Woolton Pie, mock duck, vegetable roll with potato pastry and health bread are all filling and nourishing meals with one slight twist - these and many other simple meals, were the staples of a wartime household. The British 1940's housewife was often busy with children, cleaning, shopping, working for the war effort and/or voluntary work, and with tight food rations in place, she not only had to be very organized, but also very creative.

In today's society, the cost of everyday living is rising far more quickly than our pay increases. Items that used to be cheaper such as fruit and vegetables are now on par with a lot of pre-packaged foods making it increasingly difficult to plan a weeks menu for a family and still keep to a tight budget.
Taking the above into consideration, maybe we should take a look back to the wartime diet and try to incorporate some of the recipes of the British home front. Wartime meals were dominated by vegetables and condiments, and were low in fats and sugars, which would reduce the cost of groceries a great deal. Also considering that today's society is literally growing in size (weight wise), wartime meals may be the perfect solution.
So what are these recipes and how do we go about finding them? You can do a search on the Internet quite easily by phrasing your search with words such as "wartime recipes". One of the most famous 'make-do' cooks of Britain during the Wartime was Marguerite Patten. Conducting an Internet search on her will also yield results.

Sample Meals:
* Mock Duck
* Honey cakes
* Potato puffs
* Mock sausages
* Cheese pudding
* Fish Paste
* Health Bread
* Woolton Pie
* Vegetable Roll with Potato Pastry

If you are really keen for more recipes, several online stores such as Amazon and other bookshops usually have a great selection of reprinted books such as "Wartime Recipes (Cookery)" by David Notley, "The Victory Cookbook" and "We'll Eat Again" by Marguerite Patten, or "Ration Book Cookery: Recipes and History" by Gill Corbishley, just to name a few.

Now just before I leave you to get creative and lower your grocery bill, as well as saving time by making simple meals, here is the recipe and approximate pricing for making Woolton Pie:

Ingredients
1lb/0.45kg diced potatoes - $1.15
1lb/0.45kg cauliflower - $2.40
1lb/0.45kg diced carrots - $1.00
1lb/0.45kg diced swedes or other chunky vegetable - $1.50
3 spring onions $3.60
1 teaspoon vegetable extract
1 tablespoon oatmeal
A little chopped parsley

Method:
Cook everything together with just enough water to cover, stirring often to prevent it sticking to the pan. Let the mixture cool.
Spoon into a pie dish, sprinkle with chopped parsley.
Cover with a crust of potatoes or wholemeal pastry.
Bake in a moderate oven until golden brown.
Serve hot with gravy.

The last three ingredients for the above recipe may be things you already have in your pantry, so the total cost of the above meal is around $6.05. That means that you could make a weeks worth of lunches and dinners for around $85. Now THAT's Victory!

Learn more about this author, Evelyn Kilday.
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