Rationing and how to implement it

The study of the 1940’s home-front has always been one of my interests…I’m no expert but I do have a fascination with the domestic situation during World War II and the ingenuity and self- reliance exhibited by familes in the UK and Europe. It has never been far from my mind as I scoff down a doughnut or have a 3 egg omlette just how much we take our food situation as granted- its always there, we never have to do without or ration valuable stocks in short supply. What must it have really been like to live with limited rations? And just how ingenious did housewives get to make things stretch further?



Here is a typical weekly ration for an adult in 1943- this is what will form the basis for my rationing

1lb meat
3 pints milk
1 egg
3-4 oz cheese
4 oz bacon or ham
2 oz tea
8 oz sugar
2 oz butter
2 oz cooking fat

In addition to this 16 points were available for other un-rationed foods if they were available in the shop. I intend to select my 16 points worth at the beginning of every week and put them on my 1940’s shelf.

Note: I have since found out that the 16 points was for a whole month!

As soon as the snow melts in April it will be onwards and upwards digging a ‘victory garden’. Families during WWII found having a back yard veg garden an absolute necessity as this provided them with not only healthy fresh veg but also the bulk of their diet in addition to the meagre rations. Chickens will also be added to my victory garden in the Spring which should allow me more eggs and possibly a celebratory omlette following 4 months rationing of just 1 egg per week….As an experiment and aside to the cooking & rationing I will be interested to monitor my weight-loss and cholestrol levels and levels of increasing fitness during the year ahead…..I can’t afford to go to the doctor for regular check ups and monitoring of blood pressure however there is a store in town with an automatic blood pressure machine- the use of which is free so I will take readings from this every couple of months to monitor any improvement.