What British People ate during WW2

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We all know that war brings tribulation in many ways besides the obvious threat of being attacked. War had social, emotional, and economic effects. If you were not involved in direct combat, you would feel the presence of war. A factor that had a strong impact was food shortages; Britain relied on imports for most of its food supplies. Frequent attacks on their merchant ships made it difficult for Britain to receive their regular food supply.

Not only were imports limited, but they were also discouraged by the government. Winston Churchill wrote that Britain had to “save every ton of imports, to increase our output of munitions, and to maintain and extend our export trade, thus gaining the foreign credits wherewith to buy more munitions and more materials of war”.

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Food Rationing

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The Ministry of Food was a government department set up to regulate food production and usage. This department implemented food rationing to ensure that everyone had an equal share of food supplies. Items like butter, sugar, tea, eggs, cheese, milk, and especially meat were given in weekly rations. Each man, woman, and child were issued a ration book that contained the list of food items they were entitled to. Each person had to register as a grocery store to receive their rations. The grocer would then stamp the book to show that each person had received their weekly supply of food items.

Not all food was rationed; British fruit and vegetables were freely available. Other non-food items such as petrol, clothing, and soap were also scarce. It may sound like a fully functioning system; however, people had to wait hours in long queues only to find out that the food supply had been depleted and that they would have to come back when there was more. Unfortunately, rationing did not end when the war did; these regulations were in place until the mid-1950s.

The Ministry of Food was prompt to conserve resources; they began planning as early as 1936 when war was still just a possibility. The rationing system did not favour one class over another; wealthy and poor people received the same treatment. They were fair in how they allotted food supplies. Workers who did manual labour were entitled to larger rations; pregnant women could receive more milk, and children received more protein-based foods.

The Ministry did not stop there. They also printed brochures with recipes to make mealtime more interesting considering the severe lack of options. They used television and radio broadcasts to instruct the public on reducing food wastage.

Learning to Forage

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Organising food for the household generally fell on women since men were either in combat or working. Therefore, women developed the skill of foraging along the countryside to look for things to add to their rationed food to increase the portions or add flavour. Nettles were among the ingredients that they commonly foraged. Although the untrained eye might dismiss this plant as a common garden weed, these women knew that they could add nutritional value to their meals. They would use them for soups or stews. The benefit of nettles was that they grew abundantly.

Nettles were not the only thing that could be found in the wild; berries and wild nuts could be found too. The berries were sweet and could be used in pies and jams, while the nuts had a high-fat content.

The Black Market

Of course, the rationing of food caused some anxiety for Britain. Although the Ministry of Food supplied a balanced diet, having limited food could not be easy. As usual, economic pressure gives rise to crime and corruption. A black market had emerged, allowing people to buy food at a very high price. Shop keepers were holding food back from the public, and people were stealing food to participate in illegal trading. The government was quick to find these criminals and prosecute them.

Dig for Victory

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Although Britain had food shortages due to insufficient imports, the government took action to ease the strain on food rations – they started the Dig for Victory campaign. Dig for Victory encouraged people to plant and harvest their own food. The government allotted additional land to each person to grow their own produce. Unused land like sports fields, golf courses, and ornamental gardens were distributed.

So if Britain had a limited choice of ingredients, what meals did they make? Here are ten dishes that were popular during the time of food rationing. You may even recognise a few of them…

Rock Cakes

The Ministry of Food promoted these crumbly pastries since they require fewer eggs and sugar than ordinary cakes. Traditional recipes used oatmeal, which was more readily available than white flour.

Ingredients

8 oz wholemeal/wholewheat flour
3 1/2 teaspoons of baking powder
1/2 teaspoon mixed spice/allspice
2 oz margarine
1 1/2 oz sugar
2 oz sultanas or dried mixed fruit
1 egg or 1 reconstituted dried egg
milk
2 teaspoons sugar for topping

Method

Sift the flour, baking powder, and spice

Rub in the margarine

Add the sugar, dried fruit, and the egg

Add enough milk to make the mixture sticky

Put spoonful onto parchment paper on a baking tray

Sugar on top

Cook in a hot oven for 15 minutes

Lord Woolton Pie

This vegetable pastry was one of the recipes given to the British public by the Ministry of Food to ensure that a nutritious diet was maintained despite the rationing of meat and other foods.

Ingredients

1 pound cauliflower
1 pound parsnips
1 pound carrots
1 pound potatoes
Bunch of spring onions chopped
2 teaspoons of Marmite (yeast extract – or you can use a stock cube)
1 tablespoon of rolled oats
Salt and pepper to taste once cooked.
Parsley (fresh or dried)

For the pastry

8oz wholemeal/wholewheat flour
3oz mashed potato
3oz margarine or lard
2 tsp of baking powder
couple large pinches of salt
Dash of water if needed.

Method

Beat the egg

With half the pastry, line the plate

Mix the egg, potato, salt and pepper, and chopped bacon together

Pour this mixture onto the plate, cover with the rest of the pastry

Bake in an oven for 1/2 hour with moderate heat

Best served with hot vegetables or cold salad

Egg and Bacon Pie

Eggs were a luxury in Britain during World War 2, and bacon – or any meat – was even more of a luxury. To make the bacon and egg go further, people put them in a pie together. This pie could be eaten over two nights, depending on the size of the family.

Ingredients (serves 4):

2 eggs
2 rashers of grilled bacon
8oz potato pastry
2oz mashed potato
Salt and pepper

Method

Beat the egg.

Line a plate with half the pastry.

Mix the egg, potato, salt and pepper, and chopped bacon together.

Pour this mixture onto the plate, cover with the rest of the pastry.

Bake in a moderate oven for 1/2 hour.

Serve hot with vegetables or cold with salad.

Corn Beef Fritters

The corned beef was pre-cooked, which meant that it would not use many resources to cook like other meat; this and the fact that it was readily available made it a big part of the meat ration. These fritters were easy and sensible to make since corn beef was the main ingredient, and it only used one egg and very little flour.

Ingredients:

2oz self-raising flower
pinch of salt
one egg (powdered or fresh)
Dash of milk
A pinch of herbs e.g. thyme
2 teaspoons of grated onions
6oz corned beef
A little oil or dripping

Method:

Mix the flour with the salt and the egg beaten with a dash of milk.

Beat to a smooth batter.

Add the corned beef, onions, and herbs to a skillet with hot oil or drippings and a tablespoon of the mixture, pushing it down.
down to make a little fritter Around 8 fritters should be made using the ingredients.

Fry until brown and crisp and serve with vegetables or salad.

The National Wheatmeal Loaf

This bread was like modern brown bread; it was made from wholemeal flour with added calcium and vitamins, introduced by the Federation of Bakers. This bread was introduced to compensate for the white flour shortage.

Ingredients

500 millilitres Warm water
5 teaspoons Easy Blend Yeast
0.25 teaspoon Sugar
800 grams Wheatmeal flour wholemeal flour
1.5 teaspoons salt
1 1/2 tablespoon Rolled Oats for top
1 teaspoon Vegetable oil

Method

Place flour in a large bowl

Mix in all dry ingredients except the rolled oats

Drizzle in vegetable oil

Pour in warm water and mix thoroughly

When the dough comes together knead for 10 minutes until the dough is silky

Place back in bowl and cover

Let dough rise somewhere warm for around an hour until doubled in size

Knead the dough briefly again

Place dough into 4 x 1/2 lb tins (or 2 x 1 lb tins) that have been floured

Brush top with a little water and sprinkle on some rolled oats

Leave to rise for around 20 minutes

Place in oven at 180 0C for around 30-40 mins

Homity Pie

Like the corn beef fritters, this recipe was part of the 1940’s Experiment, which created new recipes based on the available food during rationing. This pie had potato, apple, cheese, and various vegetables inside. It was efficient as it did not require a lot of eggs and cheese.

Ingredients

4 large potatoes
2 large leeks
1 apple
2 cloves garlic (minced)
1 egg
butter or margarine
4-6 oz cheese
fresh or dried thyme
salt and pepper
Short crust pastry made with 6 oz flour and 3 oz fat

Method

Make the shortcrust pastry using plain flour and 3 oz fat. Rub the fat into flour to make breadcrumbs and then bind together with a little water to make a pliable dough.

Roll the dough out into a greased pie dish and place it into the oven on 200 c for about 10 minutes or so to half cook.

Leave skins on your potatoes and chop into chunky cubes, place in boiling water and simmer until tender

Chop up leeks and garlic and saute in a pan gently until cooked. Add in plenty of thyme and the chopped apple and toss

Drain potatoes then add to the pan of leeks, 1 whisked egg, add more butter or marg, and 2oz of the grated cheese and loosely mix.

Add in lots of salt and pepper until it tastes good!

Dollop mixture into the pie dish on top of the pastry, then top with 4 oz of cheese and sprinkle more of thyme and pepper

Cook in the oven at 220C until the top is browned

Remove and leave to cool a bit before serving

Condensed Milk Cake

The Ministry of Food released a leaflet that introduced a cake recipe that used condensed milk instead of sugar, allowing the sugar to be used for other things. This cake also used butter and eggs sparingly.

Ingredients

80 gram unsalted Jersey Butter
225-gram Self-Raising Flour
7 tablespoons Condensed Milk made up to 150ml with water use the rest on fresh strawberries
2 fresh free-range Eggs
A handful Raisins
A handful Cherries cut in half
3 tablespoons Marmalade

Instructions

Preheat your oven to 180 C / 350F / Gas mark 4.

Butter and line a 15 cm cake tin with greaseproof paper or parchment paper for baking.

Gently heat the condensed milk, water, and marmalade and stir until the marmalade is dissolved. Allow to thoroughly cool.

In a large bowl rub the butter and flour together to make a crumbly mix.

In a jug beat the eggs. Then beat the eggs, condensed milk mix, and flour and butter together to form a batter until smooth.

Stir in the dried fruit and pour into the lined cake tin.

Place in the centre of the oven and bake for 50 minutes. A knife inserted into the cake will come out clean. If not cooked return to the oven for another 5 to 10 minutes.

Cool and serve!

Potato Pastry

Potatoes were easy to grow, which meant that they were not rationed. The Ministry of Food even provided several recipes where potatoes could replace other scarce ingredients, especially white flour.

Ingredients

4 oz (84 g) butter or margarine
6 oz (140 g) plain flour
1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
4 oz (112 g) cooked potatoes
Salt to taste

Method

Beat the fat until soft and work in the sieved flour, baking powder, salt, and sieved potato.

Use hands to create a pliable dough.

Turn on a lightly floured board and roll out.

Use for savoury pastries

Carrot Fudge

There was an abundant supply of carrots; like potatoes, they could be grown easily. They are also naturally sweet. Carrots were often used to substitute sweet treats. This carrot fudge recipe did not require any sugar, flour, or eggs, which made it ideal.

Ingredients

150g carrots, scrubbed, finely grated
100ml orange juice
150ml water
1 1/2 tbsp agar flakes

Method

Put carrot & water in a saucepan.

Cook gently over med-low heat for 10 mins.

Add orange juice and cook further for 5 mins.

Turn heat down to low.

Add agar flakes, Stir well.

Stir often until flakes have dissolved.

Pour into a flat rectangular container, around 500ml size.

Leave to cool and place in fridge to set.

When set, Cut into small squares and should be kept in the fridge.

Patriotic Pudding

This pudding made use of potatoes and very little flour. It also required grated carrots instead of sugar which made the pudding bulkier too. Grated citrus could be added for more flavour if it was available.

Ingredients

5 tablespoons Flour
5 tablespoons grated raw Potato or Fine Oatmeal
1 1/2 table-spoon Fat
1 table-spoon Jam, Treacle or Milk and Water to mix Syrup and 1 grated Carrot
1 teaspoon Bicarbonate of Soda
Pinch of Salt
2 teaspoons grated orange or lemon
Milk water then mix

Method

Rub the fat into the flour

Add the rest of the dry ingredients and mix carefully well

Add the jam and carrot, heated in four tablespoons of milk, and mix to a soft mixture adding more milk or water if necessary

Turn into a well-greased bowl, cover, and steam for 1 hour and 15 minutes

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What British People ate during WW2

Food Rationing

Learning to Forage

The Black Market

Dig for Victory

Rock Cakes

Lord Woolton Pie

Egg and Bacon Pie

Corn Beef Fritters

The National Wheatmeal Loaf

Homity Pie

Condensed Milk Cake

Potato Pastry

Carrot Fudge

Patriotic Pudding

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Food Rationing

Learning to Forage

The Black Market

Dig for Victory

Rock Cakes

Lord Woolton Pie

Egg and Bacon Pie

Corn Beef Fritters

The National Wheatmeal Loaf

Homity Pie

Condensed Milk Cake

Potato Pastry

Carrot Fudge

Patriotic Pudding

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