Remembrance Day: Government broadcast recipes and food waste issues on BBC in WWII

From 1940 to 1944, the BBC broadcast ‘The Kitchen Front' aired, a daily food radio show that encouraged the nation not to waste food and supplied various recipes.

It became an essential guide on how to get the most out of rationing and ‘mock' recipes were broadcast, sharing dishes like the infamous Woolton pie, a vegetable pie with a potato pastry crust named after the Minister of Food, Lord Woolton.

Recipe leaflets and pamphlets were distributed through letterboxes, and short ‘Food Flash' films were also shown in cinemas, organised by the Ministry of Food.

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Woolton pie recipe

Source: BBC

Ingredients

For the pastry

225g/8oz wholemeal flour

2 tsp baking powder

Pinch of salt

85g/3oz margarine or lard

110g/4oz cold mashed potato

Milk, for glazing

For the filling

400g/14oz cauliflower, roughly chopped

400g/14oz parsnips, peeled and roughly chopped

400g/14oz carrots, peeled and roughly chopped

400g/14oz potatoes, peeled and roughly chopped into bitesize pieces

3 spring onions, roughly chopped

1-2 tsp yeast extract

1 tbsp oatmeal

1 tbsp finely chopped fresh parsley (or 1 tsp dried)

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

To serve

Gravy

Method

To make the pastry, mix the flour, baking powder and salt in a large bowl. Add the margarine or lard and rub in using your fingertips. Add the mashed potato and bring together to form a dough, add a splash of water, if needed. Wrap in cling film and place in the fridge for at least an hour.

Pre-heat the oven to 200degC/180degC fan/Gas 6.

Place the vegetables, yeast extract, rolled oats and salt and pepper in a large saucepan and just cover with water. Bring to the boil and simmer for 15 minutes or until most of the water has evaporated and the sauce has thickened. Allow to cool.

Place the cooled vegetables into a pie dish and top with the parsley.

Roll out the pastry until it will cover the top of the pie dish. Place on top and brush with a little milk.

Bake for 30 minutes or until golden-brown.

To serve, cut a slice of pie and place onto a serving plate and serve with your favourite greens and gravy.

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