Thriftlady's wartime experiment

Errata

Came across this and thought it might interest

Appendix with acknowledgements to Lichfield Libraries Archive Department.
Food rationing per week per person:
In cost
1s.10d meat (the equivalent of 7.5 p)
In weight
2oz butter
2oz lard
2oz margarine
3 pints of milk
2oz tea
8oz sugar
2oz sweets
1lb of jam every month
1 egg or packet of dried egg every two months
4oz bacon or ham
3oz cheese

On another note, I had knickers homemade out of parachute silk. Very scratchy !

redmandarin

I've just taken over an hour catching up on all the fascinating posts here, that I missed during the weekend - when I really should have been making some dinner for tonight! Keep it up, folks, it's great! :T

sproggi wrote: »

Eggs were stored in galvanised buckets with lids in a jelly like substance called islinglass, this stopped the air getting to them and meant that they kept for months. Sproggi

Hi sproggi, isinglass is made from the swim bladders of fish! :eek: euwww! As noted here: http://www.ivu.org/faq/drink.html
It's still used nowadays, as finings in the wine and beer making process (but you can get veggie versions). I don't suppose you remember anyone saying that the eggs tasted fishy do you? :rotfl: Being a veggie, I'd rather do without an egg stored in those conditions, though!

Well done Thriftlady, you're doing brilliantly well! The photos of your meals look yummy! The thought of a raised pie is so comforting! For any other veggies out there who also fancy the idea without the piggy contents, Holland and Barrett (the ones with fridges) sell "porkless pies". They have individually sized and large ones and I always splash out on a big one at Christmas. They look and taste authentic (and peppery) and they're very tasty with a few pickled onions!

I love your bike Thriftlady and I just adore your custard jug (and doesn't it look the part?)! It looks expensive. Does anyone know where I might be able to get one, cheap?

Topher

recovering_spendaholic wrote: »

My Aunties also told me that they would boil parsnips and then sweeten them and have them with custard - apparantly they were a substitute for bananas.

Its still possible to get banana essence to flavour the mashed parsnip with for substitute bananas. I got some from my local farm shop.

T

Topher

redmandarin wrote: »

I love your bike Thriftlady and I just adore your custard jug (and doesn't it look the part?)! It looks expensive. Does anyone know where I might be able to get one, cheap?

T.K. maxx have the copy of the (is it T&G Green &/or Cornishware?) blue striped jug, made in china, about £4.99
T

Pashley cycle mmm mmm yes please. Is it a real Pashley? You lucky ole Thriftlady you.
T

Topher

When the 1940s house replica was on display in the Wartime museum, some ladies in there told me that as well as the orange syrup given for young children, tins of blackcurrant were given as an alternative. Their mother fed them the free cod liver oil, but kept the Blackcurrant back for whole family desserts.

T

thriftmonster

I think that although it looks a lot of fat - isn't that 5 people's rations, Thriftlady? Also I feel that it is possible to eat a lot of hidden fat nowadays the same as sugar - even in biscuits etc. I read somewhere that we still eat the same amount nowadays but more as hidden ingredients and less as actual sugar etc.

thriftlady_2

Ha ha Yes a real Pashley -lucky me. They cost an arm and a leg new £400 I think. Mine was a birthday present a couple of years ago from everyone in my family together It was second hand but never used -absolute bargain and I love it to pieces but don't use it enough -and I don't wear a helmet because it just doesn't look right with the bike

The jug is Cornishware -a present too if I remember rightly. Cornishware isn't cheap either :rolleyes: I've got 4 mugs, a butter dish which I love more than is natural and the jug. I'd like a smaller jug too though.

Thriftmonster, yes the fat ration is for all 5 of us. We didn't use it all last week. I think if you took the fat ration in olive oil you wouldn't have too much difficulty using it up, it's just that big lumps of saturated animal fat scare us a bit nowadays

thriftlady_2

Topher wrote: »

When the 1940s house replica was on display in the Wartime museum, some ladies in there told me that as well as the orange syrup given for young children, tins of blackcurrant were given as an alternative. Their mother fed them the free cod liver oil, but kept the Blackcurrant back for whole family desserts.

T

Yes I'd heard about the blackcurrant puree being used for pie -yum. I think it was for the littlies (under 5s) only though wasn't it ?

Topher

thriftlady wrote: »

Yes I'd heard about the blackcurrant puree being used for pie -yum. I think it was for the littlies (under 5s) only though wasn't it ?

From what they said, yes it was for the littlies. Don't see how that could be enforced though. I'm sure if food was coming in, and I could think of a way for the whole family to benefit, I share it out too.

Was tonight's meal a success?
(I'm following your thread quite closely now, its a subject dear to my heart, and my kids have flown (too much Spam perhaps) so hearing how you're getting on is of interest to me.)
T

thriftlady_2

I'd have shared it out too I just meant my lot are too old for it -they like Spam btw.

Tea tonight -well, I thought it was delicoius -a mixture of all sorts of veg :carrots, peas, broad beans, broccoli, cauliflower, leek, mushroom and onion in cheese sauce with mash on top. The kids ate it but OH hates broccoli and cauliflower, and although I'd left the pieces large so that he could avoid them I think it spoilt the meal for him. But hey, that's his problem it's time he grew up Thanks for asking