Greengrocers and fruiterers in 1940s wartime and post-war Britain

What greengrocers sold in the 1940s

All I ever remember my mother buying in our one-and-only greengrocer shop in Edgware during the shortages and austerities of wartime and post-war Britain were potatoes and spring greens, although I suppose she would have bought other vegetables like carrots, cabbages and onions which were either in season of from storage, plus of course fruit in season. Other people of my age report the same thing.

In general, vegetables and fruit were not rationed, although individual shops did create their own informal rationing system of what was in short supply. It was a case of 'first come first served' which was why queues were so long.

In particular potatoes were not rationed during the war (although they were for a year afterwards in the additional austerity) so they were the mainstay of the British diet as they grew well in Britain's climate without having to be imported. In fact, almost no fruit and vegetables were imported during the war, although there was the a special post-war shipment of bananas.

Inside greengrocers

There always seemed to be a queue of women at the door of the greengrocers which was kept permanently open for them, whatever the weather. So the shop was always draughty and in winter it was cold. It was also very scruffy because the potatoes, carrots and other vegetables came straight out of the ground unwashed and unbagged in rough wooden crates. Layers of dust, which was probably dry soil, seemed to cover everywhere.

The sales process

The potatoes and any other earthy vegetables were weighed out for each customer by women in dusty green overalls and headscarves, using the 'balance' type of scales with heavy weights on one side and a large dusty scoop on the other. The potatoes etc were then tipped into brown paper bags, and carried away by customers in their string bags. Cane shopping baskets were the mainstay for most shopping, but the use of string bags for unwashed vegetables kept the dirt out of the shopping baskets.

Greengrocer scales.
Note the pointed pan, to make it easier to tip contents into bags and the heavy weights for weighing out potatoes.

The women worked at an extremely fast pace, never stopping to chat. This could have been because of the long queues or just their personalities.

The sign outside greengrocers

Appearance of wartime greengrocer shops - photo for comparison

I wish I had a photo of a wartime greengrocer shop, but if I did, it would be grey, dirty and dreary. The following photo shows the change from pre-war.

It was given to this website with the comment that it was from the 1940s as a celebration of Empire Day. Yet it is far too luxurious for wartime, or even the period of austerity in the years after the war. Furthermore I don't ever remember any formal recognition of Empire Day when I was a child in the 1940s, although my mother, writing of her schooldays around 1912 remembered the celebrations well. Furthermore the placard advertising apples from Canada is very much in the style of Victorian and Edwardian times, and there is a profusion of bananas.

Greengrocers: a special display for the Empire Window Dressing Competition. The shop was in Finsbury Park, north London and belonged to Roy Eustance. The photo is courtesy of his relative Viv Nunn.

Below is an enlargement of the display showing the richness of the range. Note the bananas and grapes at the back which are most definitely imported. The prices of course are marked in the old money of shillings and pence.

The following greengrocer/fruiterer photo was photographed in a museum. It is interesting that although the shop and its attributes are probably genuine for the era, what is on-sale is certainly not. Think instead in terms of potatoes, carrots and cabbages - and British fruit in the summer.

Greengrocer/fruiterer photographed in Milestones museum, Basingstoke.