World War Two had a massive impact on the diet of ordinary British people. Before the war Britain had relied on food supplies imported from all over the world, but now enemy attacks on British merchant ships resulted in shortages. In an effort to make sure food was shared fairly, the government introduced rationing. People were also encouraged to grow their own food and to use substitute foods to supplement their rations.
Inside Pages of an Adult Ration Book
The adult ration book above shows the foods that were put 'on ration' when the government introduced rationing in January 1940. Everyone was supplied with their own ration book, even children. People then had to register with a local shopkeeper, and could only buy rationed goods if they had enough coupons.
Advertisem*nt from a Bakers During WW2
It was common for people to have to queue for a long time when shopping, and goods were often bartered for. The shortage of sugar meant that children did not have many sweets. Items such as cakes and biscuits were a luxury, as the baker's advertisem*ntpictured above (circa 1940) demonstrates.
WW2 Boots Cafe Menu During Rationing
The Boots Cafe menu above, shows how being at war affected even the most basic of meals. The menu is peppered with asterisks, which refer to cream, sugar and butter shortages. It also includes a mention of Ministry of Food regulations. Sometimes carrots were used instead of sugar to sweeten dishes.
During the Second World War, thousands of children were evacuated, (sent away from areas likely to be bombed), to the countryside. There, they were often better fed, as fresh fruit and vegetables and dairy products were more freely available. Butter and cream seemed like a luxury to evacuee children living in the countryside.
Food shortages had a big impact upon cooking even everyday meals. Recipes had to be adapted and new ones created to cook with what ingredients were available. Why not try out some of these authentic wartime recipes taken from the Nottingham Wartime Recipe Book below?
Pages from a Wartime Cookery Book
Glossary
Adapted - changed to fit new needs
Evacuated - sent from a place of danger to safety
Imported - brought into a country from overseas
Regulations - official rules
Substitute - used instead of something else
Supplement - something extra
FAQs
During wartime rationing, it was important that everyone got the right nutrition to stay healthy and grow. Children got more eggs and milk and were encouraged to eat more fruit, vegetables and fish. But health issues caused by poor nutrition, such as rickets, still increased.
What foods were in short supply in WW2? ›
Rationed Foods. The categories of rationed foods during the war were sugar, coffee, processed foods (canned, frozen, etc.), meats and canned fish, and cheese, canned milk, and fats.
What was the rationing diet in WWII? ›
Rationing was introduced in 1940 and lasted 14 years. For most of that time, meat, cheese, butter, cooking fats and sugar were heavily restricted, but potatoes, other root vegetables and bread were freely available. People ate a diet much higher in carbohydrates and lower in fats.
Did rationing make children healthier? ›
Special Diets
The general health of children improved and on average they were taller and heavier than children before the war.
What is WW2 rations breakfast? ›
Porridge with a variety of toppings, cereals, fruit juice. Fruit, yoghurt, Pastries a couple of times per week. In the field, it was from ration packs, supplemented where we could. Ask any British Squaddie and compo sausages and bacon grill were some of the greatest things ever invented.
What was the most eaten food in WWII? ›
Meat (March 1940) was first, followed by fat and eggs, cheese, tinned tomatoes, rice, peas, canned fruit and breakfast cereals. Remember this was a world where even in the pre-war days of plenty, olive oil was sold as a medical aid and dried pasta was confined to a few Italian shops. Rice was mainly for puddings.
What was rationed in WWII but not food? ›
Rationing was a means of ensuring the fair distribution of food and commodities when they were scarce. It began after the start of WW2 with petrol and later included other goods such as butter, sugar and bacon. Eventually, most foods were covered by the rationing system with the exception of fruit and vegetables.
What food was almost impossible to get in WWII? ›
The following foods were restricted: bread, meat, cheese, fats (lard, oil, etc.), sugar, milk, chocolate, and milled products. Technically other foods could be obtained, but in reality it was difficult to get them; horsemeat, fish, and fowl were very scarce.
What was in a WWII ration pack? ›
Also known as the 14-Man Ration, the 'compo' ration came in a wooden crate and contained tinned and packaged food. A typical crate might include tins of bully beef, spam, steak and kidney pudding, beans, cheese, jam, biscuits, soup, sausages, and margarine.
What did poor people eat in WW2? ›
Most rationed items during WWII can be put into one of the following categories: meat, dairy, sugar, and canned food items. Casseroles became popular in order to make meat last longer. Each person was allowed a limited amount of meat per week. People learned to cook with more beans and lentils.
During WW2, many luxuries such as butter, milk, bacon and jam were rationed heavily in the UK, and growing fruit and veg at home became the norm.
How many calories did people eat during rationing? ›
The diet of a lifetime
Throughout the war each person was allocated a scientifically devised weekly provision of specific foods. We often think of rationing as a 'starvation diet' but the daily calorific value was around 3000 calories. This is up to 1000 more than we are recommended today – so was it still good for us?
How were children treated in WWII? ›
Children were crammed into large classes and stationery and books were often in short supply. Young male teachers were called up to the forces and older teachers brought out of retirement to replace them. After the war a significant number of children failed to reach the required levels of literacy and numeracy.
What were the diseases in ww2? ›
Diseases of Major Occurrence. Dysentery and diarrhea, malaria, infectious hepatitis and dengue, in respective order of frequency, constituted the tropical diseases of major occurrence in some 11,300,000 persons who served overseas from 1942 to 1945, inclusive (Table 1).
What was the butter ration in WWII? ›
Here is an example of a ration for one adult during the war: Bacon and ham 4oz. Butter 2oz. Cheese 2oz.
What did children do during WWII? ›
Younger children helped salvage war materials, raised money for munitions or knitted comforts for troops.
What food did they eat on D Day? ›
Each soldier could expect around 4,000 calories a day, with tinned rations and hard biscuits staples once again. But their diet also included vegetables, bread and jam, and boiled plum puddings. This was all washed down by copious amounts of tea.
What did children take with them in WW2? ›
Parents were issued with a list detailing what their children should take with them when evacuated. These items included a gas mask in case, a change of underclothes, night clothes, plimsolls (or slippers), spare stockings or socks, toothbrush, comb, towel, soap, face cloth, handkerchiefs and a warm coat.
What did evacuees eat in WW2? ›
They kept bread in a bread bin and biscuits in tins. Families ate some tinned foods, such as tinned meat, peas and baked beans, but hardly any frozen foods. You could only buy fresh fruit grown in Britain, such as apples or pears. Fruits that had to come in ships, like bananas, vanished from the shops.
