Wwii Festive Menu

Discussion in 'United Kingdom' started by angie999, Dec 1, 2004.

  1. angie999

    angie999 Very Senior Member

    We are now in the month of the festive season and I for one find the prospect of turkey and sprouts less than inspiring.

    Does anyone have any old WWII seasonal fare recipes tucked away which I could attempt in order to stimulate the tastebuds this year?

    And if you can't think of any inspiring British home front items, what about interesting dinners the troops might have been eating around the world?
     
  2. Gnomey

    Gnomey World Travelling Doctor

    Homefronts
    UK: Wolton Pie?
    US: Normal Christmas dinner?
    Ger: ersatz with cabbage?
    Jap: No Idea
    Troops:
    US:K,C,D rations (the US things)
    UK:porridge? with a ration of rum :D
    Ger:black bread and ersatz coffee?
    Jap:No idea
     
  3. Kiwiwriter

    Kiwiwriter Very Senior Member

    Spam au gratin? :lol:
     
  4. DirtyDick

    DirtyDick Senior Member

    You can always get the Margeurite (?) Patten Wartime cookbook triple boxed set. I was given a copy for my birthday (without prior knowledge!); I think the IWM published them.

    Richard
     
  5. angie999

    angie999 Very Senior Member

    Originally posted by DirtyDick@Dec 1 2004, 09:44 PM
    You can always get the Margeurite (?) Patten Wartime cookbook triple boxed set. I was given a copy for my birthday (without prior knowledge!); I think the IWM published them.

    Richard
    [post=29783]Quoted post[/post]

    I heard her give a talk about her work in WWII in Bristol a few months back. She is still a marvellous speaker and I enjoyed it immensely.

    In 1944/45, my dad was in East Africa and came home with a taste for pasta (had a lot of meals cooked by former Italian prisoners there) and curry (more the British army version than authentic Indian). My husband's dad was a regular soldier who joined up in 1916, served until after WWII and his imperial travels gave him a taste for spicy food. So I think I will probably head down the spice route. Now can anyone suggest a good wine to go with a small nuclear explosion?
     
  6. DirtyDick

    DirtyDick Senior Member

    Unfortunately, I have it on good authority - from an off-licence manager and experienced drinker with eclectic tastes - that there is no wine suitable for spicy foods, especially red wines, since together they become extremely acidic, leading to indigestion even in those with otherwise healthy eating habits.
     
  7. angie999

    angie999 Very Senior Member

    Originally posted by DirtyDick@Dec 2 2004, 01:45 PM
    Unfortunately, I have it on good authority - from an off-licence manager and experienced drinker with eclectic tastes - that there is no wine suitable for spicy foods, especially red wines, since together they become extremely acidic, leading to indigestion even in those with otherwise healthy eating habits.
    [post=29793]Quoted post[/post]

    Yep, thats the problem.

    I suppose WWII style, I should be looking for quart bottles of pale ale with screw stoppers. Does your offie friend know if you can still get them?
     
  8. No.9

    No.9 Senior Member

    As you appear to frequent Tesco's angie, if they still have it might I suggest their very reasonably priced Lambrusco. Semi sparkling and on the sweetish side, not far removed from fizzy grape juice. Nice-a witha spicy meata-ball!

    For a main course, why not medium sliced corned (Bully) beef and onion, thereafter chopped and combined together with any chopped leaves or corms you consider would have been appropriately available for your time/area (remember chicory?), and seasoned with sea salt. Time to use some coupons on a few ounces of cheese in a source with whisked powdered egg over potatoes. Pre boiled then baked with the blended and heated source over. Served with available steamed vegetables. If you're determined to have something to carve, how about hedgehog or seagull?

    Re your father in East Africa with Italians, was his whole unit there or was he seconded for special duties?

    No.9
     
  9. angie999

    angie999 Very Senior Member

    I am not sure your memu will be my festive fare, but I may try a variation of the "bully" recipe. I don't know about the seagulls, but living near the sea, we get a lot of them. Have you seen those birds eat?

    Regarding my father, he was in the RASC. He was posted to East Africa early in 1944 and mainly served on secondment to the EAASC in British and former Italian Somaliland, which by then was not an active theatre.

    Italy had surrendered by then. Screening of Italian prisoners had taken place and some were employed as drivers by the British army. My father spent some time working on convoys which used them.

    I have a hand written note from his CO, a captain whose signature I cannot read, written on the back of a Regia Aeronautica message form, as follows:

    "To Captain S Moss, S/Capt S&T Berbera,

    HQ ASC North 28/4/44

    Dear Sidney

    Bearer, Sgt Davis (my father) with 1 lorry will be reporting to Berbera to collect certain items ex 10 AOD for a convoy to Mogadicio (sic).

    Can you please help him if he gets in a fix re accommodation etc.

    Hope all is well. Good luck.

    (signature) Capt"

    It frankly was a military backwater by 1944, apart from the RAF who were flying ASW patrols over the Red Sea and Indian Ocean, but the country and climate there is very harsh indeed.

    On another thread some time back, I wrote up the menu for Christmas day served to my father in 1944 as a guest of 621 Squadron RAF at Scuiscuiban, righ up in the Horn of Africa. Actually a very close approximation to traditional Christmas fare, so not what I am looking for this time.
     
  10. No.9

    No.9 Senior Member

    Have you seen those birds eat?
    No, quite the opposite.... :unsure: :rolleyes:

    Thanks for the addition re your father. I was curious as my father was with the 8th in Africa and was seconded to Intelligence for a time to deal with Italian POWs as part of the half-hearted scheme to get them back in the war against the Axis. He spent a while eating pasta, which wasn't a problem. :)

    No.9
     

Share This Page