Wartime cooking

Morning Glory said:
What is the allowance for grains, pulses, veg and fruit? Sorry if I misread but I couldn't see that.

Checked out the link briefly - from the January entries it seems more like a vegan food blog (certainly not 1940's!). But there are useful resources elsewhere on the site relating to war-time rationing.

I've got various vintage war-time recipe books. One big issue with all the recipes I have seems to be an almost complete lack of spices and herbs other than small pinches of dried herbs occasionally. Bland food - there was a good TV series about this subject as part of the excellent 'Back in time for dinner' series. Its a documentary series where a real life family is transported back in time and live and cook under replicated conditions.

Further Back in Time for Dinner, Series 1, 1940s ... - BBC Twowww.bbc.co.uk › ... › Series 1 › 1940s

Apologies if some members cannot access the clip.
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Grains and potatoes were off ration, as were veg and fruit in the UK. Some were hard to obtain, like onions . Therefore the ' dig for victory' government campaign was started. This gave everyone the right to an allotment to grow their own vegetables because the farmers were set upon the task of growing enough grain and potatoes to feed the nation.

Pulses and preserves were given a points value system. 16 points per person per month.

I loved back in time for dinner 😍 I watched all the seasons
 
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my (maternal) grandparents raised five kids (pre-teen thru teenage) through WW2.

mid-80's we were living in Germany and she came over for a visit (she was born in Transylvania.....) - we went to dinner and she selected Hasen-Pfeffer.
as she finished up, she commented this was the first time since the war ended she had rabbit . . . then she told the story . . .
seems my grandfather raised rabbits for meat during the rationing and they ate a lot of rabbit back then, and she really had no hankering for rabbit after that....
 
Study shows wartime rations were better for children

Wartime ration trial gives weight to argument for new school menu​

Children would be in far better shape if fed wartime rations.

A study comparing the weight and growth of pupils fed on a 1940s diet with those on a contemporary menu rich in junk food underlines the growing concern over obesity levels in Britain's youngsters. The current generation of eight-year-olds consumes on average 1,200 calories a day more than their counterparts 60 years ago.

In addition, those fed on wartime rations grew significantly taller while shedding substantially more weight compared to those on a modern diet of school meals and packed lunches.
 
CookieMonster said:
my (maternal) grandparents raised five kids (pre-teen thru teenage) through WW2.

mid-80's we were living in Germany and she came over for a visit (she was born in Transylvania.....) - we went to dinner and she selected Hasen-Pfeffer.
as she finished up, she commented this was the first time since the war ended she had rabbit . . . then she told the story . . .
seems my grandfather raised rabbits for meat during the rationing and they ate a lot of rabbit back then, and she really had no hankering for rabbit after that....
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We ate rabbit growing up occasionally. My grandad loved it (and squirrel). My dad (his son) never liked it, and we raised enough beef, pork, and chicken that it wasn't necessary, but every now and again, my grandad would want rabbit, so we'd kill a rabbit and have rabbit.

There's a discussion of song lyrics going on in another topic, and one I like, that gets back to hard times, is:

"Well, they wonder why there ain't no rabbits left this day and time/
To tell the truth I guess we ate 'em all in '49."

I always liked that line.
 
I've talked to my husband extensively about this over the weekend, and I'm making another small change to my diet. I have started on monday with reducing the sugary items I eat. I've been using the wartime rationing system as inspiration. My goal is not to lose weight , but to achieve optimum health in my diet and see what it does for me.
For now I am going for the Australian world war 2 ration limit of 500 g sweets a month, which is truly a lot less than I am used to eating. This means I can have a max of 125 g of candy or chocolate a week. I just weighed out my ration yesterday, and came to 12 easter eggs for a week. That's what I will stick to. So far eating 2 easter eggs and not more has not been hard because my meals have been more filling without the sugary stuff.
Otherwise I am also limiting sugar by not buying sugared yoghurts, desserts, cakes or cookies. I can make desserts and baked goods myself from the rationed allowance of sugar and fat that my family would have in the US or Australian system. I didn't choose to use the UK system as this seemed very austere and not feasible with my eating disorder or the demands of my other family members.

The following items I am rationing:
Sweets: 500 g a month for me alone, my husband is not doing it

Rations for the whole family of 3:
Butter: 250 g a week (one stick) for bread or baking
Margarine : 250 g a week
Cooking fats and oil: 80 ml a week
Milk: 3 liters a week (one for each person in our household)
Yoghurt: 1 liter a week
Sugar: 500 g a week
Red meat: 500 g a week
Bacon/deli meat: 200 g a week
Cheese: 450 g a week
Eggs: 6 a week
Tea : 250 g a month

Not rationed
Fruits
Veg
Starches (bread, potatoes etc)
Fish
Poultry
Preserves
Nuts and seeds
 
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I consume like 0.000002 grams of "sweets" per week.
just no got sweet tooth.
"Sugar: 500 g a week" - seriously? I'm a scratch cook and 5 lbs=<2.5kg last us months.
"Cheese: 450 g a week" - seriously? 1 lb = 454 g lasts us 3-6 weeks.

I doubt the new "healthy" rationing is going to make any difference, unless the family is already consuming amounts far and above the wartime 'ration.'
 
CookieMonster said:
I consume like 0.000002 grams of "sweets" per week.
just no got sweet tooth.
"Sugar: 500 g a week" - seriously? I'm a scratch cook and 5 lbs=<2.5kg last us months.
"Cheese: 450 g a week" - seriously? 1 lb = 454 g lasts us 3-6 weeks.

I doubt the new "healthy" rationing is going to make any difference, unless the family is already consuming amounts far and above the wartime 'ration.'
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Well, you didn't read the rest did you. The US and Australia were this lenient with their rationing. And its for a family of 3 adults too.

Do you understand what your comment does with someone who mentions they have an eating disorder?
 
Windigo said:
I've talked to my husband extensively about this over the weekend, and I'm making another small change to my diet. I have started on monday with reducing the sugary items I eat. I've been using the wartime rationing system as inspiration. My goal is not to lose weight , but to achieve optimum health in my diet and see what it does for me.
For now I am going for the Australian world war 2 ration limit of 500 g sweets a month, which is truly a lot less than I am used to eating. This means I can have a max of 125 g of candy or chocolate a week. I just weighed out my ration yesterday, and came to 12 easter eggs for a week. That's what I will stick to. So far eating 2 easter eggs and not more has not been hard because my meals have been more filling without the sugary stuff.
Otherwise I am also limiting sugar by not buying sugared yoghurts, desserts, cakes or cookies. I can make desserts and baked goods myself from the rationed allowance of sugar and fat that my family would have in the US or Australian system. I didn't choose to use the UK system as this seemed very austere and not feasible with my eating disorder or the demands of my other family members.

The following items I am rationing:
Sweets: 500 g a month for me alone, my husband is not doing it

Rations for the whole family of 3:
Butter: 250 g a week (one stick) for bread or baking
Margarine : 250 g a week
Cooking fats and oil: 80 ml a week
Milk: 3 liters a week (one for each person in our household)
Yoghurt: 1 liter a week
Sugar: 500 g a week
Red meat: 500 g a week
Bacon/deli meat: 200 g a week
Cheese: 450 g a week
Eggs: 6 a week
Tea : 250 g a month

Not rationed
Fruits
Veg
Starches (bread, potatoes etc)
Fish
Poultry
Preserves
Nuts and seeds
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I'm really interested in how this works out, not just the health aspect, but also in staying within preset limits. I don't know if I'd do very well with that, though I could probably go several days with using no sugar, then find I need all that and more for just a couple of things. :laugh:

Good luck, I'm looking forward to your posts on this. :thumbsup:
 
This is really interesting: Dieting is basically rationing. This is similar to how Weight Watchers does things: points are assigned to everything, and you have a budget that you use to "spend" on the food you eat. In practice, I end up exceeding my points most of the time. But, if I start to gain weight, I can look back at what I had and cut back.
 
The Late Night Gourmet said:
This is really interesting: Dieting is basically rationing. This is similar to how Weight Watchers does things: points are assigned to everything, and you have a budget that you use to "spend" on the food you eat. In practice, I end up exceeding my points most of the time. But, if I start to gain weight, I can look back at what I had and cut back.
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Yes exactly, but WW has too much focus on veg/fruit I can't currently eat and wartime diets were a little more fatty and carby instead of lean.

The amounts specified that you were allowed to get don't mean you had to eat all of it, it was a maximum of available produce per household. That I can have 500 g of sugar a week does not have to mean that we eat it all.
 
TastyReuben said:
I'm really interested in how this works out, not just the health aspect, but also in staying within preset limits. I don't know if I'd do very well with that, though I could probably go several days with using no sugar, then find I need all that and more for just a couple of things. :laugh:

Good luck, I'm looking forward to your posts on this. :thumbsup:
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I think these limits are on the lean side for a family of 3 adults, but I used to be vegan once upon a time so dietary limits are something I am able to deal with. And it's compensated by things that are off limits, I can always eat bread or fruit when hungry just no candy . I think of it as a kind of 1950's diet. Enough of everything, just very little treats.
 
Posting my daily menu for the past two days might be interesting, it shows how these rations can be used for a balanced diet. I'm still finishing things off that are not entirely wartime proof but were already in the larder (like too much cheese for the ration, and the garlic bread). I know I eat less fruit and veg than would be ideal, but my lack of a colon doesn't allow for more.

Monday
Breakfast: Greek yoghurt with fresh figs and some chopped hazelnuts. Plus a slice of toast with a little butter and a cup of tea.
Hot meal: Lamb and prune stew, with rice and garlic bread. Most luxurious dish of this week I think.
Snack: two easter eggs and a cup of tea
Dinner: Two slices of bread topped with leftover potatoes gratin and some dried apricots. Eating bread with potatoes was a very common thing during the war, it was filling and cheap. I have to say I liked it!

Tuesday:
Breakfast: 1 boiled egg, 1 slice of toast with filet americain (lean meat spread) , 1 slice of toast with blood orange curd. Greek yoghurt with a banana and chopped almonds. Tea.
Hot meal: Battered cod, air fried chips and broccoli
Snack: 2 easter eggs and a cup of tea
Dinner: Oatmeal with dried apricots and chopped nuts, crackers with hummus.

So far I've not been hungry at all, and cravings have been minimal. I do have the dreaded 3 days without caffeine/soda detox headache, but that's worth it! I know it will pass.
 
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