Food Ration

Weekly Rations-

I will be using the 1945 rations, as they reflect a happy medium between the maximum and minimum amounts available.

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) preserves
or 1 lb (0.45 kg) sugar for preserving fruit
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

Points System

 Britains also received 24 points per month for other needed items as well as items received on the Lend Lease program.  This allowed the supply of rarer items to be strictly controlled, while maintaining the illusion that the shop shelves were well stocked.  Since I cannot find a good resource for Food Point Values in England at this point in time, I am substituting this American chart.

Lord Woolten Randomizer

Named for  Frederick James Marquis, 1st Earl of Woolton, the Minister of Food, this table will help me better approximate the fluctuating availability of goods.  Using this chart, and a random number generator, I can approximate a market with far more instability then the one at my super market.  The first number (1-6) is the number of possible scenarios, 1-5 with 6 indicating that I got lucky and the market is level.  Based on that number, I generate a list of up to 5 goods and up to 5 scenarios.

Generator Number Number of Scenarios Goods Type of Scenario
1 1 Hard Cheese Surplus – available at only ½ of the usual ration points – ( Does not apply to Standard Rationed Items,i.e. eggs)
2 2 Soft Cheese Scarce* – available but only at 1 1/2 times the usual ration points (if ration points apply) otherwise, rationed amount or amount available is cut by 1/3.
3 3 Cooking Fat* Scarce* – available but only at 1 1/2 times the usual ration points (if ration points apply) otherwise, rationed amount or amount available is cut by 1/3.
4 4 Cooking Fat* None Available*
5 5 Sugar* None Available*
6 6 Sugar* Victory Special – Surplus; Available for only ¼ of the usual ration points OR buy extra amounts if a non-rationed good ( Does not apply to Standard Rationed Items,i.e. eggs)
7 — Butter Limited Availability* – available, but can only purchase ½ the amount that would normally be purchased OR only half rations are available.
8 — Fresh Fruit Limited Availability* – available, but can only purchase ½ the amount that would normally be purchased OR only half rations are available.
9 — Fresh Vegetables Substandard Quality – available but only in lower quality (off-label brands, etc.)
10 — Flour —
11 — Tea —
12 — Coffee —
13 — Nuts and Nut Products —
14 — Eggs —
15 — Eggs —
16 — Jams —
17 — Dried Legumes —
18 — Alternative Sweeteners —
19 — Grains —
20 — Milk —

Results:

Week 1:

  • Jams-Victory Special* – Surplus; Available for only ¼ of the usual ration points OR buy extra amounts if a non-rationed good (Does not apply to Standard Rationed Items, i.e. eggs.) 
  • Eggs-Limited Availability* – available, but can only purchase ½ the amount that would normally be purchased OR only half rations are available.
  • Fresh Fruit- None Available*
  • Sugar-Surplus* – available at only ½ of the usual ration points – ( Does not apply to Standard Rationed Items,i.e. eggs)
  • Dried Legumes-Scarce* – available but only at 1 1/2 times the usual ration points (if ration points apply)  otherwise, rationed amount or amount available is cut by 1/3.

    •  

    Week 2:

  • Coffee-Scarce * – available but only at 1 1/2 times the usual ration points (if ration points apply)  otherwise, rationed amount or amount available is cut by 1/3.

    •  

    Eating out
    I will allow myself to eat out twice a week, but I must follow the rules of the “British Resturant”

    (From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia)

     

    British Restaurants were communal kitchens created during the Second World War to ensure communities and people who had run out of rationing coupons were still able to eat.

    They were set up by the Ministry of Food and run by local committees on a non-profit making basis. Meals were purchased for a set maximum price of 9d (equivalent to just under 4p, about $2 US or £1 GBP in purchasing power 2008) or less. No-one could be served with a meal of more than one serving of meat, game, poultry, fish, eggs, or cheese.  Restaurants in the UK were not subject to rationing but some restrictions were placed on them, for instance no meal could be more than three courses and the maximum price was five shillings (equivalent to 25 pence today, but $10 or £5 in buying power 2008).

    Originally called ‘Community Feeding Centres’, the name British Restaurants was preferred by Winston Churchill.

    By mid-1941 over 200 of these restaurants existed in the London County Council area, although the Wartime Social Survey conducted in 1942-43 indicated they were more popular in London than in the rest of the country.   In November 1942 there were 1,899 restaurants, in November 1943 there were 2,145 and in December 1944 there were 1,931.[ 546 authorities made profits and 203 made losses, though they were set up to be not-for-profit.

    Some smaller places did not qualify for a British Restaurant but instead had what was termed a Cash and Carry Restaurant with meals being delivered from a British Restaurant in the area.