Thriftlady's wartime experiment

thriftlady_2

Having an allotment at the back of your house that sounds idyllic to me

You can still get Camp coffee -I think it's usually in the baking aisle. My mum used it to flavour cakes -that was in the 70s not the war.

seashore321

Did you watch the 1940's programme on telly? Loads of good ideas if not they did a fantastic book about it. I do't know if it is still in print but worth a look! ( Maybe a charity shop may have one)

I do have a copy and will put answers in to your questions but am loathe to get rid of it!

Penelope_Penguin

thriftlady wrote: »

Having an allotment at the back of your house that sounds idyllic to me

You can still get Camp coffee -I think it's usually in the baking aisle. My mum used it to flavour cakes -that was in the 70s not the war.

Do you not have room to grow some veg? Even some potatoes in a dustbin or some herbs

I looked for Camp coffee recently - we love coffee cake, and I thought it would be thriftier, and less messy to use as a flavouring rather than making up strong instant coffee. I'll take another look for it.

Penny. x

meanmarie

As the war was over when I was born in June 1945, my only memory is of talk of ration cards...we had some rationing in the ROI...my father gave up sugar in his tea when I was born so that I could have it...wonder if that is why I have had a weight problem all my life!!! I still have ration cards somewhere which belonged to my parents. My mother talked about rendering mutton fat to make pastry...I don't think that we had meat rationing here, there was also something about using parsnips to make 'mock bananas'. They were some women who lived and fed families through rationing but as someone said community spirit was strong then.

I look forward to reading lots more interesting memories and recipes on this fascinating thread...not sure if I can persuade my nearest and dearest to try the ration menu but we'll see.

Marie

thriftlady_2

Yes Pen Pen I can grow some stuff but I'm not very motivated I've got quinces, apples, crab apples, red and black currants, gooseberries, blackberries, strawberries, raspberries, tomatoes, but not much of any of them (aprt from quinces). I also have lots of herbs. I could definitely do better veg wise. Thing is, we've decided to let our tiny garden be a corner of an orchard (there are several trees) and let the kids have the space to build dens etc. That's why an allotment behind the house would be great.

I thought I would post my wartime storecupboard list. Of course I realise I'm cheating by having a fridge and a freezer. Also some items on the list I'm not sure about -how authentic are they ? I've italicised the ones I'm uncertain of. If anyone can tell me if they were available or not I'd be grateful. There are some things that were available that I haven't included because we don't like them -marge for example.

Wartime Storecupboard

Flour –plain, self-raising and strong (white and wholemeal)
Cornflour
Oats and oatmeal
Suet
Dried milk
Cocoa
Yeast, bicarb and baking powder
Sultanas, raisins, dates, prunes, dried apricots
coconut

Granulated sugar, brown sugar
Golden syrup, black treacle

Tins
Tomatoes, tomato puree
Baked beans
Salmon, tuna, mackerel, sardines and pilchards
Spam and corned beef
Fruit

Rice –long grain and pudding
Macaroni, spaghetti
Barley
Sago and tapioca
Dried peas
Lentils
Haricot beans, butter beans
Crackers
tea, orange juice

Custard powder
Gelatine
Worcester sauce
Soya sauce (I'm sure I've seen this in a wartime recipe)
Anchovy essence
Ketchup, brown sauce
Mustard
Honey
Gravy browning and stock cubes (I shall be using organic beef stock cubes occasionally as I generally have chicken stock in the freezer)
Marmite
Vinegar
Salad oil
Salt
Spices
Homemade jam, jellies, chutneys and pickles
Rum, brandy, sherry
Cider and beer

Fridge
Butter
Lard and dripping
Cheese
Eggs
Bacon and ham
Milk

Freezer
Hm bread
Homegrown/picked berries
Homegrown/picked veg
Homemade pastry
Homemade stock

thriftlady_2

seashore321 wrote: »

Did you watch the 1940's programme on telly? Loads of good ideas if not they did a fantastic book about it. I do't know if it is still in print but worth a look! ( Maybe a charity shop may have one)

I do have a copy and will put answers in to your questions but am loathe to get rid of it!

I've got it thanks

~*Plushroom*~

Penelope_Penguin wrote: »

Do you not have room to grow some veg? Even some potatoes in a dustbin or some herbs

I looked for Camp coffee recently - we love coffee cake, and I thought it would be thriftier, and less messy to use as a flavouring rather than making up strong instant coffee. I'll take another look for it.

Penny. x

In Asda they still stock this, it's with the coffee next to the ready made iced cappachino drinks so if you don't see it in the cake aisle try looking in the premixed coffee drinks bit.

thriftmonster

Great thread thriftlady - this is an area i've always been interested in. My Mum was born in 1939 and my Dad in 1934 - in fact he started school the day war broke out, was sent home at 11am, had a fortnight off - and thought that was school - was very disappointed when he found he was expected to go back again:D

However my parents lived outside Morecambe - and apparently didn't suffer too much - although my Dad still won't eat rabbit - too much in the war! Only my Grandad took sugar in tea ( and he was away) so my Nana used to swap sugar for butter with the neighbours. My Mum said they could also get things like liquorice root to supplement the sweet ration and little bags of cocoa and sugar to dip their fingers in.

Having said all that after the war my Nana always kept a store cupboard of 40 tins of peaches, 20 of milk, 20 of pineapple - just in case. My mother always looks at my pantry and tells me I come by it honestly:rolleyes:

wisewoman

What a fantastic thread. The idea of trying a wartime diet is great, but I am enjoying the reminiscences so much. My mum, at 76, has practised frugal housekeeping all the days of her life, and I never cease to be amazed at her inventiveness. The other day she was grilling sausages, very, very slowly, then she slit them in half lengthways, and peeled off the skin...this was wartime practice in the hotel where she worked in Craigellachie (Scotland)...it looked like you were getting more sausage than you actually did.
Somebody mentioned feeding pets...I was born in 1954 and we always had pet rabbits...these were fed tea-leaves, moist from the pot, mixed with a handful of porridge oats...morning and night...and they were the healthiest longest-living bunnies I have ever met.
Mum always rinsed out the empty milk bottles with a little cold water, then poured it into the cats bowl...contented moggy.

wisewoman

I should also add that the rabbits were fed all the carrot tops, and odds and ends of vegetables, plus they had the run of the garden so grazed happily on the lawn, demolishing the odd rose bush (their freedom extended to the house, too, and this resulted in a few electrical cables going bang :eek: .)