Catastrophe this Winter?

Witzend

One positive aspect of diminished supplies of food - perhaps the obscene levels of food waste in the U.K. will decrease?

(Yes, wasting food is one of my pet fury-makers.).

I’m with you here. People bin too much food. And it infuriates me that restaurants are forced to bin good food at the end of the day rather than giving it to those who need it, some sort of health and safety thing.
I use as much as humanly possible of the food we buy, was brought up this way.
Leftovers can be made into other hearty meals.
Is a sin throw away so much.

Marg75

The OP is genuinely worried, why would you make snide remarks like that? It is right, there's many things we should be worried about, no less a PM who wasn't even an MP who so far has no opposition at all because there's no Parliament sitting. I suppose someone will make a joke about that.

It's not at all snide

It's exercising a little humour in these ridiculous times.

Judgmental puritanism is the last thing anyone needs.

Might do wonders for the obesity crisis too.

25Avalon

Casdon, yes we do have oil in the North Sea but are not extracting it in the driveway for Net Zero and BP are pulling out so who will extract it should we decide to abandon net zero.

That’s not a this winter issue though Avalon, what is more relevant now is the world oil market, because oil in British waters is not ours in that respect.

In a few months we’ll probably be having floods. Am I right in thinking that it didn’t stop raining last winter ( I lose track). So we should be finding ways to store water better.

Casdon

25Avalon

Casdon, yes we do have oil in the North Sea but are not extracting it in the driveway for Net Zero and BP are pulling out so who will extract it should we decide to abandon net zero.

That’s not a this winter issue though Avalon, what is more relevant now is the world oil market, because oil in British waters is not ours in that respect.

I don't think that extracting the oil would do anything at all for our energy security; nor would it feed into cheaper energy prices for us.

As Casdon says, it isn't actually ours. It belongs to the international companies which extract it and it is sold on the world markets.

MaizieD

Casdon

25Avalon

Casdon, yes we do have oil in the North Sea but are not extracting it in the driveway for Net Zero and BP are pulling out so who will extract it should we decide to abandon net zero.

That’s not a this winter issue though Avalon, what is more relevant now is the world oil market, because oil in British waters is not ours in that respect.

I don't think that extracting the oil would do anything at all for our energy security; nor would it feed into cheaper energy prices for us.

As Casdon says, it isn't actually ours. It belongs to the international companies which extract it and it is sold on the world markets.

Thatcher sold it off didn’t she?

MayBee70

In a few months we’ll probably be having floods. Am I right in thinking that it didn’t stop raining last winter ( I lose track). So we should be finding ways to store water better.

I hope you are right about rain on the way but we don't want flooding.
I am concerned as there is no rain in the forecast. The river here has run dry.
Rain has never let us down in this country before but I had a worrying thought that if we don't get much rain this coming winter oil and gas may be the lesser worry.

There will be flooding in areas where the ground is now so parched that it is rock hard, because the rain will just roll off it.
Am hoping there will be a few persistent gentle showers so the ground will absorb it rather than several days of deluges.

MaizieD
Thatcher sold it off didn’t she?

Don't know about that but I do know that North Sea Oil was mortgaged to the IMF for 30 years in return for bailing us out in the early 70s

Interesting to hear everyone's' views. Thank you pp for being kind to worried me! I'm not so much worried as wry - it is as it is, or might be, but I can't believe that those in power aren't making contingency plans for all those possible (probable?) disasters.
I imagine smaller communities, especially rural ones, would pull together as they seem to be the last bastion of what I think of as Englishness. Common sense, kindliness to those less fortunate, and "getting on with it".

The government is actively making contingency plans for all the different scenarios?
assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/687508b6cfc3756455bb69af/UK_Government_Resilience_Action_Plan_-_Accessible_PDF.pdf
Guidance is also being developed for households:
www.theguardian.com/politics/2026/jul/14/britons-urged-small-steps-prepare-potential-national-crises

Sad that some people are thinking about their own food security and not about their whole community.
There are "survivalists" in USA and other places who have their nuclear bunkers and stockpiles of food and fuel.

Casdon

Mrs Boring here, I disagree that there is not a lot we can do for ourselves, because there is. We can make provision to cope with the cold, we can buy suitable food, keep our car tanks full, etc. There’s nothing we can do to control the big picture, but we can control our own preparedness.

I am absolutely with you there, Casdon.

Grammaretto

Sad that some people are thinking about their own food security and not about their whole community.
There are "survivalists" in USA and other places who have their nuclear bunkers and stockpiles of food and fuel.

But surely the more people who have 'prepared' in advance, the more there will be to go around amongst those who couldn't or wouldn't prepare, should a crisis happen, no?

It is a personal choice, and as far as I can see, bring prepared certainly won't make a potential disaster any worse for anyone else .

Best top up the wine cellar.

GrannyGravy13

Best top up the wine cellar.

I suppose drinking yourself into oblivion is one way of coping with food shortages...

MaizieD

GrannyGravy13

Best top up the wine cellar.

I suppose drinking yourself into oblivion is one way of coping with food shortages...

Oh dear, SOH bypass?

Our regional weather man has predicted a wet, mild winter ahead.

Calendargirl

Our regional weather man has predicted a wet, mild winter ahead.

A wet, mild winter won’t do anything to prevent food shortages and increased prices. We had a sopping wet winter last year (2025/26) but it’s been entirely counteracted by this summer’s drought. Farmers have been taking early harvests, because crops have ripened faster but with lower yields.

If this is going to be our weather pattern in the future we have to rethink our diets to take advantage of what can be produced.

Lathyrus3

Well we’ll all have to learn to make do with less if the OPs worries come to fruition.

I expect we all can if it comes to it. People in the past did.

We often disagree a lot but on this one I too have given it much thought. Many - not all of course - are used to - much more than ever before...and lots of us when young, or our parents made do and mended. I know groups of 20 and 30 somethings who are doing just that (like food groups or clothes swaps or skill swaps).

But.......what we do have, needs to be shared out better. That, I do feel strongly about.

Oh, and btw, I enjoyed the humour above. It's gallows humour. You have to laugh sometimes in adversity or possible adversity
Bring on the bikes and eclairs whist we have them, tho we might have to offer the second eclair elsewhere....😳

Perhaps when parliament is recalled time to set up a cross party committee on the winter as matters develop.

*I think it's possible some are counting on Trump backing down on the oil supply situation because of his mid terms coming up and popular feelings on prices in his own country)

Maybe not build on arable land and grow things instead ? Stop increasing the population until enough food is produced locally ? This applies to my country , it makes me so sick that they build on lovely arable land nonstop when they should be encouraging people to live in non arable areas which comprise most of my country . I expect it is similar in the UK. At this stage my country does actually produce enough food but it is a bit of a ticking time bomb and they just don’t consider the future at all because politicians have very short times in office now and they think short term, always.
OK Rant over.

Gas storage is such an important strategic asset that the Tories should be ashamed they did nothing to preserve.

I'm with MawsRosie.