Can a family survive on wartime rations?

[itsybitsy]

Interesting article in the Daily Mail archive from 2007:

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/artic ... tions.html

[preppingsu]

Interesting experiment. I think families could manage (says she who just scoffed a packet of crisps with lunch!) and may well be healthier as a result. It would have to be supplemented with own grown fruit find veg and maybe eggs from chickens.
It just requires a change in mindset and expectation. More frugal, home baking - less processed food.

I think I could do it slowly and sneakily but couldn't just stop one diet for another. The kids would have a real problem with that.

I wouldn't mind having a go over the summer holidays (6weeks) when I'm not working and seeing how it works.

[itsybitsy]

Yes, time IS a big issue. Sometimes when you've been at work all day, then done the shopping or gone to the gym for an hour, the last thing you feel like doing is baking a fecking pie!

[Ian]

Still enjoy such food and recipes. My favorite cooking author is Marguerite Patton. I use most of her books by preference.

Apropos of nothing. Just opened a sealed pack of matches from our ROC days marked 'War Stock'. No idea how old, no more than 40 years, probably 35 or so. They were priced at 12p for a wrapper of six boxes of Co-Op matches, 40 matches/box. Interestingly, marked 'Made in the USSR'. Just right for war stock.

So we are still using up our wartime stocks and I still have my issued ration book (I was a baby, honest, and the book is for sweets). Also have the fuel ration tokens from the fuel crisis in 1973 (In my day things were worse that today etc. etc.)

[preppingsu]

Time is the problem, but working on the garden etc is a gym work out in itself so wouldn't need the gym.

Daily shopping for fresh might be a problem but then you would be using as much as you could from the garden, so the shopping would be a walk down the garden path with a shovel!

Finding recipes my fussy kids would like could be interesting and as son earns (weekend job) he would just go out and buy the processed food for himself!

[diamond lil]

http://rationingrevisited.com/about/
People are doing it and liking it. I have Eating for Victory and We'll Eat Again cookbooks and to be honest I don't see any hassle about it all. I think if you've got a load of kids then its always cheaper to home bake, always cheaper to bulk meat up with veg, and feed them filler-uppers like pastry, soup and rice pud. All wartime staples. I blame my ME on too many years eating carp and working nights, so now Ive changed my way of eating, and got my daughter to change too. I was very impressed by medical findings that the wartime generation were healther and lived longer than any before or since.

[diamond lil]

Sue if you go onto MSE Moneysaving Old Style forum - dozens and dozens of mums are doing it. Its cheaper and better for you, and you easily get into a routine. Aldi for veg, batch cooking & freezing, big lovely home cooked dinners and puddings are far far better and nicer. I don't count rations, am not that into it, but I do like to know what I'm eating So you could start at a halfway stage of 100% home cooking maybe, and leave the rations till later?

[Bladerunner]

I think I could do it slowly and sneakily but couldn't just stop one diet for another. The kids would have a real problem with that.

Do what I do. I am on two diets because there isn't enough food on one.

Also, I don't eat between mouthfulls.

[the-gnole]

What's a "Fussy kid" never had one in our household Eat it or go hungry is the choice here.

[preppingsu]

What's a "Fussy kid" never had one in our household Eat it or go hungry is the choice here.

Well I often wonder why they turned out to be fussy. As babes they had homemade food from fresh ingredients, I never cook separate meals - they have always had what we have yet they still turn their nose up at a lot of food. However, they are 'encouraged' to eat what they get. But son is working so he can go off and buy what he wants.....
I've never pampered to their foodie whims if that's what you're implying gnole.