An emergency food stock doesn't need special "survival food". Supermarket staples you already eat are cheaper, and easier to rotate (see rotating your stock).
Two stages
- The first 3 days: no cooking needed. Be Ready advises non-perishable food that needs no fridge or cooking, and that you would usually eat. In a power cut you might have no way to heat food. Tinned food is safe to eat without heating through (FSA).
- Longer: cheap staples that need cooking. Rice, pasta, lentils and flour give the most food for the money. They need a camping stove or other way to cook.
Stage 1: no-cook food
These are the items OrCore Prep starts every household with. Prices are from the Asda website on the date shown; your supermarket may differ. Porridge oats can be soaked in cold milk or water if you can't cook.
- Bottled water (6 x 2 L) · £2.55 (Asda page, 1 Nov 2026) · Asda page
- Water purification tablets · where to buy
- Baked beans (4 x 410 g) · £1.51 (Asda page, 1 Nov 2026) · Asda page
- Chickpeas (tinned) · £0.41 (Asda page, 1 Nov 2026) · Asda page
- Cream crackers · £0.49 (Asda page, 1 Nov 2026) · Asda page
- Fruit pots · £1.60 (Asda page, 1 Nov 2026) · Asda page
- Oat drink 1 L (UHT) · £1.55 (Asda page, 1 Nov 2026) · Asda page
- Peanut butter · £0.97 (Asda page, 1 Nov 2026) · Asda page
- Raisins 500 g · £1.80 (Asda page, 1 Nov 2026) · Asda page
- Mini raisin boxes · £1.10 (Asda page, 1 Nov 2026) · Asda page
- Green lentils (tinned) · £0.45 (Asda page, 1 Nov 2026) · Asda page
- Tuna (4 x 145 g) · £2.49 (Asda page, 1 Nov 2026) · Asda page
- Porridge oats 1 kg · £0.85 (Asda page, 1 Nov 2026) · Asda page
Stage 2: store-cupboard basics
Once the first 3 days are covered, these stretch your stock much further for the money:
- Plain flour 1.5 kg · £0.78 (Asda page, 1 Nov 2026) · Asda page
- White rice 1 kg · £1.25 (Asda page, 1 Nov 2026) · Asda page
- Pasta 1 kg · £1.29 (Asda page, 1 Nov 2026) · Asda page
- Porridge oats 1 kg (extra) · £0.85 (Asda page, 1 Nov 2026) · Asda page
- Baking powder · £0.77 (Asda page, 1 Nov 2026) · Asda page
- Table salt · £0.82 (Asda page, 1 Nov 2026) · Asda page
- Dried red lentils · where to buy
- Chopped tomatoes (tinned) · where to buy
- Vegetable oil 1 L · where to buy
- Stock cubes · where to buy
Tips
- Eat the fridge first. In a power cut, the FSA advises this order: food that needs the fridge, then defrosted frozen food that needs no cooking, then room-temperature perishables, then tins, jars and dried food.
- Buy a little each week. One or two extra items in each shop adds up, and it is the gradual approach Be Ready recommends.
- Think about everyone. Babies, allergies, special diets and pets all need their own food.
- Water matters too. Dried food needs water to cook. Store enough water.
OrCore Prep builds this list for your household, filters it for diets and allergies, and plans a weekly basket within your budget.