Rations for One (2).

Cooking for one is somewhat of a challenge for those of us in the habit of cooking for twelve, even if there are only two. How much harder must it have been in wartime Britain under rationing?

The wartime Ministry of Food thought of everything, and every set of circumstances seem to have been covered in its weekly Food Facts leaflets. Leaflet number 213, in July 1944 gave several suitable recipes, and also advised that ‘A week’s Menus for one person living alone and recipes for many of the dishes mentioned by be had, free of charge. Please send postcard marked “leaflets” to the Ministry of Food, London, W.1’

One of the ‘recipes for one’ given in the leaflet was for Pot Roast, with the suggestion to ‘eat the reminder cold, with some appetising trimming’.

Pot Roast.
Ingredients: The joint or cut of beef, 1 lb., mixed root vegetables including spring onions, 2 tablespoons dripping, salt and pepper, vegetable stock or water.
Method: Melt the dripping in a saucepan with a well-fitting lid. When the dripping is hot, put the meat in and cook it on every side to seal the juices. Take it out and put it aside. Slice the vegetables, drop into the fat with a teaspoonful of salt and a shaking of pepper. Put on the lid and cook the vegetables over a very low heat for five minutes. Replace the meat on a bed of vegetables, replace the lid and cook over a low heat for 1 ½ to 2 hours. If the pan gets too dry, add a little vegetable stock or water.

Quotation for the Day.

The best things in life are never rationed. Friendship, loyalty, love, do not require coupons.
Anon.