The UK government wants every household to keep 9 litres of water per…

The UK government wants every household to keep 9 litres of water per person in the cupboard. So I checked mine. Two tins of chickpeas, half a candle and a torch with no batteries.

Turns out plenty of people are finally doing something about it. The Be Ready campaign launched on 22 October. In the 10 days after, according to Worldpanel by Numerator data reported by Retail Gazette, bottled water sales rose 67%, tinned and jarred food 37% and hand sanitiser 83%. Around 400,000 extra people a day started buying tinned meat.

The bit I liked most: Worldpanel's Fraser McKevitt says it isn't panic buying. People are building up slowly. Fewer than a third of households even bought bottled water in October.

Run a vintage shop long enough and you notice something. Our grandparents' kitchens were built for this. Big larders. Enamel jugs. Oil lamps. Shelves made for jars. Nobody called it prepping. It was just a kitchen.

So this weekend I'm doing the boring version. Three days of food we actually eat, water, batteries that fit the torch, and a radio that doesn't need wifi.

And the old oil lamp is going back on the shelf where it belongs.