My only shopping this week has been a brown unsliced loaf and a bottle of washing up liquid.
Bread was never rationed during the war years and the brown National Loaf was the only sort available to buy in the shops as it was seen as too wasteful to mill white flour. I will try to stick to this sort of bread as I think it is reasonably authentic ... even if lovely and soft, something the National Loaf really wasn't.
Household cleaners and soaps etc were on a points system of their own, but I think I'll get my head around that in a couple of weeks, but these were the only things that I needed for now.
I do all my washing of pots by hand in the sink, I have never had a dishwasher and indeed there wouldn't be room for one in my small home even if I did want one, so I am already quite authentic in the kitchen for pot washing. Using just two bowls of soapy water and a drizzle of rinsing water each day means that I use much less water than a machine would as I am just mostly washing pots for one person.
Yesterday while my porridge cooked I chopped the vegetables to use for my lunch of stew, a couple of bowls of soup, a pasty filling ... and a Woolton Pie.
I made good use of that little pot of Flora that I had found in the fridge and spread it lavishly on the crust end of the loaf to have with my lunchtime vegetable stew.
I added some frozen peas to the pan and left it all on the hob to cool down slowly while I ate my lunch.
Then once I had finished my lunch I divided the pan contents into a large portion for a pasty, a smaller pie dish full for the Woolton Pie and whizzed the rest up into enough soup for two large bowls. The one in the photo was going into the fridge and the other was already in the freezer.
And here you can see what I had decided to do with the ready rolled pastry from the fridge. I had enough to make three lids for my little enamel dishes ... a perfect size for a Woolton Pie for one person ... and the rest I rolled out to make a pasty for my tea.
I had my pasty with some Bisto gravy and then put one lid and the enamel dish into the fridge for one Woolton Pie, and after wrapping them well I put the other two pastry lids into the freezer. They should thaw out in the time it takes me to cook vegetables for future pies, a nice time saving little trick ... not one a wartime housewife would have been able to do with no freezer.
Sue xx
This is exactly where you inspire me by taking the same ingredients and making a variety of different meals. Absolutely brilliant.
ReplyDeleteI do it mostly to save time and washing up. 😀 Don't forget you can change the flavours around by adding things to some portions too.
DeleteThis is so interesting and fascinating! For some reason I can't sing in to comment (most likely something with my browser and settngs?), I can write a blog, but not a comment in blogger.
ReplyDeleteIf I would do something like that, I would like to do it with British rationing, because in this country even potatoes were rationed at one point! People actually starved, hunger deaths were only confirmed in POW camps, but childred did suffer malnutrion - this can be later seen as people got older, they started to develop all kind of health problems which were all linked to poor nurtition during childhood :-(
But now - I really agree with you and many of your readers that YOUR approach to this rationing challenge is wery systematic and results will be a lot more healthier than the way most of us eat nowadays!
I love reading your posts and I love reading all comments, they are all so well thought and interesting.
And that was Ulvmor, forgot to write my name :-)
DeleteI feel your frustration, I can only answer comments on my phone while we're out and about if it shows me as Sue from Our New Life in the Country. 🫤
DeleteI know for a fact that even in Britain there were some who were bad managers whose families did not do well on rations, but for some reason they are rarely mentioned in books. My first husbands Mum suffered malnutrition during the war and died at 56 due to a damaged heart.
Thanks for adding your name. 🙂
DeleteAs bread wasn't rationed I am wondering if I can squeeze a pizza onto our menu , we are now on day four and have yet to use any of the cheese ration . I don't often make puddings but last night I really fancied something sweet and found myself looking in the Victory Cookbook to see what I could make ,this was 9 o'clock !!! How come when you know you either can't have or haven't got, you want it more :( A friend has invited us to his garden and help ourselves to as many apples, blackberries and tomatoes that we want, I feel a crumble coming on :)
ReplyDeleteYes, pizza is a good modern use of rations. It's only bread, tomato sauce and additions. Either make your own crust ... bread flour wasn't rationed ... or cut a chunky slice from your loaf and lightly toast it first. I'll be doing something similar soon no doubt. 🙂
DeleteOoh, lots of lovely homegrown goodies to use now and squirrel away for Winter. Lucky you 😀
It's great how you can cook a pot of vegetables and use it as a basis for several different meals! I don't think I've ever had a Woolton pie!
ReplyDeleteIt's basically a vegetable pie with either a pastry or mashed potato top and was a firm favourite during the war years. Economical and tasty too. 🙂
DeleteThat's so wonderfully efficient it makes me ridiculously happy! I'm all for time and energy saving....I always feel very smug when I've prepared something that will go two or three ways :D. I've never got on with dishwashers either. There was one in this house when we bought it but I only ever used it to keep the pipes clear (once a week, I was advised) and when we had the kitchen re-done I had it taken out and not replaced. The man who fitted the cupboards was bewildered that there wasn't a dishwasher in the plans!
ReplyDeleteIt's like having home-made ready meals isn't it. 🙂
DeleteThe guys that fitted my kitchen here said it was a shame I couldn't fit a dishwasher in as well as my washing machine, they just didn't understand that I really, really didn't want one. 😂
I've never wanted one either. I used to work for a posh accounting firm and us PA's had to rinse all the things off from one of their posh lunches, and put them in the machine. Glasses were washed by hand. Seemed a bit pointless having the Dishwasher tbh!
DeleteYour meals look wonderful and by putting extra pastry and food in the freezer you are ready for meals later in the week or month. Good for you.
ReplyDeleteGod bless.
They will be brilliant for when I need a night off from cooking. 😀
DeleteThe Woolton pie for one looks delicious:)
ReplyDeleteIt was lovely, and my smallest enamel dish was a perfect serving size. 🙂
DeleteI make Woolton pie from time to time for dinner and really enjoy it. My only concern is the lack of protein so I make sure I eat cheese or eggs for lunch. June
ReplyDeleteI never worry about lack of protein as it is in all foods except fats and sugars, but if I wanted to up the level a bit I would just add some red lentils to the vegetable mix as I am cooking it.
DeleteThat's very organized. I have to say, Woolton pie would not be for me - too bland - but that's just fussy old me! It certainly is cheap to make, that's for sure.
ReplyDeleteOh gosh it is never bland, I always use plenty of salt and white pepper, it's delicious.
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