WAR-TIME COOKERY

New Zealand Times, Volume L, Issue 11435, 3 February 1923, Page 12

WAR-TIME COOKERY

WHEN FOOD WAS SCARCE DEFEATING THE SUBMARINE MENACE. (By H.D.W.) Looking through a few old papers a day or two ago I came across some war-time recipes for cookery, reminders ol the time when the people of the Old Country underwent some very real ixriva.tjoiis. neoessitated dn the first place by the German submarine blockade so ruthlessly applied, and afterwards by the tremendous decrease in the number of cattle and sheep lelt in- the country, and also the shortage of flour. Directly this dariger was apparent the Ministry of Food was set up ami a system of rationing introduced. Flour, butter, meat, sugar, and milk were the principal articles over which the Ministry exercised the most strict control, and attempts to secure more than tlie quantity allowed by the ration ca-rd brought down severe penalties upon the offender. .... -• GARDENERS ALL. A really wonderful feature was tho way in which the people who remained at home responded to the appeal of the department to grow as many vegetables as possible, and the consequence of this was that local authorities were given power' to requisition thudding pIor.K and other idle land about the towns, this land being let in five and ten rod plots at a rent of 6d per rod. These plots were taken up as rapidly as they could be marked out, and in the course of the first year there were hundreds of thousands of these plots under cultivation, producing the good supplies that were to frustrate the designs of the enemy to starve Great Britain into submission. Nearly all adults had their plots, and the amount of vegetables that was grown was truly amazing. These were not rationed, but the people were impressed with the necessity of using their supplies with the utmost economy. WAR RATIONS.

At this time the average rations were about as follow: —Meat, Jib; sugar, two ounces ; butter, one ounce ; all per head per week ; bread was rationed, and milk, which was very short in the winter, was first allocated to babies, a pint a day for each one under three, and the rest was rationed as far as it would* go. Any further supnly i(had to be made up from tinned milk. Bread and flour were also doled out, and those who had experience of the war bread at its worst are never likely to forget it. The whole of the grain was ground in the flour and the bakers were compelled to keep the bread until it was twelve hours’ old. When it did arrive it was dry and chaffy and most unpalatahle i cannot imagine what New Zealanders would say if their bakers supplied them with such bread. NATION’S COOKERY BOOK.

The Ministry then Btarted an economy campaign, sending cookery instructresses all oyer the country, giving cookery lectures and demonstrations on the most economical way of using the available food resources They did not stop at this, for the do. partment then began to print recipes on how to cook vegetables, various uses for maize and rice Hour instead of wheat flour, the making of vegetable soup 3, the preserving of fruit and vegetables by bottling or drying, and how to substitute potatoes for bread. One . very useful list was “thirty-four ways of using potatoes other than as vegetables,” and as potatoes were a staple food in those days these recipes were of great value. The writer tried a great number of them and found them really excellent, anti has some of them in use to this day. You would like to try one? Here Jou are;—Potato bread rolls: One lb ground rice flour, one oz fat, one lb mashed potato, one teaspoon full baking powder, water, salt. Sift the flour and baking powder together and rub in the fat. Meanwhile cook the potatoes, dry well over the fire, pass through sieve or masher, when cool, mix ughtly with the prepared flour, add salt to taste and mix to a fairly stiff paste with milk and water. Roll out to tlho required thickness, cut to cVivenient sized rolls, place them on the baking sheet, and bake in hot oven from ten to fifteen minutes according to thicknqps of the rolls. VEGETARIAN DIET. It was a case of needs must when the devil drives, and hundreds cf excellent recipes, and also many devices were born of those days of adversity. Quite a number are suitable for first-class vegetarian diet, and others enable the housewife to avoid a good deal of unnecessary waste. The complete set of recipes is now in the hands of the Lady Editor, and perhaps in a few days’ time she may he able to make a selection of suitable ones, far publication.