As I was born in 1941, my earliest food memories were recipes like these. I was so used to the substitutes that I preferred them to the real thing: some I still do. I was lucky enough to have been evacuated with my mother who got a job with accommodation as manageress of a village store while my father was away at the war, so rationing and ration books were part of my everyday life. As I grew older, I realised that my mother was a dreadful cook and stuck to a narrow range of standard dishes, so I was surprised to see as many as 184 recipes listed! I look forward to re-visiting some old favourites as well as discovering more.
Rationing and shortages did not end with the end of the war, of course. Sweets were still rationed in the 1950s. I still remember my father after he had been demobbed, proudly bringing me a single banana which he had managed to acquire at great expense and he and my mother looked on as a took my first bite. I still recall with shame that my reaction was disappointing to them as I gagged on the unfamiliar texture: they shared the rest of it between them. Malt and concentrated orange juice were great favourites and I missed them when they were discontinued after the war. Condensed milk was another favourite.
Our wartime childhoods have stood us in good stead during the current crisis. Frugal living is no new thing to us and a store cupboard full of basic food has been the norm all our married life. We have not needed to go shopping even though we only managed to get our first home delivery three weeks into the crisis. Avoidance of waste as instilled into us as children has also helped. We are both good cooks and benefit from my wife's French childhood where she learned to appreciate good food and educated my culinary tastes. A spell as students in the 1960s when we worked in a top West End restaurant also helped!
the1940sexperiment.com
