From a £7.50 power pack to a snuggly gilet . . . the best bargains to beat a winter BLACKOUT

WHEN we were children, my brother and I loved power cuts. We had a coal fire in the lounge and we used it for toasting bread and even cooking boiled eggs in a battered old pan, which made it feel exciting, like we were camping.

Even better, we then all sat around the dining table with candles and torches and played board games. For kids that sort of thing is pure fun.

But now, as an adult, hearing the national Grid warn that homes and businesses across england, Scotland and Wales could see their power shut-off this winter for hours at a time, it doesn’t sound like such a big bunch of laughs.

They say it is an ‘unlikely scenario’, but that they’re saying it at all indicates to me that we need to be prepared just in case. So here goes . . .

If it does happen, power could be shut off for three-hour blocks, most likely on the coldest days between 4pm and 7pm, although some reports say there could be power cuts in the mornings, too.

National Grid assures us we would have prior warning, which at least gives time to fill up flasks of hot water for tea and coffee.

LAKELAND has a great selection of flasks, as does amazon, including a large, 3l hot water dispenser from Pioneer, on offer for £ 27.74 ( full price: £ 32.77). There’s also the klean kanteen with Café Cap insulated bottle ( kleankanteen. co. uk), £ 27.95, which boasts of keeping liquids hot for 14 hours.

Stock up on hot-water bottles, too. I am tempted by the extralong one in faux fur from lakeland for £24.99 ( lakeland.co.uk). The most important thing is to keep warm. The power cut will affect your boiler and you won’t be able to switch on electric heaters so Uk Power networks recommends keeping blankets to hand and to dress warmly in several layers. I’d suggest a gilet is a wise purchase.

If you don’t have one already, the ultra light down vest from Uniqlo ( uniqlo.com), now on sale at £19.90 in some sizes, down from £39.90, is ideal.

It’s also handy for commuting as you can wear it on the train or bus and then pack it away into its small drawstring storage bag when you get to the office.

By the way, it’s worth fishing out your boiler manual to check how to reset it after a blackout.

Most boilers are kept on all year — even when the heating’s off — so you may not be used to turning it on again.

Once you get notice of a blackout, it’s a good idea to prepare some food before the electricity goes off. a round of sandwiches and a plate of biscuits will keep you going. Or keep a few tins of soup and baked beans in the cupboard that you can heat up on a camping stove, if you have one.

It’s best not to open the fridge too much while the power is off, although it will keep cold for quite a few hours even if you do.

If you have a windowsill, you could put some milk out there to keep chilled while the electricity is off. It’s what I used to do when I was a student and didn’t have my own fridge. That, at least, is one advantage of the cold weather! don’t open the freezer at all if you can possibly help it.

It’s also a good idea to have boxes of matches handy as many gas hobs can be lit with a match if the electric igniter goes, though some hobs have safety cut-outs that stop the gas working if the electricity fails. as so much in our homes is now dependent on electricity, it could be worth investing in a solar- powered power pack you can charge up beforehand. The one I have is from eden lotus Power. It will power anything under 300W — from laptops, phones and TVs to small blenders. The Jackery Portable Power Station explorer 500 gets good reviews and is £473, down from £556.99, on amazon, though you have to buy the solar panel separately.

At the very least, I would suggest investing in a battery pack for your mobile phone as you will need it for wifi via your mobile network, if there’s a power cut.

Argos has a portable charger that gives seven hours of power, on offer for £7.49 (full price £14.99). landlines will still work, but that won’t help if you have an electrically operated cordless phone.

Both eBay and etsy have ‘proper’ landline phones with cords on sale at the moment, which could be a lifeline if your mobile phone doesn’t work.

Now is the time to dig out candles, torches, matches and batteries. You could top up your battery collection with rechargeable ones, such as the duracell pack which includes a charger and four batteries £19.99 at amazon.co.uk.

Candles can be expensive, but asda sells ten taper candles, on offer for £2.25 (full price £3) ( groceries.asda.com) and 100 tea lights for £3.75. For a longer burn, try their single pillar candle for £ 2.50. It goes without saying candles should be placed on sturdy surfaces, away from anything flammable and not accessible by children or animals.

A battery- powered torch is another essential. Screwfix.com has some sturdy ones, including the type you can wear on your head. They may look odd, but they’re useful and mean you can use both hands while lighting your way. screwfix has one by diall for £6.98, for example ( screwfix.com). Better still, I have some Led lights that I bought from a hardware store a few years ago that will light a whole room. They can be hung on a hook and produce quite a strong light. amazon has a pack of three Rolson lights that work in a similar way for £11.44.

To keep you and the family entertained, download films and TV programmes onto your computer beforehand — and buy a battery-powered radio. argos sells a small one for £12.99 ( argos.co.uk). and lastly, some advice from uK Power networks that you might not have thought about. It’s a good idea to switch appliances off at the socket before the power cut happens to protect them from power surges.

You should switch off all the lights for the same reason — bar one, so that you will know when power has been restored.