I am going to post daily reminders about preparing for life post 1.1.21.

1. If we have power cuts, have a candle, torch or battery powered light in each main room of your house. Don't forget boxes of matches if, like me, your budget only runs to candles. Spare batteries too !

Today's preparation reminder: I do not know what will happen but the chemicals used to clean our water come from the EU. So, suggest you get some water purification tablets and a number of large bottles of water. Boring but essential stuff.

Prep tip (while I remember): Look at the frozen pizzas at your supermarket. Anything you see as a topping can be frozen. Ham, salami, mozzarella, tomato sauce, chopped peppers, pesto, cooked chicken etc etc etc. If you have space in your freezer, use it.

Prep tip: If the power goes, have a couple of chill bags ready to store frozen & chilled food. When full, put the bags outside the backdoor. Jan & Feb are cold so this will help keep the food frozen & chilled. Drinks can go outside in their bottles.

Prep tip: If everything runs short, flavour can really lift basic ingredients. Make sure, if you can, that you have lots of herbs and spices. A bowl of rice & some veg can become biryani, paella or risotto with just the addition of the right herbs or spices.

Prep tip: Remember household basics (stuff you really need). Laundry detergent, washing up liquid, surface cleaner. Don't go mad but a couple of extra bottles under the sink could be useful if stores struggle to refill the shelves.

Prep tip: Prices of products from the EU will probably increase early in the new year. If you can, buy extra of the more expensive things like olive oil before the price increase hits.

Prep tip: Put torches, batteries, matches, basic medicines etc all in the same place. If they are all together, much easier to find when you need something. I have a small box on the hall table with everything I have accumulated for power cuts or other disasters.

Prep tip: If you do not already follow them, make sure you follow @BootstrapCook . Jack's website is a brilliant source of recipes using canned foods & things from the cupboard. If the supermarket shelves start to empty, this could really help you.

Prep tip: Spend 5 minutes looking at the frozen veg in the supermarket. Often a tiny little bit of preparation means you can easily freeze lots of fresh veg - could be useful if supply chains start snapping in Jan/Feb.

Prep tip: Now that the 'news' of food shortages is starting to hit the papers, do another audit of everything you have collected. You still have time to get anything you have missed. Concentrate on things you use the most. Buy large packets if you can afford it.

Prep tip: Find 10 good recipes using only 4 or 5 ingredients. Much easier to store the necessary if you can keep it simple. Am no fan but Jamie Oliver does a lot of recipes with 5 or less ingredients.

Prep tip: If you can, have a spare bag of staples in case a neighbour is not prepared for the upcoming storm. Long life milk, a loo roll, some pasta or rice, a can of tomatoes, some tea bags etc. We are all preparing but most people won't know they need to do so.