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Thriftlady's wartime experiment
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Well said Topher being old style has it's uses and knowing how to manage and manage well on not much is useful no matter what the world does. Keeping the old knowledge of 'how to' manually and without needing a gadget to do the work is something I've felt was important all my adult life I know you can go any buy anything you want from the ever larger superstores BUT the satisfaction in doing things yourself is also a thing to be relished and we oldies will always share those 'how to's with anyone who asks and hopefully help them make better lives.2
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I am just sitting here waiting the rest of the family to surface as we will be travelling home from our annual fortnights holiday on the IoW and I had been thinking back to my childhood holidays
As my parents and family all came from Scotland, getting there was quite a trek.We would set off from Lewisham Station in London on Sunday after lunch and use the train to get into London. At Victoria we would trail down Buckingham Palace Road to Victoria coach station.
There would usually be 5 or 6 of us.My parents,my two brothers and myself plus usually a cousin. Mum would have spent the morning making large piles of sandwiches wrapped in greaseproof paper and two big flasks of tea and another one with cold milk in it.
These went into her 'holiday bag' along with her knitting (never ever went anywhere without her pins and wool) We would climb aboard the SMT coach which I thought was very posh because it had a toilet at the back so you could use the facilities without the driver having to stop.
No motorways, or off road cafes for folk in those days The coach set off promptly at 4.00p.m. London to Edinburgh was the first leg and arriving on Monday morning.Everyone had a blanket to cover themselves with whilst you slept. I thought it was weird to sleep without wearing pajamas or having to clean my teeth properly, sleeping in my day clothes was very peculiar.
I remember seeing the sun coming up through the coach window over heather covered hills So far removed from my London streets and smoky town.
Arriving in Edinburgh my parents herding us into a local greasy spoon cafe for a hot drink then having to wait for the next coach onward to Montrose on the north east coast. Getting to Montrose we changed again with more waiting for a bus to Brechin where my Aunts,Uncles and cousins were looking forward to our arrival from the south.
Finally arriving at around 4.00 pm our 24 hour journey was over at last My Aunts high tea was amazing. Bearing in mind she had 4 children of her own suddenly having 6 more folk never fazed her at all
My two brothers were farmed out to sleep in next doors front room on camp beds and how she fitted us all in I will never know but bless her she did.But there again, holidays were nearly always about visiting relations or them coming to visit you.
No hotels or B & Bs for us, great family times though and 70 odd years later I can still remember the excitement of both the travelling and the seeing our relations .Today's kids fly hither and thither, or get driven and seem not to have the same anticipation. But for all the exhaustion of the long trek north I wouldn't have missed it for the world2 -
I have some sausage meat in the freezer and I am today going to use it to make the 'pork pie' from Marguerite Patten's victory cook book which is quite delicious (I've made it before) and will give us a hot supper tonight and several days of cold cuts for lunches. If nothing else apart from being delicious even to todays palates these wartime recipes are exceedingly economical and stretch what you have to make them with a very long way.2
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MrsLurcherwalk, I thought the pie sounds yummy (love sausagemeat) and realised I have the book but I'm getting side tracked reading other stuff in there and there's no index so I could get lost for hours. Please could you tell me what page the 'pork pie' is on?I think a bit of sunshine is good for frugal living. (Cranky40)
The sun's been out and I think I’m solar powered (Onebrokelady)
Fashion on the Ration 2025: Fabric 2, men's socks 3, Duvet 7.5, 2 t-shirts 10, men's socks 3, uniform top 0, hat 0, shoes 5 = 30.5/68
2024: Trainers 5, dress 7, slippers 5, 2 prs socks (gift) 2, 3 prs white socks 3, t-shirts x 2 10, 6 prs socks: mostly gifts 6, duvet set 7.5 = 45.5/68 coupons
20.5 coupons used in 2020. 62.5 used in 2021. 94.5 remaining as of 21/3/222 -
Hi Cherryfudge it's in the Victory Cook Book (I have the three in one book collation) in the Voluntary Services Celebrations section and it's on the 4th page as Raised Pork Pie. I add in a chopped apple and a good tablespoon of chutney to the original recipe but it's delicious as it stands too.2
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Found it! Thank you
. I have a different edition so it's in the middle but still under 'Voluntary Services Celebrations'. I think wartime housewives might have added apple and chutney too, if they could get them.
I like all the wartime cartoons in this book, especially the ones with little rhymes:
Plan your points and obey the rules
Just as you did with your football pools;
You'll find yourself an up-and-upper
At breakfast, dinner, tea and supper!I think a bit of sunshine is good for frugal living. (Cranky40)
The sun's been out and I think I’m solar powered (Onebrokelady)
Fashion on the Ration 2025: Fabric 2, men's socks 3, Duvet 7.5, 2 t-shirts 10, men's socks 3, uniform top 0, hat 0, shoes 5 = 30.5/68
2024: Trainers 5, dress 7, slippers 5, 2 prs socks (gift) 2, 3 prs white socks 3, t-shirts x 2 10, 6 prs socks: mostly gifts 6, duvet set 7.5 = 45.5/68 coupons
20.5 coupons used in 2020. 62.5 used in 2021. 94.5 remaining as of 21/3/222 -
I feel a bit mean talking about a recipe without sharing it so here it is, in 'modern' (apologies if already posted elsewhere, I'm still catching up on the thread):
Raised Pork Pie
Pastry:
1 lb / 450g plain flour
1 tsp / 5g salt
4 oz / 100g cooking fat or well-clarified dripping
1/2 pt / 300ml water
Filling:
1 lb / 450g pork sausage meat
6 oz / 175g fat bacon, minced
2 medium onions, finely chopped
1 tbsp chopped mixed herbs or 1.2 tsp dried mixed herbs
salt & pepper
To glaze:
1 reconstituted dried egg or 1 fresh egg.
Method
Sift the flour and salt into a mixing bowl, keep in a warm place.
Put the dripping or fat into a saucepan with the water. Heat until the fat or dripping has melted.
Pour onto the flour and mix well. Keep warm until using this.
Blend all the ingredients for the filling together.
Knead the pastry until a smooth pliable paste. Roll out two-thirds and line the base and sides of a 7-8 inch (18-20 cm) cake tin, preferably one with a loose base. Put in the filling.
Damp the edges of the pastry. Roll out the remaining dough to make a lid, press in position.
Make a slit in the centre of the pastry covering, for the steam to escape during baking. Any pastry left can be made into leaves to decorate the pastry.
Beat the egg with the water and brush over the pastry.
Preheat the oven to 180C (350F) Gas Mark 4 and bake the pie for 2 hours. Serve cold with salad.
Variation: if fresh pork is available use half finely diced lean pork and half sausage meat.I think a bit of sunshine is good for frugal living. (Cranky40)
The sun's been out and I think I’m solar powered (Onebrokelady)
Fashion on the Ration 2025: Fabric 2, men's socks 3, Duvet 7.5, 2 t-shirts 10, men's socks 3, uniform top 0, hat 0, shoes 5 = 30.5/68
2024: Trainers 5, dress 7, slippers 5, 2 prs socks (gift) 2, 3 prs white socks 3, t-shirts x 2 10, 6 prs socks: mostly gifts 6, duvet set 7.5 = 45.5/68 coupons
20.5 coupons used in 2020. 62.5 used in 2021. 94.5 remaining as of 21/3/222 -
I'm not sure if this post is off-topic or not (sorry if it is) but I have had ideas for a long time to grow some 'not seen very often now' veg, as in war-time or pre-war (WW2) varieties of potato's and possibly carrots too.
I do note you can get them with a bit of hunting about, just thinking here about the 'change' , partly was inspired by a program I saw on TV a year or two ago where they did an xmas dinner twice, once with modern and once with war-time varieties of everything although I had had the thought before then.2 -
Bumping this thread yet again because it contains some very useful information and might be of great use as we go into the 16 or so weeks shutdown, I know we're NOT at war but using what we do have to best effect is going to be as important as if we were at war.7
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in view in view of the shortage of loo rolls this may help keep them out a little longer:
1. Squash the roll and cardboard inner into an oval shape
2. Fix it onto the roller wit the loose end at the back, rather than the front of the wall. The combination of these two actions should help impede those who automatically pull off a dozen sheets at a time.
Also for liquids only, pull off one sheet only, fold in half and then in half again and use as a "dabber" pad. Wash hands with soap after use.5
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