'One egg, two eggs, three eggs no more'- The Truly Glorious Side of British Wartime Rationing
Volume 4 | Issue 1 - Glorious Britain
Article by Katie Yates. Edited and researched by Liam Brake.
On the 8th January 1940, a social revolution evolved which was to change the eating and living habits of an entire generation. Shortly after the outbreak of the Second World War, William Morrison introduced rationing into British society; it was to be a marker of war time austerity, a dramatic representation of the domestic and economic pressures Britain was facing on the home front. It was designed to help the newly created Ministry of Food share what limited supplies of food and clothing there were available across the entire population. Despite its good intentions however, it was met with both satire and support.
The British determination to avoid defeat at the hands of the Germans, whose naval bombardments made food shipments a rarity, undeniably affected the food prepared in the wartime kitchen. Most people who were not fighting military and political battles on the European fields, stood alongside one another in millions of community allotments and public spaces to ‘dig for victory’. The women’s land armies were crucial to the war effort, farming and cultivating food which was to feed millions of families during the war. Any available space quickly became vegetable patches and community gardens sprang up all over the country; outside post offices, in school grounds and in town centre parks. Children even gave up their saving tokens and pen knives to trade for sweet rations at school. Traditional sugar filled ice lollies were replaced with a much healthier fresh carrot on a stick, and offal (pigs tongue and ears amongst other off-cuts) became a familiar pie filler to be served at mealtimes. While probably not the pie choice for many ten year olds across the country, children learnt to eat what they were given, with crafty mothers deceiving them as to the true nature of the contents of their plate until it was empty. Legislation introduced making it illegal to leave food on your plate meant there was crucially no alternative for an ungrateful child bar cheerily chewing. Perhaps this is an important lesson which should be shared with the children of our own generation.
The negative, demoralising consequences of rationings were exasperated by the national press, with the Daily Mail blasting Mr Morrison for his ‘stupid decision’. To the British media, rationing reflected the British Government’s lack of preparation for the toil and hardship of war on its people. In truth however, a poll conducted in the weeks following the announcement that rationing was to be introduced claimed that 60% of people held the belief that rationing was a necessary component to aiding the war effort. What’s more, vegetables weren’t rationed at all and the unhealthy convenience food of today was either limited or simply not available. Therefore it is possible to suggest that mealtimes were actually a great deal more nutritious than the food you may see on your table today. For the struggling mothers up and down the British Isles rationing also crucially meant an end to the rising food prices and fears that there would be no food on the table the following day. Britain quickly bore a nation of ‘make and mend mothers’ who were prepared to fight tooth and nail to provide for their growing children. ‘Genies culinaires’ they became, adapting to new advice issued daily on the wireless by the Ministry of Food. Flirtatious tactics including the batting of an eyelash were deployed in order to source the best supplies from the local greengrocer. Even batting their eyelashes to register first with the greengrocers with ‘the best’ supplies and they spent time inventing new meals which were at least edible and reasonably nutritious. It seems that all those affected were prepared to adapt to the changing situation in Britain in order to survive, with people working together to come up with new ways of producing food which was accessible to all- all except for the enemy U-Boats.
As we continue to fight our way through our own economic war, it seems more important than ever to question: what lessons can be drawn from this British display of resilience and pride in their own ability to fight sans armes and dig their way to a glorious victory on the home soil? It is not to say that rationing should be introduced into society but the glorious mealtimes enjoyed during the war, when a father, husband and brother returned home, should be respected for what they stood for. People came up with ingenious new ways of creating their favourite meals with cheese becoming a common substitute in meat dishes and egg powder replacing the traditional fried egg. Surely, no one can dismiss the images of the VE Day parties, where streets were lined with British displays of pride and glory: bunting, flags and rows of beaming faces eating jellied eels and spam fritters amongst other war time delights.
While most food was in incredibly short supply, the war time approach to rationing meant that while people did not always get what they wanted, they always got something! The ‘mend and make do’ attitude of the British people was reflective of the truly glorious spirit embedded within society and proves that glory does not always have to arise from winning a major battle or political campaign but instead the ability to ‘keep calm and carry on’ whilst ‘digging for victory’.
Research
• At the start of World War 2 the United Kingdom imported more than 50% of its meat, 70% of its cheese and sugar, nearly 80% of all fruit and about 70% of fats and cereals.
• The Ministry of Food was set up in 1939, replicating the Ministry of Food Control during World War One. It lasted until 1955 when it was merged into the Ministry for Agriculture.
• Rationing continued up until the 4th of July 1954 when the rationing of meat was finally lifted. • Rationing was not limited to food supplies; for example fuel, paper and clothing. The first product to be rationed was actual petrol.
• As the article mentions, fruit and vegetable were excluded from the rationing. However, due to the lack of importation, many types of fruit, such as bananas and lemons, became virtually unobtainable for most of the war. Similarly fruits sales were often restricted both by shop keepers wishing to ensure equality.
• ‘Dig for Victory’ was an official government led campaign spearheaded by Lord Woolton, then Minister for Food, and it created a wealth of public enthusiasm spreading through radio broadcasts, popular songs as well as the now iconic posters.