Food storage and preparation should be one of the top priorities for any prepper or survivalist, after all, food is an absolute essential for daily life. Everyone who knows what’s coming should be stockpiling food of all kinds, however you should also have the means to be able to cook the food you plan on eating.

Whether you are using a traditional fuel source such as camping gas or a wood fire, or heated stones to bake items, it should be remembered that a warm and nutritious meal goes a long way to improving your morale.

Many foods such as meat and raw pasta as well as rice and dried beans cannot be eaten without cooking them first, so a large part of your food supply being viable relies on the fact you’re going to be able to cook it sufficiently.

Preparing food in the home under normal bug in circumstances is quite easy as the environment is clean and you have all of your utensils and equipment to hand. You may even be able to use the oven or other electrical equipment to cook the food.

However, if you’ve had to bug out into the woods or wilderness for an extended period the challenge of cooking can quickly become a burden. You should always think ahead to the kind of equipment you’ll need for a long-term survival situation, and how you plan to carry it with you.

You should also practice cooking and eating outside frequently so it’s not such a shock to you when the time finally comes, be it on a camping trip or simply choosing to use a barbecue that you’ve lit yourself with tinder and a ferro rod more often.

In this section we’ll cover articles related to cooking food, such as whether you should use a solar oven in the UK, and what kind of cooking gear you should have ready for any SHTF situation.