It has just arrived in Hendon.

Now thats what I call a downpour, though luckily I made it back from the post office 10 mins before it came down.

Emergency food. Now there's an idea. So, what:

a) Keeps at room temperature for long periods of time
b) Doesn't take up too much space
c) Can be eaten without significant preparation
d) Is meat/gluten/foo free
e) Doesn't taste horrific?

My stash of emergency food consists of cereal bars and the odd tin of soup, ravioli and rice pudding. I think they probably all break at least one of no-meat or no-gluten.

We have a microwave for heating the tinned stuff, although I am quite happy to eat rice pudding cold.

Currently my portable emergency food for random attacks of the munchies is an "Eat Natural" puffed rice and fruit bar (this is much like any muesli or grain meal-bar but rice-based and hence gluten-free); my static emergency food kept at work in case I can't conveniently buy lunch one day is a stock of Trufree "just add boiling water and wait five minutes" mashed-potato-and-veg snack pots. Both of these are perfectly acceptable food; the snack pot takes a bit of care in preparation to ensure you don't end up with nasty dry bits at the bottom, but is entirely edible once you've managed that.

Chocolate. Obv.

Chocolate doesn't keep.[1] Also, it isn't a "meal food" in the same way that (for example) "indestructible sandwiches" (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/1923054.stm) are.

[1] Not when I'm around and have the right to eat it, at any rate.

That stuff is dwarf bread, isn't it?

I think I shall stay indoors for the rest of lunchtime and eat my emergency food. And drip.

Cue unappealing images of your eating an emergency drip. IV saline, presumably.