Blaise Tapp: Six years after lockdown, the pantry still tells the story
The youngest Tapp reminded me the other day that, later this month, it will be six years since most of the world was plunged into lockdown as a result of the pandemic.
The fact that I had to be reminded of this anniversary by a child who was just four at the time probably says as much about how the majority of us have moved on with our lives since then as it does about the scant attention I pay to the passing of time these days.
We all have our own vivid memories of those long tedious months; plane-less skies, genuinely looking forward to Zoom calls with people who were previously just vague acquaintances and, of course, queuing to get into the supermarket.
Back in Spring 2020, those of us who weren’t quick enough to bag a coveted online shopping slot, very quickly adopted a hunter/gatherer mentality when stalking the veg and chilled food aisles. Although I drew the line at stockpiling loo roll - that was the Covid equivalent of parking in a disabled bay without a blue badge - I did follow the perceived wisdom of the time and made sure we always had at least two weeks’ worth of meals in the cupboards, fridge and freezer.
In the days before Boris Johnson told us we had to do our duty by not venturing beyond our garden gates, like many others, I began stocking up on non perishables such as pasta, rice and tins of stuff that I’d never put into my trolley before, or since for that matter. While most of it was gratefully consumed between workout sessions with Joe Wicks and never ending online quizzes, I’m not entirely sure what happened to the tin of non-specific meat and we’ve still got some lentil and bacon soup left, which appears to have a half life of a thousand years.
This was the closest I have ever come to ‘prepping’ - something people have been doing since the days of the Blitz and seem to be doing again following the start of the Iran War just over a week ago.
These people take being ahead of the game to the next level and have months’ worth of supplies should the worst happen, including bottles of water, bags of sugar and even a camping stove should the power go off.
Some have their own veg patches where the rose bush once stood and some keep chickens. Good luck to them, I say but even if their worst fears come true, the events of six years ago have taught us it’s very likely we’ll always be able to make macaroni cheese and banana bread.