The tiny meat ration in WW2 UK and creative alternatives

Guest contribution

Spam and how to eat it

Spam was a precooked meat product which came from America in tins which were opened with a metal turn key. Spam could be eaten straight from the tin, sliced with chips or a salad. The best way to eat it, in my view, was cut into slices, dipped in flour and water and deep fried. (Incidentally English girls who went with American soldiers were also known as Spam.)

Magazine advert for Spam. Photographed at Tilford Rural Life Centre 1940s event

Peter Johnson

Guest contributions

Wild game

The occasional rabbit was a treat, if you were lucky enough to get one. If you 'heard of one going', you immediately set off to get one, perhaps walking miles. My mother used to go on her bike with my sister strapped into a seat on the back. Nothing was thrown away. After the occasional chicken, there was chicken soup for several days afterwards. I still can't bear chicken soup!

Michael Sullivan

A type of shepherds pie could be made with mashed potato and scraps of meat, like the odd rabbit and pigeon that we caught. Meat from this source was not easy to prepare but we were used to it.

My mother would get some fresh lard from the butchers and mix it with flour and water, mould into a round tennis ball shapes and drop them into the stew to make it go further. The results were known as dumplings.

Peter Johnson

Pearl barley was used a lot to pad out stews.

Marion Cole

Guest contributions

Meat you have probably never eaten and would not consider eating

Any form of meat was welcome in the rationing and shortages of WW2. Horse meat and whale meat were available from time to time. I have eaten both.

Peter Johnson

My gran would use bits from cow heel and pigs' feet, to make brawn. The bits were stewed then mixed with jelly and put into a mould to set. It was served in slices. I can see her now sucking off the jelly!

My mum would eat tripe - the stomach lining of animals like cows, pigs, sheep, and goats -with lots of vinegar and pepper - eurghh.

John Cole

Guest contributions

No-meat shepherds pie 1

My mother created shepherds pie without having to use any of the strictly rationed meat. The potato topping was not a problem as potatoes were not too difficult to obtain. The 'meat', however, was composed of stale bread (nothing was ever wasted) to which was added dripping along with 'Oxo' (beef extract cubes) and anything else that was available.

Jan Clifford

No-meat shepherds pie 2

Our no-meat shepherds pie was mashed potato on a base of either Bisto or Oxo gravy made very thick with water on the bottom of a baking tray. This was baked in the oven until the gravy was judged to have gone solid.

Peter Johnson

Bread and dripping

My mother would scrape the dripping that was left in the bottom of the tray that the Sunday roast had been in. We had it spread it on toast with loads of salt.

Pamela Brierley