Cookit Homepage

Cookit is published by e2bn

History Cookbook

‹ Back World War 2 Homepage Life Food Facts Health Facts

War War 2 Picture Gallery Food

1		Eating habits were changed greatly by wartime shortages. For many people rationing, synthetic foods, strange food combinations and the restrictions of the daily diet were among the most vivid memories of life in WW2. More The rationing system was seen as complicated but fair and was popular for this reason. People registered at their local shops. Each family/household had a ration book. The ration book was handed over to the shopkeeper, who removed the coupons (as well as taking the appropriate sum of money).
2		During the war many foods were rationed. Food rationing was introduced in stages, beginning in January 1940. Foods that were rationed included bacon, butter, sugar, meat, tea, cooking fat, jam, cheese, eggs and milk. More Rationing started on January 8th 1940, when bacon, butter and sugar were rationed (by weight), followed by meat in March 1940 (by price rather than weight). In July 1940, tea, cooking fat, jam and cheese were also rationed (by weight). Eggs and milk were rationed by allocating supplies to shops in proportion to the number of customers registered there. People were permitted one egg per fortnight but this was not guaranteed, as with other foods. Rations varied considerably; the cheese ration, for example, varied from 1oz (30g) per person per week to 8oz (225g). The meat ration worked out at approximately 1lb (500 grams) per week.
3		There was also a points systems for a range of other goods. The points system gave shoppers a choice of foods such as breakfast cereals, condensed milk, biscuits, canned fruit or fish. Each food product had a value and you could buy up to the points ration for the family. More The points system was introduced on 1st December 1941 on a range of goods. Everyone was given 16 points a month, later this was raised to 20 points. The points system gave people a degree of choice; for example, a tin of soup was 6 points, a tin of fruit 24 points, condensed milk 10 points.
4		The government appointed a Minister of Food. His job was to sell the benefits of rationing to the public and educate people into better eating habits. More The government went to great lengths to ensure people had enough to eat, so they were fit to face wartime challenges and contribute to the fight. Plans for rationing and distribution were drawn up with this in mind.
5		Lord Woolton held this important job from April 1940 to December 1943. It was the first time the findings of nutritional science, built up since WW1, were applied to feeding the population. Lord Woolton ran a very successful campaign and his famous Woolton pie became legendary! (See recipes) More Lord Woolton had seen the effects of malnutrition in Liverpool and was determined to improve the nutritional value of people's diet to overcome this. The resulting food policy promoted both adequate nourishment and economical use of available foods.
6		The loss of imports saw the need to increase agricultural production. As more and more supply ships were being sunk by the German U-boats, additional home grown food was needed. All able-bodied men were needed to fight, leaving a shortage of labour to work on farms. The Women's Land Army provided much of the labour force required. More The girls of the Land Army looked after animals, ploughed the fields, dug up potatoes, harvested the crops, killed the rats, dug and hoed for 48 hours a week in the winter and 50 hours a week in the summer. As there was not enough machinery to go round, they often had to work with old fashioned equipment, such as horse drawn hand ploughs, and to harvest crops by hand.
7		People were encouraged to grow their own food. The 'Dig for Victory' campaign saw people turn their flowerbeds into vegetable patches. The aim was to make Britain as self sufficient in food as possible. Chickens, rabbits and even pigs were reared in town gardens. More The Dig for Victory campaign was so successful that plenty of vegetables were produced. Office workers even dug vegetable patches in town parks.
8		'Potato Pete' and 'Doctor Carrot' tried to get children to eat more vegetables. The carrot and the potato became the focus of a campaign to get people, especially children, to enjoy and value vegetables. They even had their own cartoon characters and songs. Even traditional nursery rhymes were adapted to the theme! More Increased potato production provided necessary vitamin C in the diet. One nursery rhyme to promote the potato went as follows: Potatoes new, Potatoes old Potatoes in a salad cold Potatoes baked or mashed or fried Potatoes whole, potatoes pied Enjoy them all including chips Remembering spuds don't come in ships.
9		Some foods such as potatoes, bread and coffee were not rationed. Coffee was not such a popular drink as it is now. There were no fast food outlets other than the chip shop, which opened at weekends. This was considered a treat, not an everyday meal. More Other foods were not rationed but were not obtainable at all. This included fruits such as bananas.
10		The wartime loaf was made of wholemeal flour and was very healthy. As less wheat could be imported, more flour was extracted from what grain there was. This method provided a wholemeal loaf, high in vitamin B1, but different from the white bread people were used to. More Many found the greyish colour off-putting but it was very nutritious. The high extraction rate of 85% meant that there was more bread to go round.
11		The emphasis was on importing high energy foods. The energy levels of home-grown food was still not high enough, despite the increase in agricultural production, to make up for the loss of imports, Some 2500 merchant ships were sunk by the U-boats, so it was important that those which did get through carried the foods most needed. More Foods such as oilseeds, oils, fats, canned meat, cheese, processed milk, boneless compressed meat, canned fish and pulses were major imports. Imports of perishable goods like fresh fruit, however, were reduced.
12		People became used to dried milk and dried eggs. The Ministry managed to get spam, dried eggs and dried milk in large quantities from the USA. The egg powder made rubbery omelettes and puddings but became, if not popular, at least remembered with affection. More From 1942, one packet per person of dried egg (equivalent to 12 eggs) was distributed every other month. The slaughtering of many dairy herds to grow food also meant that dried milk was important. To help people cook with these, there were leaflets, books, posters and radio broadcasts.
13		A radio cookery show called "The Kitchen Front" was a very big hit. This was because many housewives were struggling to make the family ration stretch and to make meal times more interesting. Some really bizarre recipes were put forward. More Some of the stranger recipes put forward by listeners included onion and carrot chutney, rosehip chutney, squirrel tale soup, crow pie, sheep's head broth, carrot fudge, patrotic pudding, all-clear sandwiches, pig's brains and cow's udders, potato and chocolate pudding.
14		People were encourage to preserve perishable foods. There were leaflets on pickling onions, bottling fruit and preserving tomatoes. The idea was to preserve food when available for use in the winter. More People were given instructions on how to seal and store the jars to make sure the vitamins were not destroyed and the food stayed fresh. Housewives were also advised to make chutneys and pickles to make food taste better.
15		No food was wasted. Apple peel was boiled to make a lemon substitute in jams or drinks; bacon rinds provided fats for cooking meat or were used for flavouring soups; stale bread went into puddings or to make stuffing. Other scraps fed the animals. More The Ministry of Food recommended scrubbing potatoes rather than peeling them. Prior to the war, some families stock-piled food. This became an offence in wartime, even punishable by imprisonment. As the war went on, people had to make the little they had go further. Leaflets like 'What's Left in the Larder' ensured that nothing was wasted.
16		Those who lived in the countryside were generally better fed. People who lived in the countryside had more room to keep livestock or grow extra vegetables than those in large towns or cities. More They also had access to herbs, berries and fungi that could be collected and cooked. They could also get access to eggs, butter and some meat off-ration.
17		Supplying the fighting men with enough food was an enormous task. There were field canteens, and where these had not been established 'compo' (composite) rations were provided, containing enough food for 14 men. There were also 24-hour rations packets for troops in active combat. The food was not exciting but contained everything necessary to maintain health. More Each crate of compo rations had to be partially prepared from tinned and packaged goods. A cook was generally 'elected' from the men. Food was usually prepared over petrol cookers. The 24-hour rations contained items such as service biscuits, oatmeal, tea, a meat block, a tin of preserved meat, chocolate bars with raisins, nuts and vitamins, boiled sweets, chewing gum and cubes of meat broth - exact amounts varied thoughout the war. The men obtained fresh dairy and vegetables where they could.

Spicy Red Onion Chutney

Carefully slice the onions (ask an adult for help)In a large pan heat the olive oil, add the onions...

More calendar recipes