Wartime (and postwar) rations
During the war, and also for several years afterwards, there were many food shortages. People were only allowed so much of some particularly scarce foods. This was partly because it made things fairer for everyone, but it was also because the rationing was a lot better for us.
Every
member of every family would have had a ration book and it gave precise
details of the amounts of certain types of food that you were allowed
during one week
All
schoolchildren had to have a weekly dose of VIROL, a sweet and sticky
extract of malt, in order to make sure they got the proper ration of vitamins;
(and you weren't allowed much time to suck the spoon to get all the sticky
off it!)
| Bacon and ham: | 4oz (100g) |
| Meat: | To the value of 1s.2d (6p today).Sausages
were not rationed but difficult to get; offal (liver, kidneys, tripes)
was originally unrationed but sometimes formed part of the meat ration. |
| Cheese: | 2oz(50g) sometimes it went up to 4oz (100g)
and even up to 8oz (225g). |
| Margarine: | 4oz (100g) |
| Butter: | 2oz (50g) |
| Milk: | 3 pints(1800ml) occasionally dropping to 2
pints (1200ml). Household milk (skimmed or dried) was available :
1 packet per four weeks. |
| Sugar: | 8oz (225g). There were one or two ways we could make this go further. See our recipe for Beetroot Pudding. |
| Jam: | 1lb (450g) every two months. |
| Tea: | 2oz (50g). |
| Eggs: | 1fresh egg a week if available but often only
one every two weeks. Dried eggs 1 packet every four weeks. |
| Sweets: | 12oz (350g) every four weeks |