This subject is evergreen on this group, here is some interesting stuff I found, some of it pretty humourous:


http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/2WWrationing.htm
Rationing

“Before the Second World War started Britain imported about 55 million tons of food a year from other countries. Understandably, the German government did what they could to disrupt this trade. One of the main methods used by the Germans was to get their battleships and submarines to hunt down and sink British merchant vessels. With imports of food declining, the British government decided to introduce a system of rationing. This involved every householder registering with their local shops. The shopkeeper was then provided with enough food for his or her registered customers...”

</>

“ In the summer of 1940 the government established a committee of nutritional experts to advise the War Cabinet on food policy. The committee issued a report claiming that each citizen could survive on twelve ounces of bread, a pound of potatoes, two ounces of oatmeal, an ounce of fat, six ounces of vegetables and six-tenths of a pint of milk per day, supplemented either by small amounts of cheese, pulses, meat, fish, sugar, eggs and dried fruit. Winston Churchill was concerned by the implications of this proposal and the advice was not published...”


</>

“The Food Control Officer in Brighton discovered that 80,000 ration books had been stolen from the R In the summer of 1940 the government established a committee of nutritional experts to advise the War Cabinet on food policy. The committee issued a report claiming that each citizen could survive on twelve ounces of bread, a pound of potatoes, two ounces of oatmeal, an ounce of fat, six ounces of vegetables and six-tenths of a pint of milk per day, supplemented either by small amounts of cheese, pulses, meat, fish, sugar, eggs and dried fruit. Winston Churchill was concerned by the implications of this proposal and the advice was not published.oyal Pavilion (Brighton Food Office). An undercover policeman eventually agreed to buy the missing ration books. When the gang was arrested it was discovered the ring-leader was the Woman Enforcement Officer at the Brighton office who had reported the theft. She was later sent to prison for three years.

In August 1940 the government passed legislation that made the waste of food a prisonable offence. One of the first to be prosecuted was J. Lyons Ltd who was fined for allowing mice to eat food in its kitchens...”

</>

“Ivor Novello, the songwriter, was sent to prison for eight-weeks after he had fraudulently obtained petrol for his Rolls-Royce car. His friend, the actor and playwright, Noel Coward, was convicted for currency racketeering.. Another high profile conviction concerned Major-General Sir Percy Laurie, the Provost Marshal of Great Britain. He was found guilty of illegally obtaining a second ration book...”

“Women's magazines were packed with handy hints on how, for example, old curtains might be cut up to make a dress. Stockings were in short supply so girls coloured their legs with gravy browning. Sometimes a friend would draw a line down the back of their legs with an eyebrow pencil for a seam...”

</>

“(1) Winston Churchill, letter to Lord Woolton, Minister of Agriculture (14th June, 1941):

Have you done justice to rabbit production? Although-rabbits are not by themselves nourishing, they are a pretty good mitigation of vegetarianism. They eat mainly grass and greenstuffs, so what is the harm in encouraging their multiplication in captivity?

I welcome your increase of the meat ration, but it would be a pity to cut this down in the winter, just when fresh vegetables will also drop. Can you not get in additional supplies of American corned beef, pork, and bacon to bridge the winter gap? The more bread you force people to eat the greater the demands on tonnage will be. Reliance on bread is an evil which exaggerates itself. It would seem that you should make further efforts to open out your meat supplies.
I view with great concern any massacre of sheep and oxen. The reserve on the hoof is our main standby...”

</>

George Macbeth, A Child of the War (1987):

“It must have been about this time that the British Restaurants were opening, with their austerity jam roll and meat balls; and our own meals were beginning to rely rather more on rissoles and home-made apple sponge. But my mother was always a good manager, and I have no sense of any sudden period of shortage or of going hungry.

Sweets were the great loss. There was no longer an everlasting, teeth-spoiling fountain of sherbet and liquorice, or of Boy Blue cream whirls, or of Cadbury's Caramello. Sweets were hard to come by, and then limited to a fixed ration.
One of the worst casualties was chocolate. The traditional division into milk and plain disappeared, and an awful intervening variety known as Ration Chocolate was born, issued in semi-transparent grease-proof wrappers, and about as appetizing as cardboard. In spite of a lifelong sweet tooth, I could never eat it...”

</>

“Eileen Gallant lived in Forest Row, a small village in Sussex. In 1990 she was interviewed about her experiences of rationing during the Second World War.
“I used to take our ration books to Coatmans the grocer and Curtis the baker in East Grinstead. Sainsburys had moved into a small church after being bombed. There was no wrapping paper for anything, you took your own. The youngest children had baby ration books and I would queue up for the odd banana or orange. I thought the dried egg was lovely. You should have tasted carrot marmalade!...”

<>

On Sunday, September 8, 2013 1:35:27 PM UTC-4, Gregory Morrow wrote:
> This subject is evergreen on this group, here is some interesting stuff I found, some of it pretty humourous:
>
If you'd lived throughit you would not find it the least bit funny.

On Sun, 8 Sep 2013 12:00:54 -0700 (PDT), Helpful person
> wrote:

> On Sunday, September 8, 2013 1:35:27 PM UTC-4, Gregory Morrow wrote:
> > This subject is evergreen on this group, here is some interesting stuff I found, some of it pretty humourous:
> >
> If you'd lived throughit you would not find it the least bit funny.

Apparently you either weren't here in a previous persona when he was a
regular or else you've forgotten what he was like.

--
Food is an important part of a balanced diet.

On 9/8/2013 3:00 PM, Helpful person wrote:
> On Sunday, September 8, 2013 1:35:27 PM UTC-4, Gregory Morrow wrote:
>> This subject is evergreen on this group, here is some interesting stuff I found, some of it pretty humourous:
>>
> If you'd lived throughit you would not find it the least bit funny.
>

I was a child at the time and I can remember the uninteresting food but
it is believed that the general population ate a much more healthy diet
than before the war. One thing that sticks in my mind is the complete
unavailability of bananas.

--
Jim Silverton (Potomac, MD)

Extraneous "not." in Reply To.

On Sun, 08 Sep 2013 15:31:32 -0400, James Silverton wrote:

> I was a child at the time and I can remember the uninteresting food but
> it is believed that the general population ate a much more healthy diet
> than before the war. One thing that sticks in my mind is the complete
> unavailability of bananas.

I'd love to hear more your experiences if you would care to share. Do
you remember some typical meals? Did your family have a victory garden
or raise animals for food?

Tara

"Gregory Morrow" > wrote in message
...
This subject is evergreen on this group, here is some interesting stuff I
found, some of it pretty humourous:


http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/2WWrationing.htm
Rationing

And at the end of rationing, which continued until the early 50s, overall,
the population was fitter than it is now.
I still have my last ration book and those of my parents. When I ran an
errand for the widow next door, she would give me a sweets (candy) coupon
instead of a few pennies.
Graham

On Sun, 08 Sep 2013 15:31:32 -0400, James Silverton
> wrote:

> On 9/8/2013 3:00 PM, Helpful person wrote:
> > On Sunday, September 8, 2013 1:35:27 PM UTC-4, Gregory Morrow wrote:
> >> This subject is evergreen on this group, here is some interesting stuff I found, some of it pretty humourous:
> >>
> > If you'd lived throughit you would not find it the least bit funny.
> >
>
> I was a child at the time and I can remember the uninteresting food but
> it is believed that the general population ate a much more healthy diet
> than before the war. One thing that sticks in my mind is the complete
> unavailability of bananas.

I'm a little younger, but I remember when fresh food like oranges were
seasonal. If you wanted to drink orange juice year round, you used
frozen canned. I'll agree with you about the uninteresting part -
especially in rural areas, which (fortunately) started to change in
the '60s.

--
Food is an important part of a balanced diet.

On Sunday, September 8, 2013 12:35:27 PM UTC-5, Gregory Morrow wrote:
> This subject is evergreen on this group, here is some interesting stuff I found, some of it pretty humourous:
>
>
>
>
>
> http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/2WWrationing.htm
>
> Rationing
>
>
>
> “Before the Second World War started Britain imported about 55 million tons of food a year from other countries. Understandably, the German government did what they could to disrupt this trade. One of the main methods used by the Germans was to get their battleships and submarines to hunt down and sink British merchant vessels. With imports of food declining, the British government decided to introduce a system of rationing. This involved every householder registering with their local shops. The shopkeeper was then provided with enough food for his or her registered customers...”
>
>
>
> </>
>
>
>
> “ In the summer of 1940 the government established a committee of nutritional experts to advise the War Cabinet on food policy. The committee issued a report claiming that each citizen could survive on twelve ounces of bread, a pound of potatoes, two ounces of oatmeal, an ounce of fat, six ounces of vegetables and six-tenths of a pint of milk per day, supplemented either by small amounts of cheese, pulses, meat, fish, sugar, eggs and dried fruit. Winston Churchill was concerned by the implications of this proposal and the advice was not published...”
>
>
>
>
>
> </>
>
>
>
> “The Food Control Officer in Brighton discovered that 80,000 ration books had been stolen from the R In the summer of 1940 the government established a committee of nutritional experts to advise the War Cabinet on food policy. The committee issued a report claiming that each citizen could survive on twelve ounces of bread, a pound of potatoes, two ounces of oatmeal, an ounce of fat, six ounces of vegetables and six-tenths of a pint of milk per day, supplemented either by small amounts of cheese, pulses, meat, fish, sugar, eggs and dried fruit. Winston Churchill was concerned by the implications of this proposal and the advice was not published.oyal Pavilion (Brighton Food Office). An undercover policeman eventually agreed to buy the missing ration books. When the gang was arrested it was discovered the ring-leader was the Woman Enforcement Officer at the Brighton office who had reported the theft. She was later sent to prison for three years.
>
>
>
> In August 1940 the government passed legislation that made the waste of food a prisonable offence. One of the first to be prosecuted was J. Lyons Ltd who was fined for allowing mice to eat food in its kitchens...”
>
>
>
> </>
>
>
>
> “Ivor Novello, the songwriter, was sent to prison for eight-weeks after he had fraudulently obtained petrol for his Rolls-Royce car. His friend, the actor and playwright, Noel Coward, was convicted for currency racketeering. Another high profile conviction concerned Major-General Sir Percy Laurie, the Provost Marshal of Great Britain. He was found guilty of illegally obtaining a second ration book...”
>
>
>
> “Women's magazines were packed with handy hints on how, for example, old curtains might be cut up to make a dress. Stockings were in short supply so girls coloured their legs with gravy browning. Sometimes a friend would draw a line down the back of their legs with an eyebrow pencil for a seam....”
>
>
>
> </>
>
>
>
> “(1) Winston Churchill, letter to Lord Woolton, Minister of Agriculture (14th June, 1941):
>
>
>
> Have you done justice to rabbit production? Although-rabbits are not by themselves nourishing, they are a pretty good mitigation of vegetarianism. They eat mainly grass and greenstuffs, so what is the harm in encouraging their multiplication in captivity?
>
>
>
> I welcome your increase of the meat ration, but it would be a pity to cut this down in the winter, just when fresh vegetables will also drop. Can you not get in additional supplies of American corned beef, pork, and bacon to bridge the winter gap? The more bread you force people to eat the greater the demands on tonnage will be. Reliance on bread is an evil which exaggerates itself. It would seem that you should make further efforts to open out your meat supplies.
>
> I view with great concern any massacre of sheep and oxen. The reserve on the hoof is our main standby...”
>
>
>
> </>
>
>
>
> George Macbeth, A Child of the War (1987):
>
>
>
> “It must have been about this time that the British Restaurants were opening, with their austerity jam roll and meat balls; and our own meals were beginning to rely rather more on rissoles and home-made apple sponge. But my mother was always a good manager, and I have no sense of any sudden period of shortage or of going hungry.
>
>
>
> Sweets were the great loss. There was no longer an everlasting, teeth-spoiling fountain of sherbet and liquorice, or of Boy Blue cream whirls, or of Cadbury's Caramello. Sweets were hard to come by, and then limited to a fixed ration.
>
> One of the worst casualties was chocolate. The traditional division into milk and plain disappeared, and an awful intervening variety known as Ration Chocolate was born, issued in semi-transparent grease-proof wrappers, and about as appetizing as cardboard. In spite of a lifelong sweet tooth, I could never eat it...”
>
>
>
> </>
>
>
>
> “Eileen Gallant lived in Forest Row, a small village in Sussex. In 1990 she was interviewed about her experiences of rationing during the Second World War.
>
> “I used to take our ration books to Coatmans the grocer and Curtis the baker in East Grinstead. Sainsburys had moved into a small church after being bombed. There was no wrapping paper for anything, you took your own. The youngest children had baby ration books and I would queue up for the odd banana or orange. I thought the dried egg was lovely. You should have tasted carrot marmalade!...”
>

So, what's funny about any of this?

"James Silverton" > wrote in message
...
> On 9/8/2013 3:00 PM, Helpful person wrote:
>> On Sunday, September 8, 2013 1:35:27 PM UTC-4, Gregory Morrow wrote:
>>> This subject is evergreen on this group, here is some interesting stuff
>>> I found, some of it pretty humourous:
>>>
>> If you'd lived throughit you would not find it the least bit funny.
>>
>
> I was a child at the time and I can remember the uninteresting food but it
> is believed that the general population ate a much more healthy diet than
> before the war. One thing that sticks in my mind is the complete
> unavailability of bananas.

Some memories for you

http://1940sexperiment.wordpress.com...rtime-recipes/

http://cookit.e2bn.org/historycookbo...rld-war-2.html

http://www.allthatwomenwant.co.uk/wartimerecipes.htm

http://www.recipespastandpresent.org.uk/wartime/

http://www.google.co.uk/search?q=wwi...w=1093&bih=485

One of my favourites to this day and which I make most weeks, Egg and Bacon
Pie?

http://www.lavenderandlovage.com/cat...osts/meat/game

--
--
http://www.helpforheroes.org.uk/shop/

"Ophelia" > wrote in message
...
>
>
> "James Silverton" > wrote in message
> ...
>> On 9/8/2013 3:00 PM, Helpful person wrote:
>>> On Sunday, September 8, 2013 1:35:27 PM UTC-4, Gregory Morrow wrote:
>>>> This subject is evergreen on this group, here is some interesting stuff
>>>> I found, some of it pretty humourous:
>>>>
>>> If you'd lived throughit you would not find it the least bit funny.
>>>
>>
>> I was a child at the time and I can remember the uninteresting food but
>> it is believed that the general population ate a much more healthy diet
>> than before the war. One thing that sticks in my mind is the complete
>> unavailability of bananas.
>
> Some memories for you
>
> http://1940sexperiment.wordpress.com...rtime-recipes/
>
> http://cookit.e2bn.org/historycookbo...rld-war-2.html
>
> http://www.allthatwomenwant.co.uk/wartimerecipes.htm
>
> http://www.recipespastandpresent.org.uk/wartime/
>
> http://www.google.co.uk/search?q=wwi...w=1093&bih=485
>
> One of my favourites to this day and which I make most weeks, Egg and
> Bacon Pie?
>
> http://www.lavenderandlovage.com/cat...osts/meat/game
>
> --
> --
> http://www.helpforheroes.org.uk/shop/

I have some reproductions of cookbooks from that era that were put out by
the British Government. Interesting recipes in there! My favorite is the
Lobscouse which bears no resemblance to the meat dish of the same name. It
is simply mashed potatoes served with a sauce made of cheese and canned
tomatoes.

James Silverton wrote:

On 9/8/2013 3:00 PM, Helpful person wrote:
>
> > On Sunday, September 8, 2013 1:35:27 PM UTC-4, Gregory Morrow wrote:
>
> >> This subject is evergreen on this group, here is some interesting stuff I found, some of it pretty humourous:
>
> >>
>
> > If you'd lived throughit you would not find it the least bit funny.
>
> >
>
>
>
> I was a child at the time and I can remember the uninteresting food but
>
> it is believed that the general population ate a much more healthy diet
>
> than before the war. One thing that sticks in my mind is the complete
>
> unavailability of bananas.


Saw on a TV documentary that onions were also in short supply as much of the onion crop came from the Channel Islands, which were occupied...and that there was a vile canned South African fish called "snoek" that was a staple.


--
Best
Greg

On 9/8/2013 3:44 PM, Tara wrote:
> On Sun, 08 Sep 2013 15:31:32 -0400, James Silverton wrote:
>
>> I was a child at the time and I can remember the uninteresting food but
>> it is believed that the general population ate a much more healthy diet
>> than before the war. One thing that sticks in my mind is the complete
>> unavailability of bananas.
>
> I'd love to hear more your experiences if you would care to share. Do
> you remember some typical meals? Did your family have a victory garden
> or raise animals for food?

Well, you asked for it, but I scribbled down a few memories, a bit
disjointed but I have not thought about British rationing in a long time.

My family was not completely unusual in that we were a one-parent family
with my father in the British army and perhaps better off than some. We
did grow some vegetables in our small back yard both root and salad;
lettuce, carrots and radishes I recall. Tomatoes did not grow out of
doors in those days but we occasionally got some from uncles with
green-houses.

An impression that remains is the scarcity of the unrationed food that
could be bought usually at the cost of standing in a long line. The word
would pass remarkably quickly (even in the absence of telephones for
many people) that a certain store had unrationed oranges and while the
number you could buy was limited, long lines would form as people
converged on the store. I dont remember eating grapefruit or grapes
either. Apples and berries were scarce but could be bought. Bread was
not rationed during the war and only became rationed in the austerity
years between 1945 and 1948.

Ice cream was unrationed but not readily available. Like oranges, the
word flashed around that a store was selling some and kids would descend
on the place. As I recall there was usually one flavor called €œvanilla€�
and it was very watery.

School children had a special ration of milk which was 1/3 of a British
pint and sold at a subsidized price at school and later was free.

As I recall, fish was unrationed but was scarce even in a seaside town
like where I lived. People got used to eating fish like skate which was
regarded as trash before the war. Nowadays, it is called €œraie€� and is
sought after. I believe kippers were sometimes available but Ive never
liked them.

I believe restaurant food was unrationed but rather drab and requiring
waiting in lines to enter the restaurant. Again, fish and chips were
available unrationed but lines were long and the quality and age of the
fish was pretty dismal.

The candy ration, controlled by coupons, was small and I think was about
12 ounces per month per person at its lowest. We kids resented this but
our teeth probably benefitted. Going to the movies, our three person
family might buy one Mars bar to share among all of us. If we wanted
candy at Xmas, we just gave up eating it until the day.

Soft drinks were produced according to a set of government rules and
sold with the same drab uninteresting labels wherever you could buy it
and most proprietary drinks like Coca-Cola just disappeared. I had known
Coke before the war and I still remember when it became available again
in 1945.

Sometimes one could buy unrationed fresh eggs from farmers wives
(possibly illegally) but besides the small ration, dried eggs from
across the Atlantic were very common. People complained bitterly about
them but they really were not bad and no worse than Eggbeaters. Orange
juice came as similar transatlantic concentrates.


--
Jim Silverton (Potomac, MD)

Extraneous "not." in Reply To.

On Sunday, September 8, 2013 2:47:26 PM UTC-5, graham wrote:
> "Gregory Morrow" > wrote in message
>
> ...
>
> This subject is evergreen on this group, here is some interesting stuff I
>
> found, some of it pretty humourous:
>
>
>
>
>
> http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/2WWrationing.htm
>
> Rationing
>
>
>
> And at the end of rationing, which continued until the early 50s, overall,
>
> the population was fitter than it is now.
>
> I still have my last ration book and those of my parents. When I ran an
>
> errand for the widow next door, she would give me a sweets (candy) coupon
>
> instead of a few pennies.


Yes, rationing continued on into the mid-fifties. Special extra rations were IIRC given for baking cakes and other sweets in celebration of the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II.

I've read that rationing became even *more* dire *after* the war...the population was thus displeased and Labour was voted in...

;-)

--
Best
Greg

On 9/8/2013 5:55 PM, James Silverton wrote:
>
> Well, you asked for it, but I scribbled down a few memories, a bit
> disjointed but I have not thought about British rationing in a long time.

I enjoyed reading your memories. Thanks for sharing it!

--
CAPSLOCK€“Preventing Login Since 1980.

On 9/8/2013 5:06 PM, Ophelia wrote:
>
> One of my favourites to this day and which I make most weeks, Egg and
> Bacon Pie?
>
> http://www.lavenderandlovage.com/cat...osts/meat/game

Not unlike a quiche but with a top crust. Looks good.

--
CAPSLOCK–Preventing Login Since 1980.

On Sun, 8 Sep 2013 14:12:55 -0700, "Julie Bove"
> wrote:

>I have some reproductions of cookbooks from that era that were put out by
>the British Government. Interesting recipes in there! My favorite is the
>Lobscouse which bears no resemblance to the meat dish of the same name. It
>is simply mashed potatoes served with a sauce made of cheese and canned
>tomatoes.

I have a cookbook from my mother that includes a section entitled,
"Wartime Cookery." It included a bit of advice on how to make
margarine look "appealing."

Terry "Squeaks" Pulliam Burd

On Sunday, September 8, 2013 2:55:43 PM UTC-7, James Silverton wrote:

James' memories are interesting.

>
> My family was not completely unusual in that we were a one-parent family
> with my father in the British army and perhaps better off than some. We
> did grow some vegetables in our small back yard both root and salad;
> lettuce, carrots and radishes I recall. Tomatoes did not grow out of
> doors in those days but we occasionally got some from uncles with
> green-houses.
>

The only time I was in the British Isles, I noticed tomatoes growing in
green houses in people's back yards. This was 30 years ago -- have things
changed?

>
> Ice cream was unrationed but not readily available. Like oranges, the
> word flashed around that a store was selling some and kids would descend
> on the place. As I recall there was usually one flavor called “vanilla”
> and it was very watery.

I recall reading that the young Margaret Thatcher was a research chemist
in J. Lyons' ice cream lab, so they must have been trying to improve things
after the war.

>
> Soft drinks were produced according to a set of government rules and
> sold with the same drab uninteresting labels wherever you could buy it
> and most proprietary drinks like Coca-Cola just disappeared. I had known
> Coke before the war and I still remember when it became available again
> in 1945.

Interesting. I remember reading that, cut off from the source of syrup, Coca-Cola people in Germany kept the plant going during the war with
whatever flavorings and sweeteners they could scrounge,
and that this was the origin of the Fanta (for Fantasy) line.

Snip
I have 2 strong memories of this. First my Mother would often say that
she had indigestion and did not want any dinner. Looking back I am
pretty certain that it was so that we children could have more. Secondly
I remember when sweets came of ration the shops were cleared in hours,
so they put them on ration again, but only for a short while. Since the
war talking to people it was obvious they thought that us country people
were living the life of luxury as we could get all we needed from the
farmers. In fact it was the opposite as "Townies" sometimes got extra as
some people did no use all their rations up.

> wrote in message
...
> On Sunday, September 8, 2013 2:55:43 PM UTC-7, James Silverton wrote:
>
> James' memories are interesting.
>
>>
>> My family was not completely unusual in that we were a one-parent family
>> with my father in the British army and perhaps better off than some. We
>> did grow some vegetables in our small back yard both root and salad;
>> lettuce, carrots and radishes I recall. Tomatoes did not grow out of
>> doors in those days but we occasionally got some from uncles with
>> green-houses.
>>
>
> The only time I was in the British Isles, I noticed tomatoes growing in
> green houses in people's back yards. This was 30 years ago -- have things
> changed?

Certainly I don't see so many, but there are still plenty around
--
--
http://www.helpforheroes.org.uk/shop/

"Cheryl" > wrote in message
eb.com...
> On 9/8/2013 5:06 PM, Ophelia wrote:
>>
>> One of my favourites to this day and which I make most weeks, Egg and
>> Bacon Pie?
>>
>> http://www.lavenderandlovage.com/cat...osts/meat/game
>
> Not unlike a quiche but with a top crust. Looks good.

True They are very popular with my family

--
--
http://www.helpforheroes.org.uk/shop/

"James Silverton" > wrote in message
...
> On 9/8/2013 3:44 PM, Tara wrote:
>> On Sun, 08 Sep 2013 15:31:32 -0400, James Silverton wrote:
>>
>>> I was a child at the time and I can remember the uninteresting food but
>>> it is believed that the general population ate a much more healthy diet
>>> than before the war. One thing that sticks in my mind is the complete
>>> unavailability of bananas.
>>
>> I'd love to hear more your experiences if you would care to share. Do
>> you remember some typical meals? Did your family have a victory garden
>> or raise animals for food?
>
> Well, you asked for it, but I scribbled down a few memories, a bit
> disjointed but I have not thought about British rationing in a long time.
>
> My family was not completely unusual in that we were a one-parent family
> with my father in the British army and perhaps better off than some. We
> did grow some vegetables in our small back yard both root and salad;
> lettuce, carrots and radishes I recall. Tomatoes did not grow out of doors
> in those days but we occasionally got some from uncles with green-houses.
>
> An impression that remains is the scarcity of the unrationed food that
> could be bought usually at the cost of standing in a long line. The word
> would pass remarkably quickly (even in the absence of telephones for many
> people) that a certain store had unrationed oranges and while the number
> you could buy was limited, long lines would form as people converged on
> the store. I dont remember eating grapefruit or grapes either. Apples and
> berries were scarce but could be bought. Bread was not rationed during the
> war and only became rationed in the austerity years between 1945 and 1948.
>
> Ice cream was unrationed but not readily available. Like oranges, the word
> flashed around that a store was selling some and kids would descend on the
> place. As I recall there was usually one flavor called €œvanilla€� and it
> was very watery.
>
> School children had a special ration of milk which was 1/3 of a British
> pint and sold at a subsidized price at school and later was free.
>
> As I recall, fish was unrationed but was scarce even in a seaside town
> like where I lived. People got used to eating fish like skate which was
> regarded as trash before the war. Nowadays, it is called €œraie€� and is
> sought after. I believe kippers were sometimes available but Ive never
> liked them.
>
> I believe restaurant food was unrationed but rather drab and requiring
> waiting in lines to enter the restaurant. Again, fish and chips were
> available unrationed but lines were long and the quality and age of the
> fish was pretty dismal.
>
> The candy ration, controlled by coupons, was small and I think was about
> 12 ounces per month per person at its lowest. We kids resented this but
> our teeth probably benefitted. Going to the movies, our three person
> family might buy one Mars bar to share among all of us. If we wanted candy
> at Xmas, we just gave up eating it until the day.
>
> Soft drinks were produced according to a set of government rules and sold
> with the same drab uninteresting labels wherever you could buy it and most
> proprietary drinks like Coca-Cola just disappeared. I had known Coke
> before the war and I still remember when it became available again in
> 1945.
>
> Sometimes one could buy unrationed fresh eggs from farmers wives
> (possibly illegally) but besides the small ration, dried eggs from across
> the Atlantic were very common. People complained bitterly about them but
> they really were not bad and no worse than Eggbeaters. Orange juice came
> as similar transatlantic concentrates.

Wonderful!!!! Thanks for sharing)

--
--
http://www.helpforheroes.org.uk/shop/

On Sunday, September 8, 2013 5:12:55 PM UTC-4, Julie Bove wrote:
>
> I have some reproductions of cookbooks from that era that were put out by
>
> the British Government. Interesting recipes in there! My favorite is the
>
> Lobscouse which bears no resemblance to the meat dish of the same name. It
> is simply mashed potatoes served with a sauce made of cheese and canned
> tomatoes.

Isn't that Blind Scouse (no meat)?

http://www.richardfisher.com

On 2013-09-08 3:31 PM, James Silverton wrote:
> On 9/8/2013 3:00 PM, Helpful person wrote:
>> On Sunday, September 8, 2013 1:35:27 PM UTC-4, Gregory Morrow wrote:
>>> This subject is evergreen on this group, here is some interesting
>>> stuff I found, some of it pretty humourous:
>>>
>> If you'd lived throughit you would not find it the least bit funny.
>>
>
> I was a child at the time and I can remember the uninteresting food but
> it is believed that the general population ate a much more healthy diet
> than before the war. One thing that sticks in my mind is the complete
> unavailability of bananas.
>


My father was in the air force and shipped over to the UK in 1941. In
1943 he was shot down over Denmark and spent several days on the run and
hiding from Germans before connecting with the Danish Resistance. He had
very little food and lost close to 25 pounds. The Resistance smuggled
him over to Sweden and once he got out of jail there (for illegal entry)
and got temporary refugee status he was given ration tickets and was
thrilled at the amount and variety of food that was available in Sweden.


I recently read something about beer and grain in the UK during the war.
There were hundreds of thousands of young men, soldiers, airmen and
sailors, who had money and spare time and spent a lot of it in bars
drinking beer. The demand for beer put a serious crimp on supply of grain.

On Sun, 8 Sep 2013 22:06:28 +0100, "Ophelia"
> wrote:

>
>
>"James Silverton" > wrote in message
...
>> On 9/8/2013 3:00 PM, Helpful person wrote:
>>> On Sunday, September 8, 2013 1:35:27 PM UTC-4, Gregory Morrow wrote:
>>>> This subject is evergreen on this group, here is some interesting stuff
>>>> I found, some of it pretty humourous:
>>>>
>>> If you'd lived throughit you would not find it the least bit funny.
>>>
>>
>> I was a child at the time and I can remember the uninteresting food but it
>> is believed that the general population ate a much more healthy diet than
>> before the war. One thing that sticks in my mind is the complete
>> unavailability of bananas.
>
>Some memories for you
>
>http://1940sexperiment.wordpress.com...rtime-recipes/
>
>http://cookit.e2bn.org/historycookbo...rld-war-2.html
>
>http://www.allthatwomenwant.co.uk/wartimerecipes.htm
>
>http://www.recipespastandpresent.org.uk/wartime/
>
>http://www.google.co.uk/search?q=wwi...w=1093&bih=485
>
>One of my favourites to this day and which I make most weeks, Egg and Bacon
>Pie?
>
>http://www.lavenderandlovage.com/cat...osts/meat/game

When I make egg and bacon pie I do not beat the eggs. I put half the
cooked bacon on the bottom of the pie, crack whole eggs on top (as
many as I can fit) and add the rest of the bacon on top. I like having
the white and yolk seperate and getting a whole yolk in a slice.
Sometimes I slip a bit of cheese in there too.

JB


>

>--

"JBurns" > wrote in message
...
> On Sun, 8 Sep 2013 22:06:28 +0100, "Ophelia"
> > wrote:
>
>>
>>
>>"James Silverton" > wrote in message
...
>>> On 9/8/2013 3:00 PM, Helpful person wrote:
>>>> On Sunday, September 8, 2013 1:35:27 PM UTC-4, Gregory Morrow wrote:
>>>>> This subject is evergreen on this group, here is some interesting
>>>>> stuff
>>>>> I found, some of it pretty humourous:
>>>>>
>>>> If you'd lived throughit you would not find it the least bit funny.
>>>>
>>>
>>> I was a child at the time and I can remember the uninteresting food but
>>> it
>>> is believed that the general population ate a much more healthy diet
>>> than
>>> before the war. One thing that sticks in my mind is the complete
>>> unavailability of bananas.
>>
>>Some memories for you
>>
>>http://1940sexperiment.wordpress.com...rtime-recipes/
>>
>>http://cookit.e2bn.org/historycookbo...rld-war-2.html
>>
>>http://www.allthatwomenwant.co.uk/wartimerecipes.htm
>>
>>http://www.recipespastandpresent.org.uk/wartime/
>>
>>http://www.google.co.uk/search?q=wwi...w=1093&bih=485
>>
>>One of my favourites to this day and which I make most weeks, Egg and
>>Bacon
>>Pie?
>>
>>http://www.lavenderandlovage.com/cat...osts/meat/game
>
> When I make egg and bacon pie I do not beat the eggs. I put half the
> cooked bacon on the bottom of the pie, crack whole eggs on top (as
> many as I can fit) and add the rest of the bacon on top. I like having
> the white and yolk seperate and getting a whole yolk in a slice.
> Sometimes I slip a bit of cheese in there too.

I often slice some tomatoes in it too

--

--
--
http://www.helpforheroes.org.uk/shop/

"Helpful person" > wrote in message
...
> On Sunday, September 8, 2013 5:12:55 PM UTC-4, Julie Bove wrote:
>>
>> I have some reproductions of cookbooks from that era that were put out by
>>
>> the British Government. Interesting recipes in there! My favorite is
>> the
>>
>> Lobscouse which bears no resemblance to the meat dish of the same name.
>> It
>> is simply mashed potatoes served with a sauce made of cheese and canned
>> tomatoes.
>
> Isn't that Blind Scouse (no meat)?

They call it Lobscouse in my book and say it was fed to British sailors.

On Sun, 08 Sep 2013 17:55:43 -0400, James Silverton
> wrote:

>On 9/8/2013 3:44 PM, Tara wrote:
>> On Sun, 08 Sep 2013 15:31:32 -0400, James Silverton wrote:
>>
>>> I was a child at the time and I can remember the uninteresting food but
>>> it is believed that the general population ate a much more healthy diet
>>> than before the war. One thing that sticks in my mind is the complete
>>> unavailability of bananas.
>>
>> I'd love to hear more your experiences if you would care to share. Do
>> you remember some typical meals? Did your family have a victory garden
>> or raise animals for food?
>
>Well, you asked for it, but I scribbled down a few memories, a bit
>disjointed but I have not thought about British rationing in a long time.
>
>My family was not completely unusual in that we were a one-parent family
>with my father in the British army and perhaps better off than some. We
>did grow some vegetables in our small back yard both root and salad;
>lettuce, carrots and radishes I recall. Tomatoes did not grow out of
>doors in those days but we occasionally got some from uncles with
>green-houses.
>
>An impression that remains is the scarcity of the unrationed food that
>could be bought usually at the cost of standing in a long line. The word
>would pass remarkably quickly (even in the absence of telephones for
>many people) that a certain store had unrationed oranges and while the
>number you could buy was limited, long lines would form as people
>converged on the store. I don’t remember eating grapefruit or grapes
>either. Apples and berries were scarce but could be bought. Bread was
>not rationed during the war and only became rationed in the austerity
>years between 1945 and 1948.
>
>Ice cream was unrationed but not readily available. Like oranges, the
>word flashed around that a store was selling some and kids would descend
>on the place. As I recall there was usually one flavor called “vanilla”
>and it was very watery.
>
>School children had a special ration of milk which was 1/3 of a British
>pint and sold at a subsidized price at school and later was free.
>
>As I recall, fish was unrationed but was scarce even in a seaside town
>like where I lived. People got used to eating fish like skate which was
>regarded as trash before the war. Nowadays, it is called “raie” and is
>sought after. I believe kippers were sometimes available but I’ve never
>liked them.
>
>I believe restaurant food was unrationed but rather drab and requiring
>waiting in lines to enter the restaurant. Again, fish and chips were
>available unrationed but lines were long and the quality and age of the
>fish was pretty dismal.
>
>The candy ration, controlled by coupons, was small and I think was about
>12 ounces per month per person at its lowest. We kids resented this but
>our teeth probably benefitted. Going to the movies, our three person
>family might buy one Mars bar to share among all of us. If we wanted
>candy at Xmas, we just gave up eating it until the day.
>
>Soft drinks were produced according to a set of government rules and
>sold with the same drab uninteresting labels wherever you could buy it
>and most proprietary drinks like Coca-Cola just disappeared. I had known
>Coke before the war and I still remember when it became available again
>in 1945.
>
>Sometimes one could buy unrationed fresh eggs from farmer’s wives
>(possibly illegally) but besides the small ration, dried eggs from
>across the Atlantic were very common. People complained bitterly about
>them but they really were not bad and no worse than Eggbeaters. Orange
>juice came as similar transatlantic concentrates.

There is a BBC series called Wartime Farm that documents how farms had
to be run during the war. It's been on a couple of times in Canada.
Very educational, and we quite enjoyed it.

Doris

In article >,
says...
>
> On Sunday, September 8, 2013 2:55:43 PM UTC-7, James Silverton wrote:
>
> James' memories are interesting.
>
> >
> > My family was not completely unusual in that we were a one-parent family
> > with my father in the British army and perhaps better off than some. We
> > did grow some vegetables in our small back yard both root and salad;
> > lettuce, carrots and radishes I recall. Tomatoes did not grow out of
> > doors in those days but we occasionally got some from uncles with
> > green-houses.
> >
>
> The only time I was in the British Isles, I noticed tomatoes growing in
> green houses in people's back yards. This was 30 years ago -- have things
> changed?

Nope, lots of people have greenhouses and grow tomatoes in them.



Janet UK

On 9/9/2013 2:06 PM, Janet wrote:
> In article >,
> says...
>>
>> On Sunday, September 8, 2013 2:55:43 PM UTC-7, James Silverton wrote:
>>
>> James' memories are interesting.
>>
>>>
>>> My family was not completely unusual in that we were a one-parent family
>>> with my father in the British army and perhaps better off than some. We
>>> did grow some vegetables in our small back yard both root and salad;
>>> lettuce, carrots and radishes I recall. Tomatoes did not grow out of
>>> doors in those days but we occasionally got some from uncles with
>>> green-houses.
>>>
>>
>> The only time I was in the British Isles, I noticed tomatoes growing in
>> green houses in people's back yards. This was 30 years ago -- have things
>> changed?
>
> Nope, lots of people have greenhouses and grow tomatoes in them.
>
>
>
> Janet UK
>
But even in the 50's tomatoes had been developed that would ripen out of
doors in Scotland. My father grew some of those but he also had a
greenhouse.

--
Jim Silverton (Potomac, MD)

Extraneous "not." in Reply To.

"Doris Night" > wrote in message
...

> There is a BBC series called Wartime Farm that documents how farms had
> to be run during the war. It's been on a couple of times in Canada.
> Very educational, and we quite enjoyed it.

I wish it would air here. Seems there is nothing good on BBC America any
more.

"James Silverton" > wrote in message
...

> But even in the 50's tomatoes had been developed that would ripen out of
> doors in Scotland. My father grew some of those but he also had a
> greenhouse.

A few years ago I bought a cherry tomato plant for the kitchen. Alas, it
died. I have determined that my greenhouse window is just too harsh to grow
much. I can do cactus and succulents and they seem to far well. But the
temp. just gets too extreme for other things. This summer I did not open
the little windows surrounding the sink and the temp. stayed cooler in the
house!

The window also gets very cold in the winter. Did not do so well for the
herbs and African violets but the catcus are still there. I started them
from seed when we first moved in.

In article >,
says...
>
> On 9/9/2013 2:06 PM, Janet wrote:
> > In article >,
> > says...
> >>
> >> On Sunday, September 8, 2013 2:55:43 PM UTC-7, James Silverton wrote:
> >>
> >> James' memories are interesting.
> >>
> >>>
> >>> My family was not completely unusual in that we were a one-parent family
> >>> with my father in the British army and perhaps better off than some. We
> >>> did grow some vegetables in our small back yard both root and salad;
> >>> lettuce, carrots and radishes I recall. Tomatoes did not grow out of
> >>> doors in those days but we occasionally got some from uncles with
> >>> green-houses.
> >>>
> >>
> >> The only time I was in the British Isles, I noticed tomatoes growing in
> >> green houses in people's back yards. This was 30 years ago -- have things
> >> changed?
> >
> > Nope, lots of people have greenhouses and grow tomatoes in them.
> >
> >
> >
> > Janet UK
> >
> But even in the 50's tomatoes had been developed that would ripen out of
> doors in Scotland.

In a warm sunny summer, maybe; but those are not guaranteed in
Scotland.. and in some parts the frost-free period can be as short as 3
months.

Janet UK

> My father grew some of those but he also had a
> greenhouse.

On 9/9/2013 6:55 PM, Janet wrote:
> In article >,
> says...
>>
>> On 9/9/2013 2:06 PM, Janet wrote:
>>> In article >,
>>> says...
>>>>
>>>> On Sunday, September 8, 2013 2:55:43 PM UTC-7, James Silverton wrote:
>>>>
>>>> James' memories are interesting.
>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>> My family was not completely unusual in that we were a one-parent family
>>>>> with my father in the British army and perhaps better off than some. We
>>>>> did grow some vegetables in our small back yard both root and salad;
>>>>> lettuce, carrots and radishes I recall. Tomatoes did not grow out of
>>>>> doors in those days but we occasionally got some from uncles with
>>>>> green-houses.
>>>>>
>>>>
>>>> The only time I was in the British Isles, I noticed tomatoes growing in
>>>> green houses in people's back yards. This was 30 years ago -- have things
>>>> changed?
>>>
>>> Nope, lots of people have greenhouses and grow tomatoes in them.
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> Janet UK
>>>
>> But even in the 50's tomatoes had been developed that would ripen out of
>> doors in Scotland.
>
> In a warm sunny summer, maybe; but those are not guaranteed in
> Scotland.. and in some parts the frost-free period can be as short as 3
> months.
>
> Janet UK
>
>> My father grew some of those but he also had a
>> greenhouse.
>
>
>
I'm pretty sure that my father tried to grow hardy tomatoes on the West
of Scotland. Thinking about it, I don't believe they were very
successful. It's possible too that the final ripening was done indoors
just like late tomatoes here where they are ripened indoors wrapped in
newspaper. I just don't remember.

--
Jim Silverton (Potomac, MD)

Extraneous "not." in Reply To.

On Mon, 9 Sep 2013 15:17:07 -0700, "Julie Bove"
> wrote:

>
>"Doris Night" > wrote in message
.. .
>
>> There is a BBC series called Wartime Farm that documents how farms had
>> to be run during the war. It's been on a couple of times in Canada.
>> Very educational, and we quite enjoyed it.
>
>I wish it would air here. Seems there is nothing good on BBC America any
>more.

YMMV, but Bill and I are quite enjoying "Broadchurch" and "Copper." Of
course, that's on the entertainment side, not the documentary side.

Terry "Squeaks" Pulliam Burd

On Sat, 21 Sep 2013 22:20:24 -0700, Terry Pulliam Burd
> wrote:

>On Mon, 9 Sep 2013 15:17:07 -0700, "Julie Bove"
> wrote:
>
>>
>>"Doris Night" > wrote in message
. ..
>>
>>> There is a BBC series called Wartime Farm that documents how farms had
>>> to be run during the war. It's been on a couple of times in Canada.
>>> Very educational, and we quite enjoyed it.
>>
>>I wish it would air here. Seems there is nothing good on BBC America any
>>more.
>
>YMMV, but Bill and I are quite enjoying "Broadchurch" and "Copper." Of
>course, that's on the entertainment side, not the documentary side.

Ahh ... Broadchurch - we just finished watching season 1, and I'm
eagerly anticipating season 2.

Season 4 of Downton Abbey starts tonight in the UK. We'll download
that from The Pirate Bay and start watching it tomorrow.

Doris

On 9/22/2013 1:02 PM, Doris Night wrote:
> On Sat, 21 Sep 2013 22:20:24 -0700, Terry Pulliam Burd
> > wrote:
>
>> On Mon, 9 Sep 2013 15:17:07 -0700, "Julie Bove"
>> > wrote:
>>
>>>
>>> "Doris Night" > wrote in message
>>> ...
>>>
>>>> There is a BBC series called Wartime Farm that documents how farms had
>>>> to be run during the war. It's been on a couple of times in Canada.
>>>> Very educational, and we quite enjoyed it.
>>>
>>> I wish it would air here. Seems there is nothing good on BBC America any
>>> more.
>>
>> YMMV, but Bill and I are quite enjoying "Broadchurch" and "Copper." Of
>> course, that's on the entertainment side, not the documentary side.
>
> Ahh ... Broadchurch - we just finished watching season 1, and I'm
> eagerly anticipating season 2.

No Broadchurch spoilers, please! Just kidding. Happy to hear
there's a season 2.

> Season 4 of Downton Abbey starts tonight in the UK. We'll download
> that from The Pirate Bay and start watching it tomorrow.

Will be interesting to see how it goes after last season's heart
breaker.

nancy

On 9/22/2013 2:06 PM, Nancy Young wrote:
> On 9/22/2013 1:02 PM, Doris Night wrote:
>> On Sat, 21 Sep 2013 22:20:24 -0700, Terry Pulliam Burd
>> > wrote:
>>
>>> On Mon, 9 Sep 2013 15:17:07 -0700, "Julie Bove"
>>> > wrote:
>>>
>>>>
>>>> "Doris Night" > wrote in message
>>>> ...
>>>>
>>>>> There is a BBC series called Wartime Farm that documents how farms had
>>>>> to be run during the war. It's been on a couple of times in Canada.
>>>>> Very educational, and we quite enjoyed it.
>>>>
>>>> I wish it would air here. Seems there is nothing good on BBC
>>>> America any
>>>> more.
>>>
>>> YMMV, but Bill and I are quite enjoying "Broadchurch" and "Copper." Of
>>> course, that's on the entertainment side, not the documentary side.
>>
>> Ahh ... Broadchurch - we just finished watching season 1, and I'm
>> eagerly anticipating season 2.
>
> No Broadchurch spoilers, please! Just kidding. Happy to hear
> there's a season 2.
>
>> Season 4 of Downton Abbey starts tonight in the UK. We'll download
>> that from The Pirate Bay and start watching it tomorrow.
>
> Will be interesting to see how it goes after last season's heart
> breaker.
>

Yes, I could also wish that WETA America would stop interleaving
episodes from different series without warning, indication of repeats or
even showing the copyright date. A recent two-episode broadcast of
Foyle's War is a case in point.


--
Jim Silverton (Potomac, MD)

Extraneous "not." in Reply To.

Great story. Thanks for sharing. Can only tell one pertinent story my Daddy spoke of over there during the Big War. He was stationed in London with the US Army Air Corps as an MP. His main job was to take American Fliers who had missed their bombing mission to an automatic sentence of six months in a super brutal prison camp. Was not good to miss a mission. He did not get shot at much but the whole affair was not pleasant for anybody. He made a bunch of Limey friends in his spare time. He said if you went into one of the local's homes. A person could normally find a quarter of a sheep or some other smallish critter..cow maybe? hung up from the living room ceiling. Only the menfolks got to eat that..and they would not touch it till it got "high" and that varied as to how long it had been hung up..smelled right etc. Sounded like controlled rot to some..but apparently keep them going. The wimmen and chillins ate "crackers"..that sounds tasty and nutritious huh? Cheerio old chap. I got a brudder running around over there somewhere. Drive careful..lol.