aid and a few food supplies is useful if you can always have it with you. Perhaps in your hallway to grab as you leave, or in the car boot or a small bag inside a school bag or an everyday bag that you carry with you at all times outside the house. Keep the list of addresses and contacts inside the bag, so it is always available.

Stay At Home

Home

For most people, staying at home is the easiest and safest option in troubled times and it is assumed that this is where you will be.

If you want to stay within your home and not have to go outside to get supplies, you will need to make sure you have enough stuff to last you for about 3 weeks at least, possibly even 6 weeks. You may not use your emergency supplies all the time, you may just need to call on them when there are shortages and then stock them back up again when fresh supplies come in. But isn’t it good to know that you will be able to feed yourself and your family and have some comforts if necessary?

Hopefully, any troubles will be over and supplies will be back in local stores again, within about 6 weeks, though there may be shortages and some items may take a lot longer before supplies are available whenever you want them.

Shelter

Your first priority will be shelter. But with Brexit, hopefully, this will be your own home and with any luck you will have your normal utilities, water, electricity and a cooking stove.

If you need to move out of your home, other preparations will be needed ahead of time, this is dealt with later.

Staying in your own home is the best bet in most cases but you will need to prepare in case any of the utilities (like water, gas and electricity) are interrupted, as well as store food that your family can eat: and store drinking water.

Cooking

How do you cook meals at present?

don’t – eat takeaways or eat out
electricity
piped gas
cylinder gas
solid fuel stove
couple of different methods

Your Plan

Think of how you could manage to cook if the power goes down, or the gas or fuel are delayed. If you have only electricity for cooking, for instance, you will need to think of another way of being able to cook. Maybe you have a coal fire? Maybe you need to buy a portable camping stove? Think about what you need to DO in order to be able to cook. Perhaps you need to stockpile some more gas cylinders or more coal?
What is the Plan……………………………………………………………………………….
When will you do this? ……………………………………………………………………….
What is the Budget? ………………………………………………………………………….

Surviving Brexit