Topic: Memorys of wartime rationing.....any one?

[petefj]

I was born in 1938, so I have some good and bad memories of the war. 
I do remember coming home from school one day to find a yellow curved thing on my plate, which my mother told me was a banana.  The sight of it horrified me, and I refused to eat it.  To the complete mortification of my mother who had queued for some considerable time to get it.
My reading of History tells me that it would have been 1944, the year that the Prime Minister insisted that shipping space be found to give every child in the UK a banana.
Well, it was wasted on me.

Peter

[antipodes]

 I sometimes this is was why my mum was such a terrible cook! My parents were born in 24 and 26 and so knew rationing quite well. My dad was in the Merchant navy and they went as far as Australia, where the men were fed typically 40s Aussie grub - steak for breakfast with bacon, eggs, toast etc!!! They had forgotten what that all tasted like! They were sorry to head off from there.
My parents had talked to us about rationing, and all the things you couldn't get, fresh eggs, lemons, oranges, meat.
My mum never learned to cook more modern food and we lived on (this was in the 70s!) stews, lamb chops, sausages, mince and she made puddings like rice pudding, bread pudding, cooked custard. Funny thing was, my granddad had an allotment so they must have had nicer food than that when she was growing up (he was a coal miner in Easington, Durham)!! I think my nan never taught her how to cook!

[claybasket]

Iwas born 51 and don't remember rations, but my father who was to young for WWI and to old WW2, he worked at the railways in Glasgow, we all live in a tenement one room for a family of 6, a recess with a curtain across the bed were my Mam and Dad slept ,a sink and cooker, and mattress on the floor at night for the  children, I sleep in a drawer,my oldest sister told me, someone reported DAD to the police! saying he had two jobs !he went out in evenings after finshing after his tea ,I don't know if you were only allowed one job? anyhow he'd catch pike,and share it with the nabours,and rabbits, and poutch trout, he could tickle them ;D He had a thing about bananas after ration he always bought a Hand of bananas I think the war  left a lot o people with hoarding habits just in-case shops run out. think i would be the same.

[Bubbles26]

This is a great thread - I'm 26, so never had these sorts of tales from my parents and all my grandparents were dead by the time I was 7 so never really got a chance to ask them questions. As an adult I am so interested in history now and wish I had asked more questions when I was young.

The only thing I do remember is my Gran telling me how they had one lot of about 4 linen cloths for wrapping dumplings in. She used to make them all the time when I was little (very unhealthy but very yummy) - the type with the meat inside. She explained that all the wives used to share the cloths and you weren't allowed to have them for more that a day otherwise you just had to pass them on without having made your dumplings.

Of course when I was eating them as a child they were very different from what she used to put inside them during the war.  Lucky me huh!  ;D

[jimtheworzel]

on bin day we kids would rumage in the bins looking for empty pop bottles to take back to the shop and get the bottle deposit of 2p to buy sweets
happy days

[telboy]

Who remembers WAD?

[artichoke]

We were paid a penny or two for collecting rose hips. I found that very exciting, not having any pocket money.

My father was an unusual man who made all our bread (flour, salt, yeast, water.....of course) throughout my conscious childhood. I was born in 1943, followed by 3 sisters.

Italians and Poles fled to our town in East Fife bringing their own traditional foods. I remember fantastic potato salads and breads.

Both my parents, after meeting at Cambridge and later at Bletchley Park during the war, went to Spain in the 50s and mingled with Franco's family, as did I when I was 12. Teaching their children English.

I find it quite surreal that as a young child I collected rosehips for pennies in Scotland, but stayed with Franco's brother-in-law eating quails and melons (MELONS!) in Spain a decade later.

[artichoke]

http://www.guardian.co.uk/news/2000/jul/20/guardianobituaries2

[saddad]

A very interesting read... and life.

[djbrenton]

My mother was fond of telling me that my grandparents kept rabbits throughout the war for food and fed them on onion tops for part of the year. Apparently the flavour was exquisite.

[SamLouise]

My reading of History tells me that it would have been 1944, the year that the Prime Minister insisted that shipping space be found to give every child in the UK a banana.
Well, it was wasted on me.

Peter

How long before you gave in and tried one? :)

[Jeannine]

In remember with great fondness the orange juice concentrate that was given out to babies,we didn't qualify but  a neighbours baby did but wouldn't drink it so Mum traded something for it for me. When I got the chance I would sip it neat!! Here I can buy frozen OJ concentrate(never found it in the UK) and whenever I mix it I still have to have a wee bit undiluted  as that memory is so strong.

Oh and the horrors of ABIDEX drops..vitamin drops that were supposed to be added to kids food, oh they were incredibly awful, my Mum valiantly tried to hide them in things but I always knew, I can still smell them as strong as yesterday. In fact a common curse for me is stating that something smells as bad as ABIDEX drops.

I tried to buy rabbit today but refused to pay $35 for a frozen one.

You have all triggered my need to cook wartime again..I think next weeks Sunday dinner may be ............

Lord Wolton Pie  with  gravy,potato floddies and parsnip croquettes or wartime champ followed by Victory pudding  with custard or mock apricot flan with  mock cream.. anyone want to join me?

XX Jeannine

[Digeroo]

I certainly had welfare orange juice.  I do not think it did my teeth any good at all.

I used to buy frozen orange juice in small round tubs when we were first married.  I always liked it because there is no waste.

And I also remember malt and cod liver oil.

And I remember the day we roasted the war time chickens they were as tough as old boots and had to be made into soup in the pressure cooker. 

Thanks for posting the story artichoke very interesting life.   Have you thought of writing a book?

[Poppy Mole]

I can remember going to renew the ration books with my Mum, & yes her hoarding habits have passed on to me which is why I feel very patronised when the powers that be start going on about food parcels for the elderly after a couple of days cold weather - I think they would find that most elderly people keep a very good store cupboard & can when pushed make a hot meal out of next to nothing without turning a hair.

[laurieuk]

Please do not tell anyone but we used to creep round the back of the off licence to get bottles to take in the front and get the pennies. :-X :-X

on bin day we kids would rumage in the bins looking for empty pop bottles to take back to the shop and get the bottle deposit of 2p to buy sweets
happy days

[Jeannine]

Re the hoarding thing, my Mumm was a huge food hoarder and I have certainly inherited the talent..I call it a talent because if well managed it saves a great deal of money, time etc. so I am quite happy with that. Even though there is now only two of us we still buy in bulk, wholesale where we can and  always "put up" food by canning(bottling). I can't imagine running a house any other way really.

Mum used to make all kinds of soup, one was made with anything she had at the time, when we asked what type of soup were this one was she would answer..don't ask.. there is a war on. I still make "There's a War on Soup" to this day.

XX Jeannine

[goodlife]

Code: [Select]

don't ask.. there is a war on. I still make "There's a War on Soup" to this day. ;D Thats bit like when I make soup..OH always asks whats in it...and my answer is "check what's not in cupboard".. ;D

[jimtheworzel]

bump ing this up.

[pumkinlover]

Please do not tell anyone but we used to creep round the back of the off licence to get bottles to take in the front and get the pennies. :-X :-X

on bin day we kids would rumage in the bins looking for empty pop bottles to take back to the shop and get the bottle deposit of 2p to buy sweets
happy days

 :o :o :o at Laurie!

[jimtheworzel]

Please do not tell anyone but we used to creep round the back of the off licence to get bottles to take in the front and get the pennies. :-X :-X

[quote

done it but got caught