All this fuss in the village about “70 years since Hitler bombed the Free Church”, plus a recent post by Lynn about her Wartime cookbooks sent me scurrying to check mine out again for their economical Christmas Recipes.
In 1943, about 1 family in 10 managed to get hold of a turkey. “Gert and Daisy” had a sketch about “murkey” – half mutton, half turkey. G&D were Elsie and Doris Waters, the sisters of Jack Warner aka Dixon of Dock Green. They came on the radio and cheered people up with their witty banter [!]
Wish I had a copy of this one…
I saw them performing once when I was on holiday. They were on the seafront at Eastbourne in 1973, just before Doris died – and I’m afraid I didn’t find them that amusing!
Tucked into my Victory Cookbook [“Celebratory Food on Rations”] are a load of recipes from the Cabinet War Rooms ‘Wartime Christmas’ event I attended with Liz and Steph a few years ago.
I am very taken with the recipe for ‘Orange And Date Cake’ [made with marmalade and ‘orange essence’ – as presumably the actual fruits were hard to come by] Maybe if we get snowed in, and I have a spare moment [!!!] I shall make one.
I'm enjoying the treats so much more this year. I heard some one at work saying you could have 'smellies' chocolates etc all year round. We don't so the treats we've been given are really beng enjoyed- i suppose we're self rationing? nothing like war time privations!
ReplyDeleteHow about Potato Peel Pie - have you read the Gurnsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society? A great read about war-time Britain!
ReplyDeleteI am so much more frugal this year and I love reading about how other people make it all go further
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