Thriftlady's wartime experiment

chardonnay_2

thriftlady wrote: »

Doctor Carrot who later became Clara Carrot Or it may have been the other way round. The Potato Pete character had a song which was sung by Betty Driver aka Betty Turpin in Coronation St

The savoury mince (mince cooked with carrots and onions, thickened with a little flour and a stock cube with some peas thrown in at the last minute) has gone down a storm, the kids were practically licking their plates. I wonder why I don't cook simple things like this more often -normally I'd spice up mince and make a curry or chilli or bolognese.

the savory mince you made sounds similar to (scottish) mince that we have with tatties. my mum always made it with carrot, onion and turnip and gravy all mixed together.

thriftlady_2

Good morning everyone.

Menu today

Breakfast porridge, raspberries and toast

Packed lunches -cheese and tomato sandwiches, apples and eggless chocolate buns

My lunch -leftover cheese and veg pie (again) apple

Tea- grilled mackerel, gooseberry sauce, with oven baked potato cubes (chips;) ) and salad. The children don't like mackerel much, but I don't let that worry me
Sago pudding for the kids (eat your fish and you get sago)


I must try the cinder toffee/honeycomb recipe :T I love the inside of Crunchies -they'd be even better covered in decent chocolate. I might do that with the children at the weekend to make up for the fact that our camping trip will probably not go ahead for the third weekend running -'cos of the rain and floods. We'll be able to go to the school fete though -in fact -brainwave ! I could make some for the fete :j I always bake cakes but hm sweeties would go down well.

daisyroots_2

I'm definitely trying that Cinder Toffee, and enjoying the great pictures and memories. I'm really interested in the reactions of Thriftlady's children, because so many people have this hopeless attitude about children and food, that they will only eat junk. I really admire the healthy way she doesn't care too much if they don't always like what's put in front of them, food is nourishment, not entertainment !

Thanks to those who have enjoyed my Dad's letters, and to those who have suggested publication. I'm giving it serious thought, so I may not post many more extracts now.

My Ma was a Bluebell Girl in the Follies Bergére, and when WW2 broke out, she was in Italy, with a touring dance troupe. They were given 48 hours to get out of the country, and when she returned to London she got a job at Thomas Hedley, where she met my Dad - soap and hygiene products manufacture was high government priority. Her parents were Dutch, and there is no doubt that she was beautiful. She had lived in Paris and Germany and spoke 6 languages, and to my English, working class but aspirational Dad she was an exotic goddess. He was terrified of her (I know the feeling...) called her a "dark icicle" because of her coldness. Only when she was called up to the Censors Dept in Liverpool, did he pluck up the courage to ask her out. He never left England and had very vague ideas about "abroad". She hated being back in England, was always planning to get back on the road again, despite tedious little obstacles like War and Motherhood....This background explains what follows The Porridge Incident.

"I must tell you about one thing that happened this morning, before I forget. I was reading your letter with one hand, and eating porridge with the other, when I came across the bit where you say that in Paris you would kiss my business associates on each cheek. Now, I misread it as an announcement that I would kiss my business associates on each cheek and unfortunately the shock coincided with the entry of a spoonful of porridge into my mouth. The result was rather like the films, only milder. No porridge was sprayed about, and to be truthful, I can't really say exactly what took place. It was a bit messy, anyhow and near to choking.

I agree with you in principle about doing as the Romans do, but don't think it should be taken as far as you seem to. In France I would drink red wine - not with water, can't stand it with water - and drink coffee and keep to the right and talk as near French as possible and so on. But kissing blokes and blokesses on all or even some occasions

NO! (drawing of Lofty, in Union Jack shirt, hand raised in protest)

You see, Billie, I would never make a real (say) Frenchman, whereas you could make a Frenchwoman far more gallic than the real thing. For you it would be fine and dandy, but for me it would be better to be, at the bottom, English. I've known loads of all sorts in my time (drawing of old man) and they have seemed not to mind at all when I've been a bit phlegmatic when it comes to rain and there are no coats, or when I've pointed out the limits of logic. And I know that I find nothing amiss in a Russian who wears a lounge suit, speaks what is, after all, English, and yet remains intransigently slow. I like 'em that way, as long as they don't so as some do and lament the dear old days in Wien or wherever it was. And that is where, at the bottom, we agree. Wherever you may be, let that be your home, and no hankering after the fleshpots, real or imaginary, of Egypt, when the Nile is five hundred miles behind."

I'm sorry I can't reproduce the little drawings in his letters. My sister has inherited this talent, though - but I got his face!

[Deleted User]

I used to love my old Mum's mince and tatties She came from Glasgow, and was a very good cook. But she never lost the habit of asking for a stone of potato's. I think she meant about 5lb and it used to confuse our local greengrocer no end.
My late husband said that he once found an orange floating in the sea off of Cowes Point (he came from the Isle of Wight ) and he took it home to his Mum as he wasn't sure what it was .She apparently dried it out and grated the rind up for to use in a cake !:eek:
he also used to 'aquire' onions from the farmers field and him and his little brother used to sell them to the french canadian soldiers who were stationed on the island.:eek:
My late Father was a chemist by trade, and was extremely clever at making flavourings for my Mum .Although he had hoped to join the Medical Corps he was given a gun and put in the Cameronians.He was 49 when the Second World war started and was released in 1944 when he reached 54. He had seen service in both wars, and although he talked about WW2 he hated to talk about WW1 as he had seen some dreadful things in the trenches in France as a young man.Luckily ,perhaps because of his age the second time around he never was posted further than Bulford camp on Salisbury Plain.
He was adept at making Scotch Whisky, and was quite poplular for his talents that way.
For five years though when my Dad re-enlisted My Mum had to bring up three children virtually on her own as leave was often difficult to get . He was in the relative safety of Hampshire, and my poor Mum was in the thick of it in the East End. She was evacuated once to New Milton, but hated it and couldn't wait to get back to London .Although she was bombed out twice she never lost her sense of humour . Apparently, the second time when she was dug out clutching her three children,and her beloved Radio, she shook her fist at the sky and said "You missed me that time as well"
She was quite a character was my Mum, and tough as they come. She would give her last penny away, and was the softest touch going when it came to a neighbour .No wonder she never had much, she always shared it with those who were without.
I can remember sleeping down on the platform of the tube station ,but I hated that as I was always afraid of the rats that you could hear squeeking away in the tunnels .
I can remember lots of sing-songs though, and there seemed to be an endless supply of dark brown tea from almost everyone. It seemed to be a case of 'Bombed out? never mind have a cuppa and you'll feel better . My Mum used to attach our names an addresses to me and my two brothers when the sirens went off in case we got separated, also an enamel cup for some reason I think so we could drink a cuppa when ever .I bet my insides are full of tannin.:rotfl: :rotfl:
Hard times, but people got through them, and the spirit of 'we're all in it together ' was very strong. Community spirit seems to be missing today which is a shame as without it life seems very sterile at times .Perhaps that is why this site does so well as it fosters the spirit that used to be around years ago. On here everyone tries to help each other out, although the chances of meeting other folk on here is a bit remote, people do become close by their exchange of views and recipes and tips .Thank you Thriftlady for bringing back a little of the close-knit feeling I had when I was a little sprog back in those dark days of the 1940s and early 50s :A

thriftlady_2

JackieO wrote: »

Community spirit seems to be missing today which is a shame as without it life seems very sterile at times .Perhaps that is why this site does so well as it fosters the spirit that used to be around years ago. On here everyone tries to help each other out, although the chances of meeting other folk on here is a bit remote, people do become close by their exchange of views and recipes and tips .Thank you Thriftlady for bringing back a little of the close-knit feeling I had when I was a little sprog back in those dark days of the 1940s and early 50s :A

Absolutely :T What a lovely thought.


Honeycomb is it supposed to be sticky and chewy ? I was expecting it to be dry and crunchy. The kids love it of course and its keeping them quiet -but that might be because their teeth are stuck together. All this sugar will cancel out the good effects of the mackerel :rotfl:

recovering_spendaholic

thriftlady wrote: »

Absolutely :T What a lovely thought.


Honeycomb is it supposed to be sticky and chewy ? I was expecting it to be dry and crunchy. The kids love it of course and its keeping them quiet -but that might be because their teeth are stuck together. All this sugar will cancel out the good effects of the mackerel :rotfl:

The honeycomb that I made was dry and crunchie- I think you may not have boiled it for long enough before adding the bicarb. It should bubble away on a low light for about 5 minutes and it is really important not to put a spoon anywhere near the mixture or it will not be crispy.

Errata

Community spirit seems to be missing today which is a shame

It's not dead in the parts of Yorkshire that are flooded. Everyone is helping everyone else and mucking in - literally. I think community spirit comes to the fore when everyone is faced by a common enemy, whatever that might be.

thriftlady_2

Errata wrote: »

It's not dead in the parts of Yorkshire that are flooded. Everyone is helping everyone else and mucking in - literally. I think community spirit comes to the fore when everyone is faced by a common enemy, whatever that might be.

I saw a couple of women wading through a house in Sheffield on the news last night. They were having a laugh over the mess and damage and saying that they had no reason to be upset because they hadn't lost a loved one. It immediately made me think about the spirit that won the war

Recovering Spendaholic your diagnosis is right I didn't let it cook long enough, I promise I didn't stir it though. I'll have another go.

dannahaz

Just wanted to say thank you, Thriftlady, for keeping this up. Great thread!

meanmarie

I love crunchies so will be trying cinder toffee or honeycomb as soon as I go home...excess wouldnt be eaten here and I don't have space to take it home....ryanair's cabin allowance of 10kg per person is fairly limitting when you take the curtain material and bedlinen I bought in IKEA!

MIncey dinner was always popular in our house when my children were young...it was more or less the same mix as I used for shepherd's pie without the topping, also for spaghetti bolognese for which I added tomatoes fresh or tinned and oregano...a pound of mince can go a long way, particularly if you added lentils which had been cooked in as little water as possible.

Loving this thread more every day

Marie