A rechargeable lantern or a good torch should always be your first light in a power cut — flame indoors carries real risk, and we say so plainly. But candles still earn a place in a UK home emergency drawer for one honest reason: they need no batteries, no charging and no shelf life to speak of, so a boxed supply is still working light years after everything electronic has gone flat. Used sensibly — never left unattended, never near curtains or bedding, always on a heatproof surface and out of reach of children and pets — they give you long, cheap, no-maintenance backup for a long outage.
The choice is really about burn time and how you'll use them. Bulk unscented tea lights are the cheapest way to keep several small, stable flames going and are easy to sit safely in jars or on saucers. Longer-burning tea lights cut down how often you're relighting through a long evening. Pillar candles give more light and many hours per candle for a room you're sitting in, and unscented is the sensible pick so a boxful doesn't overwhelm a closed-up winter room. These are our picks for reliable, boring, safe backup light — with a strong reminder to keep a smoke alarm working and a torch as your first reach.
