THE WARTIME KITCHEN

THE WARTIME KITCHEN

Because many foods were scarce many people struggled to think up recipes to make food interesting and enjoyable.

The Ministry of Food tried to encourage people to be more creative with their food to make it more interesting.

Before there were the celebrity chefs we know nowadays, there was Marguerite Patten, who wrote recipes and cookbooks to inspire home cooking.

Many recipes were thought up by people and sent in to magazines and newspapers to help fellow housewives feed their families.

Because such a lot of the things we would take for granted today weren't available, many wartime recipes seem very strange to us today. Cooks had to come up with inventive recipes to make the most of what little food they had. People had to be very inventive in the kitchen!

On the Activities menu are a few recipes, which people used during the war and which show the effect of rationing and lack of some foods during the war years and for a few years after.

TASK

Why not give them a try at home or in the classroom

or make a feast for your own street party!

Some wartime recipes use terms that are not familiar today. Here are a few of the most common ones:

Oven Temperatures

Very Slow = 90 to 120°C, 200 to 250°F or Gas Mark 1

Slow = 140 to 150°C, 275 to 300°F or Gas Mark 2

Very Moderate = 160°C, 325°F or Gas Mark 3

Moderate = 180°C, 350°F or Gas Mark 4

Moderately Hot = 190 to 200°C, 375 to 400°F or Gas Mark 5 to 6

Hot = 220°C, 425°F or Gas Mark 7

Very Hot = 230 to 240°C, 450 to 475°F or Gas Mark 8 to 9

Weights & Measures

1 pt (pint) = 568 ml

1 lb (pound) = 454 g

1 oz (ounce) = 28 g