We'll Eat Again

[Deleted User]

I have a real interest in WW2 Home Front life and have a collection of original cookery books from that time so if anyone wants a recipe for a specific ingredient I can look and see if I can find a recipe. I have about 25 books by Ambrose Heath a prolific radio cook of the time and many miscellaneous wartime publications I've picked up over the years so if I can be useful, I'm happy to, Lyn xxx.

OldMotherTucker

I love this book - it was a good read!!

The portion sizes though!! There was nowhere near enough to fill my lot up!! It was a laugh though - trying out some of the recipes and connecting what I could remember about my Grandparents' stories with stuff they were doing at school!

Some of the recipes weren't far off the dishes I learnt from parents so obviously handed down . . . I can see why my grandad was such a dedicated gardener and fisherman!!

[Deleted User]

ahhh Woolton pie the bain of my life when I was a little girl I HATED it,and my late Mum would insist on cooking the blessed things at least once a week.We also had to eat snoek which was some sort of tinned fish which was vile as well.But I loved bubble and squeak and corned beef hash and the milk puddings to fill you up ,like semolina,tapioca or rice pud, where my two brothers and I would argue over whose turn it was to have the crispy skin off the top I loved the burnt bits in the corners of the dish:):):) In our house we either had soup to start with then the main meal, or main meal and a pudding Starters and puddings were meant to fill you up so you didn't notice the lack of meat on the plate Veg was always piled high and lots of Bisto gravy helped keep the illusion of a 'meaty meal' With rationing until I was 12 it was a case of eat up or go without.But rarely did you turn your nose up and say I don't like/want to eat it .There are few things I won't eat at all now apart perhaps from tripe, as the smell just makes me heave ,although it was eaten when I was a little girl irrespective, as my Mum didn't allow for 'fussy eaters'

OldMotherTucker

JackieO wrote: »

ahhh Woolton pie the bain of my life when I was a little girl I HATED it,and my late Mum would insist on cooking the blessed things at least once a week.We also had to eat snoek which was some sort of tinned fish which was vile as well.But I loved bubble and squeak and corned beef hash and the milk puddings to fill you up ,like semolina,tapioca or rice pud, where my two brothers and I would argue over whose turn it was to have the crispy skin off the top I loved the burnt bits in the corners of the dish:):):) In our house we either had soup to start with then the main meal, or main meal and a pudding Starters and puddings were meant to fill you up so you didn't notice the lack of meat on the plate Veg was always piled high and lots of Bisto gravy helped keep the illusion of a 'meaty meal' With rationing until I was 12 it was a case of eat up or go without.But rarely did you turn your nose up and say I don't like/want to eat it .There are few things I won't eat at all now apart perhaps from tripe, as the smell just makes me heave ,although it was eaten when I was a little girl irrespective, as my Mum didn't allow for 'fussy eaters'

Game, heart, brawn, junket, offal, foraged food - despite being very well off - old habits died hard with my Mother. :rotfl::rotfl::rotfl:

FrugalinShropshire

In true Old Style, I have had the left over parsnip croquettes for lunch and Dad had the split pea soup! Very yummy with HP sauce

monnagran

The bane of my life wassomething my mother called 'extender' which was designed to stretch the butter ration. As far as i can remember she melted butter and margarine and mixed it with cornflour and a little milk. The resulting gooey mess was poured into a basin to set and that is what we had to spread on our bread. It might have given us something to adorn our toast but it was revolting and has ensured that the memory of it has forced me to use the very best butter that I can afford ever since.

We were fortunate in that my parents, who were married in 1938, were buying their own house and it had a fairly good sized garden. Even before they moved in my father had planted fruit trees and laid out a good vegetable garden. As soon as war was declared he fenced off a corner, built a hen house and installed a dozen hens. When he was called up my dear Mum, aged 25 and with a new baby and by nature artistic and dreamy, buckled to and kept us going for the war years with all our own home grown fruit and vegetables and eggs.
This was in the suburbs of Southampton and all veg had to be checked for tiny bits of shrapnel and glass after the blitz and bombing raids. Cooking was always liable to be interrupted by the wail of the siren, the abandoning of the kitchen in favour of the shelter or the sudden disappearance of any gas or electricity. At least when we are having fun trying out wartime recipes we aren't having to deal with wartime conditions.

But please, please don't try inflicting extender on your family. They will never forgive you.

x

meritaten

I can remember my nan making 'mock cream' - as housekeeping funds were short. and my mum saying 'I am not eating that muck' and running over the road to the shop for a tin of 'proper cream'! lol, it was the only cream she would eat!
I hated that tinned stuff (still do) and preferred nan's mock cream! but I have no clue how she made it.

CapricornLass

I've got the We'll Eat Again book too. Puddings and cakes weren't liked much, but the fish recipes were always a hit, and I prefer Marguerite's receipe for pasties. The pastry is not so heavy and fatty like normal pasties.

mardatha

I'm the world's worst cook - but everything I've tried from my two wartime books has come out fine. (We'll Eat Again and Eating for Victory).
Plus they're full of "normal" food that we know we like lol - I might join in, try to cook some things from it as well.

mardatha

Today I made the Quick Veg Soup, it was ok but not terrific.