Rationing Reminisce

We reminisced about rationing and how families grew their own vegetables and fruit, sharing and swapping their produce with neighbours.

Barbara, who grew up in Kent with a family of fruit farmers, explained how they saved sugar to make jams and preserves and substituted golden syrup for sugar. Diana also told us how her mother always made food last: a roast on Sunday, followed by cold cuts and bubble & squeak on Tuesday, and then the bones of the joint would be boiled to make a broth to stretch it even further!

As a group, we discussed how food is now over-processed and the impact this has on our NHS. We also talked about how important it is for children to be educated on the origins of our food and farming practices. Everyone remembered seeing bananas and pineapples for the first time after the war and reflected on how we take these things for granted today!