London's top chefs reveal what they would place in their survival boxes as UK households urged to prepare for emergencies

Evening Standard · Josh Barrie · 2026-11-01 08:00 UTC

Forget baked beans - here’s what the brains behind London’s best restaurants would stockpile for the apocalypse

If chefs made survival boxes...

It isn’t only Scouts who need to be prepared in 2026, with their boil-in-the-bag porridge, chicken korma pouches and cheese spread. Missiles are coming (possibly), or at least digitilised warfare is high on the agenda. You know the kind? A rogue AI bot or some hi-tech hacker in a bunker attacking our circuits and power grids. Just for the hell of it, we would hope, rather than anything more wanton and sinister. (It could just be tired old infrastructure.)

Whatever the cause, imagine the scenario: one minute, pan-frying a freshly caught halibut, radio playing and lamps on, the next, total darkness — no TV, no internet, no heating, even… maybe. If this sounds far-fetched, why are the rich and powerful getting ready? We should too. Let’s stock up on oatcakes.

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