March 2017

‘ R A T I O N I N G ’ by Reg Baker
Part 2(i) – “Overcoming the Challenges of World War Two”

As discussed in part one of this series, ration books for the entire civilian population of Britain had been printed and ready for issue during 1938. Shortly after the outbreak of war the housewife’s life and of others started to revolve around the ration book and, in January 1940, rationing of basic foodstuffs swung into being, along with SPAM (Specially Prepared American Meat) and dried egg. (As the war progressed, rationing was extended to virtually all commodities including clothes, soap and petrol.) Each ration book was coloured to reflect the consumer’s status in society, age, physical condition, expectant mothers, occupation (manual workers were allowed extra rations), or temporary arrangements for members of the mobile population – mainly service personnel on leave and commercial travellers. Each book contained coupons which could only be redeemed by the grocer and or butcher with whom the consumer was registered – a legal requirement. This was a constraint which prevented the consumer from having the flexibility of shopping around. In addition, because of paper rationing, retailers were not allowed to wrap purchases, consumers having to provide their own containment, or accepting them unwrapped, unless they were delivered. One day a week! This was probably the beginning of the of the housewife’s daily shopping basket. In addition, shops closed earlier during winter months to save energy and to comply with blackout regulations.

Ration allocations of basic foodstuffs were not lavish, almost unbelievably small, compared with current consumption and availability. However, consumers were assured, by the Ministry of Supply, that the total nutrient value of allocations of rationed basic foodstuffs was at least equal to that of the average housewife’s basket before the war. Thus the consumer’s diet was made up of two parts: nutrition from ration allocations together with food off ration acting as stomach fillers or comfort foods – mainly bread, potatoes and other vegetables (all off-ration). This gave rise to a recipe devised by the then Minister of Food, Lord Woolton, of Woolton pie, a wartime vegetable pie made up of cauliflower, root vegetables and oatmeal baked under a potato crust – and crème brûlée made with dried egg custard; also the motto “dig for victory”, where every patch of ground was given over to growing all varieties of vegetables.

At first restrictions were not particularly irksome, especially for those with enough money to get around them, but in 1942, as shipping losses mounted, it became clear that some belt tightening was required, and initial allocations were reduced. During 1942, a typical consumer’s allocation was a mere 8oz sugar every four weeks, the same amount of cooking fat – of which only 2oz could be taken as butter. The weekly ration of tea was 2oz (loose leaf of course), and that of bacon 4oz. (1oz avoirdupois is equivalent to 28.35 gms SI metric). Aside from bacon, other meat was rationed by price: 1s 2d per head, of which 2d had to be spent on corned beef! The “egg-in-shell” virtually disappeared to be replaced by dried egg from America. Each consumer was allowed one “egg-in-shell” per month. The latter gave rise to a number of cartoons, one of which showed a housewife, carefully shielding an egg-in-shell, asking her husband ‘How would you like your egg this month, dear?’ With regard to dried eggs the allowance was one 12 egg packet per 4 weeks (equivalent to three fine fresh eggs per week), but later became a valued asset to the housewife during baking and so forth.