Thriftlady's wartime experiment

Gingham_Ribbon

Totally fantastic thread! Once everything settles down in here (we've all got a virus) I'm going to try this. I'll look into swapping meat for pulses rather than having extra cheese though.

Thanks, Thriftlady!

Hapless_2

My late dad would say that food was food, rabbit, squirrel, rat, if it moves, eat it!

taplady

thanks thriftlady for a fascinating thread! I will be interested to see how your children take to the meals, and also did you weigh yourself before you started ? interesting to see if you lose weight on it.Thanks I'm sure we'll all be keen to saee how you all get on!:T

malvena_2

Thanks for the thread Thriftlady.It will be facinating to follow your progress. I have also enjoyed hearing other poster memories and stories aswell. It is so important to pass these memories onto future generations.Looking forward to the next installment.M

catznine

When a rabbit was needed for the pot (very upsetting for the children but had to be done) my grandmother had an arrangement with a neighbour to swap one so that the children didn't have to see their "pet" on a plate .

Mostly she filled the family up on suet puddings (savoury - steak and kidney, bacon or sweet - apple, plum, figs, ginger, dried fruit or syrup with lots of custard) lots of fruit and vegetables, mostly grown by Grandad in the garden and on the allotment. She and Grandad both bottled fruit and made jellies and jams (team effort needed) to last the year. Mum remembered huge amounts of rock cakes made to fill everyone up.

Grandad was in the ARP and famously survived being blown up by an "unexploded bomb" he was doing a report on. Grandad went up on a level with the tops of the surrounding trees :eek: but luckily landed on some soft clay with just shattered knees and facial cuts! Witnesses at the time could not believe he was still alive! He made sure the ambulance stopped off at home to show Grandmother he was still alive as he knew she wouldn't believe it when she heard the tale. Apparently as an old WW1 soldier on the ward with the youngsters, he was made a fuss of and got to tell all his old war tales.

tinkerbelluk

Like many others have already said, great thread thriftlady. It's lovely hearing everyone's stories as well

It takes me back to the stories my nan used to tell me when I was growing up about when she was a young lady and about to go out to a dance she used to paint her legs with gravy browning and draw a line up the back to look like stockings. She also loved to tell me how when she was sowing parachutes her and all the girls would steal the off cuts and they would make bra & pant sets for themselves.

rosieben

Thanks for a brilliant thread, Thriftlady! I'm enjoying reading everyone's reminiscences too, great stuff! :j

Linda32

catznine wrote: »

Hi Thriftlady!

I think this thread is going to be very popular!
I have just baked a spice cake for my project (from the Stork Wartime Cookery book) and am eating a slice now, it's lovely so thought I would pop the recipe on here in case you want to try it.

Spice Cake

3oz Stork marge or butter
3 tbspns golden syrup or 6oz sugar
6oz sr flour
pinch of salt
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp ginger
1 tbspn lemon juice (lemon essence could have been subst)
1 tablespoon water
Grated rind of 1 lemon
2oz sultanas
1 egg

Topping:
1oz stork marge or butter
2 tbspn brown sugar
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp ginger
2 tbspns flour
1 oz walnuts (optional)

Cake:
Brush a cake tin with melted butter and line with greaseproof paper (or dust with flour). Cream the stork/butter with the golden syrup or sugar and beat in the egg. beat well until the mixture is light and fluffy. Sift the flour with the salt and spices and add to the mixture, alternately with the lemon juice and water, mixed together. Lastly stir in the sultanas and lemon rind (if you have it).

Topping:
Mix together the flour, brown sugar and spices and cut the stork/butter into the mixture with a fork. When the mixture is crumbly, scatter it over the top of the cake. Add the roughly chopped walnuts (optional). Bake for about 1 hour and 10 mins at gas mark 4/150C fan oven.

Can be served hot as a pudding or cold as a cake.

This sounds good, I have all these ingredients, I think apart from one of the spices, could I use mixed spice instead also, sorry to be dim but is the cake tin and 1lb loaf tin

Linda32

DanceInThe_Dark wrote: »

I know she used to say her Dad bought Camp coffee on rations. I've never heard of it has anyone else??

I've got some of that now, but I use it for coffee cake flavouring. I can't remember what it tastes like as coffee, but I know we used to have it at home (child of the 70's here), I'm sure I liked it, I shall try some now when I get home

Justamum

thriftlady wrote: »

Vegetarians
Veggies were obviously fairly rare during the war, although Hitler was one apparently.

Hitler wasn't a vegetarian. His doctors advised a vegetarian diet for him, but he didn't stick to it, and his favourite food was Bavarian sausages and cured meat.