CAMBRIDGE CARBON FOOTPRINT
PRESENTS
Challenge
Start date: .................
Challenge
End date:...................
F O O D R AT I O N S P E R P E R S O N P E R W E E K
SUGAR
8oz/227g
MARGARINE
4oz/113g
BACON AND HAM
4oz/113g
CHEESE
2oz/57g
OIL / LARD
2oz/57g
TEA
2oz/57g
MEAT
12oz/350g
BUTTER
2oz/57g
MILK
3pints (1.71 litres)
SWEETS (per month)
12oz/340g
JAM/PRESERVES (per
month)
Marmalade 2lb/900g, OR
Preserve 1lb/450g, OR
Sugar 1lb/450g
EGGS
1
H O W T O U S E YO U R R AT I O N C A R D
Plan out your meals for the week and tick off each ingredient as you buy it. This is
how rationing worked during the forties and fifties.
OR
Weigh the amount of each ingredient as you prepare your meals (or estimate when
eating out) and make a note of the amounts on your ration card. Total up the
amount of each ingredient at the end of the week to see how you did.
W H Y ( A N D H O W ) W E A R E R AT I O N I N G
W H Y R A T IO N I NG ?
2015 is the 70 year anniversary marking the
end of WWII. It is an opportunity to remember
some of the hardships that people endured in
their daily lives during and after the wartime
years. Rationing in Britain was unpopular, in
other countries food shortages and rationing
were a matter of life and death.
bles and foods that are flown in from all around
the world have a huge impact on our carbon
emissions - an eye watering 30% are linked to
food.
Very little food went to waste during the war
years, so the challenge will share tips on making the most of everything.
HOW IT WORKS
The challenge will give you a window of opportunity to try returning to a diet largely based
on seasonal fruit and veg, grains and pulses.
We do not expect participants to only eat the
types of food available in 1945 and you can eat
as much as you like of everything else (though
LEARNING FROM THE PAST
we strongly encourage you to explore local,
seasonal produce as much as possible). We do
This food challenge explores the common
ask you keep to the correct amounts for any
ground between a diet from the forties/fifties
and eating sustainably today. Our current con- food rationed e.g. cheese 2oz, sugar 8oz, 1 egg.
You can choose whether to take part for a week,
sumption of meat and dairy products, proa fortnight or for the whole month.
cessed goods, out of season fruit and vegetaA rather surprising outcome of rationing in Britain was that despite the queues, shortages and
lack of variety, people were healthier during
the war years than they are today! They consumed less meat and dairy products, fewer processed and out of season foods.
ON THE KITCHEN FRONT
Rationed foods and the amounts available changed constantly throughout the war continuing until 1954. As you can see from the timeline below, more items were added to the ration list as the war went on. For
our ration challenge the amounts are equivalent to those in 1945 when
rationing was at it’s height.
1939
petrol rationing
1939
WWII begins
JAN 1940
MAR 1940
all meat rationed
rationing of
bacon, sugar, butter
JULY 1940
MAR 1941
tea and margarine
added to the list
jam now rationed
MAY 1941
JUNE1941
cheese was
rationed
clothes rationed
JUNE 1941
JULY1941
eggs put on ration
coal rationed
FEB1942
soap rationed, to
save oil for food
JAN 1942
rice and dried fruit
added to the list
MAR 1942
JULY1942
sweets and
chocolates
rationed
1943
coal, gas and
electricity rationed
AUG 1942
biscuits rationed
In addition to rations, a monthly points system was also introduced to ensure that everyone had the same fair access to extra
items. Some goods cost more points than
others. For example,16 points allowed you to
buy one can of fish or meat or 2 lb (900g) of
dried fruit or 8 lb (3.6kg) of split peas.
Although fruit and vegetables were not rationed, supplies were limited. Citizens were
strongly encouraged to grow as much produce as they could and use this to bulk out
their meals. The Ministry of Food shared
many tips, recipes and techniques to help
housewives preserve and cook every scrap
of food available.
For this challenge we encourage you to use
as much local, seasonal veg as possible and
keep an eye out for alternatives to rationed
foods. For example beans and pulses are an
alternative source of protein and there are
many varieties grown in East Anglia. Why
not consider joining a local veg box
scheme? Or do your weekly shop at the
Cambridge Sunday Markets to buy local
veg, meat, bread, eggs and oil?
TIP: The ‘Local Producers & Retailers’
resource page on the CCF website can
point you in the direction of some
great local suppliers.
Besides food many other things were also
rationed both during and after the war, including petrol, soap, clothes, coal, gas and
electricity. Interestingly neither alcohol or
tobacco were rationed in the belief they
would help maintain morale!
ON THE WIRELESS
sausages rationed
1945
WWII ends
The Ministry of Food made a
special radio broadcast ‘the
kitchen front’ every day at
8.15am. It was full of useful
hints and recipes.
WAR-TIME COOKERY
Apart from the rationed items you can eat what you like while on the rationing challenge. If you would like to try some wartime recipes we’ve listed a few below. The full
recipes can be found online on the ration challenge website.
RECIPE SUGGESTION
WHY COOK IT?
WASTE TIP
Woolton Pie (vegetable pie)
The vegetables in this pie can all
be grown in the UK. Eating locally and seasonally reduces waste up to 40% of fruit and veg is
wasted before it’s eaten.
Monitor what you throw away.
Designate a week in which you
write down everything you throw
out on a regular basis.
Cottage pie is a good way to use
up left over meat. 18% of global
climate emissions come from meat
production and cattle rearing is a
major cause of rainforest deforestation.
Buy the funny looking, misshapen
fruit and veg – it helps use up
food that others may not like.
Lentils are great low fat way to
get your protein. Dried pulses
mean little waste too.
Try to go shopping with a list
and stick to what’s on it.
Overfishing is a huge problem –
this recipe uses little fish but
tastes good! The Marine Conservation Society’s website can help
you identify abundant and threatened varieties.
Hodmedods grow lots of beans and
pulses in Suffolk. Buying local
keeps cash flowing through the
local community.
Practice FIFO. It stands for ‘First
In, First Out’. When unpacking
groceries, move older products to
the front of the fridge and put
new products in the back.
Mocha Pudding
Cottage Pie
Chocolate pudding
Curried lentils
African Delight (date pudding)
Wartime Devilled Fish
(fish gratin)
Patriotic Pudding
Local Bean Stew
Rhubarb & Date Pudding
Sausage Roll with Carrots and
Parsley Potatoes
(ring of sausage meat)
Steamed Jam Pudding
Vegetable Ragu
Bare Cupboard Cake
Using meat as a treat rather than
a staple can save you lots of
money. An average family of four
dropping meat once a week could
save £312 per year.
Eating less meat and dairy helps
conserve water. It takes 3x more
water to produce 1kg of chicken
than 1kg of grain.
Extra stew? You can freeze almost
anything apart from soft cheese.
It stores safely for years but
quality will start to deteriorate
after 3 months. Best use within 6
months but don't panic if it's been
longer.
Extra food or produce? Try pickling and preserving it or find a
local abundance swapping scheme.
When you get your food home,
keep it in its original packaging
as it’ll last longer. Gently tie
loose veggies in a bag in fridge.
OTHER RESOURCES
THE BUTCHER SAYS...
You can find more recipes online at
www.recipespastandpresent.org.uk and
www.lavenderandlovage.com. Marguerite
Patten’s book ‘We’ll Eat Again’ is also a
great resource.
During the war housewives were
encouraged to use every bit of meat
available. The Ministry of Food encouraged Britons to “introduce into
the menu as often as possible…
tripe, cow-heel, ox-tail, liver, kidney,
hearts, tongues, rabbits, calves’ and
sheep’s heads, fresh bones’ and to
save all dripping and fat from
boiled meats.”
FOOD FROM THE PAST, FOOD FOR THE FUTURE
Food. Is it really that crucial in the bigger scheme of things? Well, actually yes and on two important fronts. A good diet is important for human health, and also for the health of our planet (food being the second largest contributing factor to climate change.) Nutritionists have
observed that the foods that we should eat more frequently for our
health are also those that have a lower environmental impact.
The double pyramid from the Barilla Center for Food and Nutrition
(above) shows the environmental food pyramid as the inverted image
of the classic food pyramid. The pyramid on the left has much in common with the diet of rationing times. By trying this WWII rationing
challenge we hope that you’ll:



Be reminded in a small way of some of the hardships that people endured in their daily lives
Shift your diet so it is more in proportion with the food pyramid
Consider how much power you have to make a real difference
with your food choices
Good luck with the challenge!
F O O D O R G A N I S AT I O N S A N D C A M PA I G N S
CAMBRIDGE CARBON FOOTPRINT
Cambridge Carbon Footprint helps people to reduce carbon emissions. They run many events and activities, including sustainable food challenges (like the WWII rationing challenge) and low carbon cooking
workshops.
website: cambridgecarbonfootprint.org
CAMBRIDGE SUSTAINABLE FOOD
A network of individuals and organisations in Cambridge supporting local sustainable food.
website: cambridgesustainablefood.org
FOOD CYCLE
Combines volunteers, surplus food and spare kitchen spaces to create tasty, nutritious meals for people
at risk of food poverty and social isolation.
website: foodcycle.org.ul/location/cambridge/
TRANSITION CAMBRIDGE
Aims to help Cambridge make the transition to ways of life that are more resilient in the face of rising
energy prices and a changing climate. They have a variety of food and growing projects.
website: transitioncambridge.org
CAMBRIDGE CITY COUNCIL
Cambridge City Council delivers a wide range of services aimed at protecting and enhancing the local
environment and improving the quality of life for the people of Cambridge.
website: cambridge.gov.uk/sustainability
LOVE FOOD HATE WASTE
Practical advice and information we can all do to waste less food.
website: lovefoodhatewaste.com
THE PIG IDEA
Campaign to encourage the use of food waste to feed pigs. They aim to lift the EU ban on feeding catering waste and swill to pigs.
website: thepigidea.org
THE GLEANING NETWORK
Coordinates volunteers, farmers and food redistribution charities in order to salvage the thousands of
tonnes of fruit and veg that are wasted on farms every year and direct this fresh, nutritious food to people in need.
website: feedbackglobal.org/campaigns/gleaning-network
FOOD FOR FOOD
A social enterprise, providing work experience to vulnerable people. They run a community café from St
Andrews Hall, and have a professional catering business. They use donated food and locally sourced
where possible, and locally sourced products where possible.
website: www.food4food.org.uk
BROUGHT TO YOU BY
CAMBRIDGE CARBON FOOTPRINT
The Wharf, Hooper Street
Cambridge, CB1 2NZ
01223 301842
www.cambridgecarbonfootprint.org
[email protected]
IN COLLABORATION WITH