A bit about us

My photo
Portland, Oregon, United States
Meg has an M.A. in English and a B.A. in History from California State University, Fresno. She is a five-year veteran of the US Navy and was stationed in Quonset Point, Rhode Island, and London, England. Meeting people from around the world and helping them learn American English is one of her abiding passions. She does line editing (which means polishing words line-by-line) for writers, attorneys, professors, graduate students, and business owners. Find her not only on Blogger but Twitter, Facebook, and at www.getsmartediting.com. Phil has years of experience in the world of computer programming. With his engineering-trained mind, he thrives on solving convoluted problems with simple, sensible, and highly effective solutions. Follow him on Twitter and at www.getsmartcomputing.com.

November 5, 2009

When Times are Tough





Marguerite Patten OBE
She created many well-remembered recipes for Britons on rations


A grocer stamps a ration book

Recipes had to change when sugar, eggs, and milk were rationed



The rations for one person for a week


A food ration card (there were also ration cards for clothing and petrol)

Eggless Fruit Cake
devised by Marguerite Patten
From Feeding the Nation: Nostalgic Recipes and Facts from 1940-1954 (Hamlyn)

Cooking time: 1-1/4 hours

10 oz self-raising flour or plain flour with 3 teaspoons baking powder
1 level teaspoon mixed spice [cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice and sometimes also any preferred combination of mace, cloves, ginger, coriander seed, caraway, cayenne]
1 level teaspoon bicarbonate of soda [baking soda]
Pinch of salt
1/2 pint well-strained weak tea
3 oz margarine or cooking fat
3 oz sugar
3oz dried fruit 

Grease and flour a 7-inch cake tin. Sift flour, mixed spice, bicarbonate of soda and salt together. Pour the tea into a saucepan, add the margarine or cooking fat, sugar and dried fruit. Heat until the fat and sugar melt, then boil for 2-3 minutes. Allow to cool slightly, pour on to the flour mixture, beat well and spoon into the tin. Bake in the centre of a moderate oven for 1-1/4 hours.

No comments:

Post a Comment