Thriftlady's wartime experiment

catznine

Good morning thriftlady! How are the rations holding out?

I made up the carrot cookies again this time following your original "mistake" and adding 6oz sr four instead of 6 tbspns and added enough milk to make a sticky mixture. This worked much better,larger cookies and more of them!:D They are not very sweet, possible a good thing, but you could add a few sultanas to the mix for added sweetness. We like them and I will be making them again.

Have you tried the Syrup loaf recipe from the Victory cookbook? Works well and if you don't mind the taste of golden syrup it is a good recipe that avoids the use of eggs.

Well done again on your endeavours to relive the wartime diet.

daisyroots_2

My parents never mentioned Camp Coffee, and this exchange of letters, from Spring 1943, before they married, seems to indicate you could get the real thing. My Mum was called up to work in the Censors Office in Liverpool, she had German and Italian, so her job was to read and censor the PoWs’ letters. As soon as he realised she was leaving London, my Dad finally plucked up courage to ask her out, but after 2 weeks she was gone and much of their courtship was conducted by mail. When I found these letters, a few years ago, I typed them all up, after which I felt for the first time that I really knew my Dad.

from him
Now that all is settled, there are a few things worth deciding. No digs unless we absolutely and temporarily must. Agreed? Prefer a furnished flat, where we can generally replace the gear with our own, saving the furniture till last (see earlier letter). Agreed? If you've nothing else to do, snoop. No doubt you've been doing so for weeks. You have until the weekend after next to buy a coffee percolator. If you've failed by then, I'll try. I think that such an article would be as it were in a manner of speaking a sort of token if you see what I mean. I daresay you'll denounce percolators and go in for one of those Yankee edifices that always remind me of Kipp's Apparatus. My retort in case and advance is that many's the good gargle I've had out of a percolator - but you've got to use the thing. Or (second thoughts) are you a two-saucepan expert ?

from her
Now I want you to do something else for me. I should really be quite ashamed, but of course I am not. Would you go to Demos Greek restaurant for me in Shaftesbury Ave, and try and get 2 of those copper (or bronze I think they are) cups or handles shaped like this (drawing) for making turkish coffee. We have an Egyptian girl here and she and I seem to agree on the subject of Mocca and 1 or 2 other topics and so I thought she might like one of these things and I should too. They used to have 'em in 2 sizes and I would like a small or a large one but I have no idea of the cost thereof.

Plum_Pie

Thriftlady that pie sounds gorgeous!

I have a Patten cookbook from the 1970s which I bought as a joke (the photos make your eyes water!) but which has a few nice, fancy recipes. I can see I'm going to have to get one of the 40s ones!

thriftlady_2

Glad to hear about the coffee Daisy, I'm just about to enjoy a cup Your parents sound such interesting people.

Catznine good idea about adding sultanas to the carrot cookies. I haven't tried the Syrup Loaf (it's in We'll Eat Again pg 79) but I think I might make that instead of choc buns today -no eggs or fat We love golden syrup.

rosieben

daisyroots wrote: »

... much of their courtship was conducted by mail. When I found these letters, a few years ago, I typed them all up, after which I felt for the first time that I really knew my Dad.

I think these letters would make a wonderful, book something on the lines of '84 Charing Cross Road' maybe - are you thinking of publishing? I really hope so, I'd buy it like a shot!!

thriftmonster

Thriftlady - re the wine: beer wasn't rationed in the war for morale purposes as far as I know - so maybe the wine could count as beer.

Also you have to use rations on packups, but weren't school dinners introduced in the war - so the children wouldn't have to use rations on lunch? Does anyone know about this?

sproggi

I think that there were school dinners during the war as I found reference to them here (3rd paragraph):

http://www.bbc.co.uk/ww2peopleswar/stories/06/a2875106.shtml

and here (makes interesting reading!):

http://observer.guardian.co.uk/print/0,,4828717-108103,00.html

Sproggi

Sarahsaver

meanmarie wrote: »

Can't remember what someone called bread and sugar with boiled milk on top...it was called ' goodie' in our house and was often fed to young and old who were unable to tolerate anything heavy or needing chewing.


Marie

Milk sop is what it is called! Sounds really appetising doesn't it LOL. Mum told me about having it as a child - she was born in 1938. Nanna's neighbour used to eat it when I was little, in the 1970's, I remember her sitting in her window eating the milk sop, she was pretty toothless so the ideal food for her I guess!

catznine

recovering_spendaholic wrote: »

I noticed the Stork Wartime Cookbook mentioned earlier - does anyone know if this is available to buy anywhere?

Mine is an original 1940's copy of the Stork Wartime Cookbook which I bought from ebay, worth bidding for if you are interested in researching recipes from this era. It also includes a recipe for a celebration cake for Christmas, birthdays etc with instructions for and pictures illustrating decorating the cakes with themes for the Navy, Air Force and Army.

There is an interesting little insert typed in red:-

SULTANAS

Many of the recipes in this book were prepared when there was a shortage of fruits. Sultanas are now very plentiful owing to Government purchases from our Allies.

You will be giving your family a nutritious food by using sultanas when fruit is wanted in your recipes and helping your country at the same time.

Errata

Sarahsaver wrote: »

Milk sop is what it is called! Sounds really appetising doesn't it LOL. Mum told me about having it as a child - she was born in 1938. Nanna's neighbour used to eat it when I was little, in the 1970's, I remember her sitting in her window eating the milk sop, she was pretty toothless so the ideal food for her I guess!

Local name for this was Pobs. It was also fed to babies with no teeth!
I'm desparately trying to remember if this stuff gets a mention somewhere in Shakespeare. Have I disremembered, or is a bell ringing with anyone else?