Here Come the Ration Books
Since the beginning of July, I’ve been keeping pretty good track of my calorie intake per week. But, this is decidedly boring. So I decided to turn my attempts at nutritious eating into a living history experiment. I plan to eat like a British Civilian, circa WWII, for the next 6 months. Essentially I will use the standard Adult’s “Buff Ration Book” as my dietary guide. Why a British Civilian? Glad you asked. Simply speaking, it is more of a challenge.
Pre-War Britain imported over 55 tons (70%) of food per year. Interference with shipping made this nearly impossible. Thus, Britons were limited in both variety and quantity. Britons were given standard weekly allotments of bacon or ham, meat, eggs, cheese, sugar, tea, butter, jam, cooking fat (like lard), and margarine. Wheatmeal bread was not rationed and points were given for supplemental items like vegetables and tinned or processed foods. Victory gardens provided “point” free foods which could be eaten fresh, or canned for later consumption.
| Item | Maximum level | Minimum level | Rations (April 1945) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bacon and Ham | 8 oz (227 g) | 4 oz (113 g) | 4 oz (113 g) |
| Sugar | 16 oz (454 g) | 8 oz (227 g) | 8 oz (227 g) |
| Loose Tea | 4 oz (113 g) | 2 oz (57 g) | 2 oz (57 g) |
| Meat | 1 s. 2d. | 1s | 1s. 2d. |
| Eggs | 1 Egg | 1 Egg | 1Egg * Vegetarians were allowed an extra egg |
| Milk | 3 Pints | 3 Pints | 3 Pints |
| Cheese | 8 oz (227 g) | 1 oz (28 g) | 2 oz (57 g)Vegetarians were allowed an extra 3 oz (85 g) cheese |
| Preserves | 1 lb (0.45 kg) per month 2 lb (0.91 kg) marmalade |
8 oz (227 g) per month | 2 lb (0.91 kg) marmalade or 1 lb (0.45 kg) preserve or 1 lb (0.45 kg) sugar |
| Butter | 8 oz (227 g) | 2 oz (57 g) | 2 oz (57 g) |
| Margarine | 12 oz (340 g) | 4 oz (113 g) | 4 oz (113 g) |
| Lard | 3 oz (85 g) | 2 oz (57 g) | 2 oz (57 g) |
| Sweets | 16 oz (454 g) per month | 8 oz (227 g) per month | 12 oz (340 g) per month |
For this exercise I will be using the 1945 ration column for my weekly rations (amounts are weekly unless otherwise marked.) Britons also received 16 points per month for other needed items. Since I cannot find a good resource for Food Point Values in England at this point in time, I am substituting this American chart.
Another amendment that I am making to this program is substituting olive oil for cooking lard. I’m all for authenticity, but I find lard to be icky.
I plan on shopping later today, so hopefully my next post will include my purchases with their point values.
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