2025 Fashion On The Ration Challenge

Laura_Elsewhere

Nelliegrace said:

I found a pair of unworn corduroy trousers in the spare room wardrobe which now fit. I put it down to the limited sugar and sweet ration. Carrot sticks, anyone?
Some people would have decluttered, but I live in hope.
I wonder how many men returning home after the war found that their wardrobe was looking very bare as every bit of fabric had been repurposed, and every jumper unravelled to Make Do and Mend. 

My grandaddy was in a Reserved Occupation so was at home throughout but obviously didn't attend official functions in formal morning dress during the war, so it was the end of 1945 before he unpacked all of it and tried it on the night before a very important formal function, and discovered to his horror that the trousers wouldn't meet by a good couple of inches! 
Gran opened up the back seam (covered by the long tails of the morning coat) and inserted a V of blackout material, which did a very good job of making them wearable. That week he took them up to his tailor in Bond Street, and took a seat, as one did in those days (!), whilst the assistant took them away to be examined to see whether they could be altered or whether he would need a new pair made- after only a few minutes the extremely eminent Head Tailor came through, bearing the striped trousers and exclaiming, 
"Good God, man, who's your tailor? We'll take him on tomorrow at twice whatever he's being paid!"
to which Grandaddy calmly but firmly replied, 
"She is my wife and you will not", took up his trousers and left   

He very proudly wore the trousers for all formal occasions for the rest of his career, some 23 years, amused and proud of Gran's clever needlework. 
When Gran died, I was asked what personal items I would like before the flat-clearance, and I asked for and was given Grandaddy's dress clothes, the silk top hat, the second-best silk top-hat, the collapsible opera top-hat, the tailcoat and white cutaway waistcoat and black dress trousers, the morning coat and striped trousers and black waistcoat, the double-breasted dinner-jacket, the bowler hat, the grey braces for morning dress, the white braces for evening dress, all the shirts, the collars, the cufflinks and collar-studs, the various ties, the white silk scarf with the black and white fringe, the white kid gloves and the wilver-topped ebony cane...! 
I happily wore most of it in various inventive outfits through my late twenties and thirties, before gradually much of it succumbed to moth, or simply became scruffy through my not looking after it as he had done. I still have enough bits and pieces to keep me happy; some I gave away (he was deeply conventional, but loathed bullying- his second-best silk hat was posted off to a friend whose neighbour's teenage son enjoyed wearing flamboyant outfits but the local bullies had got hold of him one day, beaten him up and then held him and made him watch as they torched his beloved second-hand top-hat. I felt he should have another, to help him feel the bullies hadn't won). 

I think all I have here is the silk scarf and the black morning waistcoat, now re-lined and re-backed in deep-old-rose satin; the rest is in the old house, presumably being moth-eaten further... 

Cherryfudge

That's an amazing tale from your grand parents Laura! I can see where you get your talents from. And I'm glad the top hat went toa  good home.

Laura_Elsewhere

@PipneyJane - please, lovely Pip, could you post your recipe for Anzac biscuits? I looked and couldn't find it earlier so used another recipe online and oh, they're inedible... all I can taste if the bicarbonate of soda, and I feel rather queasy after eating only two! 

Your recipe was lovely!! 

PipneyJane

Laura_Elsewhere said:

@PipneyJane - please, lovely Pip, could you post your recipe for Anzac biscuits? I looked and couldn't find it earlier so used another recipe online and oh, they're inedible... all I can taste if the bicarbonate of soda, and I feel rather queasy after eating only two! 

Your recipe was lovely!! 

Damn, damn, damn!  I found the original post and it appears that I linked to a recipe on the Good Food website, which now needs a subscription.  I’m so sorry, @Laura_Elsewhere.  However, in the intervening years, I’ve managed to acquire a copy of the cookbook we used at school to make the, Cookery The Australian Way.  Have compared it to my Macquarie Dictionary of Cooking and there are differences, so I’ll put the latter’s quantities in brackets at the end, where they differ.  (NB:  the latter adds desiccated coconut, while the former does not have it at all.)

ANZAC BISCUITS

Ingredients

1 cup/90g rolled oats 
1/2 cup/125g sugar (1 cup sugar)
3/4 cup/115g flour (1 cup flour)
1 tablespoon golden syrup
1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
2 tablespoons boiling water
1/2 cup/125g butter, melted
(1 cup desiccated coconut)

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 160C.
2. Lightly grease multiple baking trays.
3. In a bowl, combine all the dry ingredients.
4. Melt the butter with the golden syrup over low heat, add the boiling water and bicarb soda.
5. While frothing, pour into dry ingredients and mix thoroughly to a moist, firm consistency.
6. Place teaspoonsful of the mixture onto the baking trays, ensuring there is a lot of room for each spoonful to expand.
7. Bake for 18-20 minutes or until golden brown.  (A scribbled note on the recipe in the Dictionary says 13 minutes.)
8. Remove from the oven and allow to harden slightly on the baking trays for 2-3 minutes, then cool on a cake rack.

Hope this helps, Laura.

- Pip



ETA:  I can’t find any previous post where I actually wrote out the recipe.  @kiwisavings please cast your eye over the above recipe(s) and give us your opinion.

If I did write our the recipe, it is somewhere in the 2021 thread.   I did manage to find a mention where @diminua said the following:  “ ... Anzac biscuits. I cut the sugar down and used honey not golden syrup, so they spread out into a big sheet of biscuit, but they were still delicious. Fashion ...” but Google didn’t take me to that particular post.

ETA AGAIN:  Got it!!  This is the link to the recipe https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/anzac-biscuits 

Laura_Elsewhere

Thankyou so much, Pip! MWAH!

PipneyJane

Laura_Elsewhere said:

Thankyou so much, Pip! MWAH!

My pleasure, @Laura_Elsewhere.  BTW:  I think this is the link to the original recipe that I shared: https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/anzac-biscuits

I have saved down a PDF of it.

- Pip

PollyWollyDoodle

That’s interesting, I thought dessicated coconut was a fundamental ingredient of Anzac biscuits. I can’t stand it, which is why I’ve never made them!  

kiwisavings

PipneyJane said:

Laura_Elsewhere said:

@PipneyJane - please, lovely Pip, could you post your recipe for Anzac biscuits? I looked and couldn't find it earlier so used another recipe online and oh, they're inedible... all I can taste if the bicarbonate of soda, and I feel rather queasy after eating only two! 

Your recipe was lovely!!

ETA:  I can’t find any previous post where I actually wrote out the recipe.  @kiwisavings please cast your eye over the above recipe(s) and give us your opinion.

If I did write our the recipe, it is somewhere in the 2021 thread.   I did manage to find a mention where @diminua said the following:  “ ... Anzac biscuits. I cut the sugar down and used honey not golden syrup, so they spread out into a big sheet of biscuit, but they were still delicious. Fashion ...” but Google didn’t take me to that particular post.

ETA AGAIN:  Got it!!  This is the link to the recipe https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/anzac-biscuits 

This looks good to me 
Happy Anzac Day next week 

kiwisavings

Growing up, we would have made Anzac biscuits using the recipe in the iconic NZ book - the Edmond's Cook Book.

https://edmondscooking.co.nz/recipes/biscuits/anzac-biscuits/

My mum remembers that they were a popular recipe during food rationing, as Anzac biscuits do not use any eggs and use smaller quantities of sugar and butter than other biscuits (cookies).

Another egg free recipe that might appeal to those doing a food ration challenge would be a 'Wacky Cake'- this is a really easy and very yummy chocolate cake that was made during the depression. This is also known as a Crazy Cake and is really useful if you need a cake for people with dairy/egg allergies or for vegans.
This is the recipe that I use:

Crazy Cake

Preheat oven to 160 C (325 F)
Grease and flour a ring baking tin.

Sift into a bowl:
1 1/2 cups plain flour
1 teaspoonful baking soda
4 tablespoons cocoa

Add 1 cup sugar and stir well

In a jug, mix:
1 cup water
5 Tablespoons vegetable oil (eg rice bran oil)
1 Tablespoon white or cider vinegar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Pour liquid ingredients into bowl and stir until just mixed. Pour into baking tin.

Bake 45 to 60 minutes.

This is another variation:

https://nadialim.com/chocolate-wacky-cake/

Sarahspangles

I used to make Anzac biscuits (and Lamingtons) but for no other reason than they were in one of the Australian Women’s Weekly cookbooks that had child friendly recipes. If you leave out the coconut they’re hobnobs!

I just looked up AWW and they have an opinion on the recipes…. https://www.womensweeklyfood.com.au/baking/anzac-biscuit-recipes-31661/