Rationing Challenge – Day 3

Monday

For me, the novelty has yet to wear off, but I am enjoying the researching challenge of this as much as anything!

However, having a soon-to-be teenage daughter, I am conscious of how difficult this would be for a family.  Young adults/teenagers were classed as “children” until the age of 16, which meant that they were only allocated half the weekly ration of an adult, yet in some cases boys were expected to take on physical labour and become the “man of the house”, and girls helped out with the housework (no handy gadgets such as vacuum cleaners and washing machines), as mothers went out to work.

Women deserved medals – trying to keep morale up, creating edible dishes, eeking out the meagre rations, clever shopping, maybe a little trading with family and friends and even working outside the family home – they did a lot more than a full-time job… apparently my Gran was very good at trading on the side and my mother remembers there always being oranges in the house!!

BREAKFAST

Bircher Muesli – there are a few variations of this recipe that I have come across, but I am sticking to a simplified version here.

2oz porridge oats (soaked overnight in barely enough water to cover) – you could always use apple juice instead
1 eating apple – grated
Sugar to taste – dependant on how sweet the apple and your tooth is!
2 tbsp milk to serve

Soak the oatmeal overnight, then add all other ingredients just before serving.

Bircher Muesli

This was surprisingly tasty and sustaining and I think that I will be doing this again, after this week.

LUNCH

Not going home for lunch today, so have taken a salad sandwich, made with national loaf into work with a piece of last night’s oatmeal gingerbread mistake!

DINNER

Beef Curry – recipe from War-Time Cookery

1oz fat
4oz beef
1tsp curry powder
1oz flour
1 onion
2 potatoes
Salt and pepper

Fry off the chopped onion with the diced beef. Stir in the flour and curry powder. Add the small, diced potatoes and enough water to cover everything.

Stir well and leave to simmer for up to 1.5 hrs, until beef and potatoes are tender, stirring occasionally.

Serve with boiled rice.

I found this recipe to be a little bland, so had to “doctor” it.  I added a tsp tomato puree, a tbsp Worcestershire sauce, a beef stock cube and a tbsp spiced homemade chutney.  I enjoyed it!  I think it was the addition of the flour to thicken it which had taken some of the flavour away.