For a family of four, start with foods your household already knows and a clear idea of which meals you want to cover. Check what is in your cupboards before making a list of the gaps.
Start with everyday disruption
Keep some food you can use when cooking is unavailable. The UK government's power-cut guidance recommends bottled water, food that keeps without refrigeration and needs no cooking, and a tin opener.
If your baby uses formula, include suitable ready-to-use infant formula for times when you cannot boil water. Follow the NHS guidance on safe formula preparation and equipment hygiene and the formula label's storage instructions. Plan infant feeds separately from PrepareHQ recipe servings.
Choose suitable products for the people in your household. Read the ingredients and any “may contain” warnings, and ask about anything unclear. The Food Standards Agency's allergy guidance explains these warnings and why dietary labels do not replace an allergen check.
Decide which servings to include
In the food finder, select four people, then 1, 3, 6 or 12 months. Choose a daily pattern for each person:
- 1 main-meal serving.
- 1 breakfast serving and 1 main-meal serving.
- 1 serving each of breakfast, a main meal and pudding.
- 1 breakfast serving, 2 main-meal servings and 1 pudding serving.
For example, the finder's one-month period uses 30 days. Four people having one main-meal serving each day need 120 main-meal servings for that pattern. Adding one breakfast serving each day means planning for 120 breakfast servings as well.
Planning for three months? See the 90-day example in our family food-planning options, then use the finder to review a suggested case selection.
A serving is a recipe portion, not a full day's nutrition. These totals describe the selected pattern, not your family's complete food needs. The finder uses each recipe's declared servings to suggest cases, and shows what the resulting selection provides.
Choose a mix your family will use
Compare the current Main Meals, Breakfast & Main Meals and Vegetarian Main Meals food packs, or adjust recipes in Build Your Own. Puddings in Breakfast & Main Meals packs are extras, rather than a pudding serving included in every day of the stated duration.
Cases contain six tins of one recipe, and selections start at one case. Before choosing a larger mix, check its quantities, price, preparation needs and the room you have to store it. Different recipes can provide different numbers of servings, so the original finder's coverage may no longer apply.
Keep a simple household list
Record what you have, where it is stored and the dates and instructions on its labels. Include drinking water and any water needed to prepare the chosen recipes. If you need current batch information or help with a selection, send an enquiry before deciding.
Check your selection before ordering
Selections start at one complete case. Delivery to eligible England, Scotland and Wales addresses is £50 for one or two cases and included from three. For Northern Ireland or delivery access requirements, check the delivery information and enquire.
Eligible food selections below £2,000 can be ordered online, subject to supplier confirmation. We confirm supply before collecting payment. You can also enquire before buying. An enquiry does not place an order or take payment.