Extra Quick Fish Pie!

Ingredients:
3 fillets of white fish
Tbsp margarine
Tbsp cornflour
1/3 pint of milk
Handful of frozen peas
Tbsp grated cheese
Tsp chopped parsley
Instant mash

Method:
Using 3 frozen fillets of White fish for quickness; I defrosted the fillets in boiling water then flaked them. Melt the margarine in a pan and add the fish. Pour in the cornflour and stir, coating the fish. Add enough milk to cover and stir thoroughly. Add the frozen peas, the grated cheese and parsley and stir again. Once the frozen peas in the sauce are thawed, transfer the mixture into a dish. Then make up some instant mash according to the instructions on the pack and cover the fish mixture in the dish. Place in an oven at gas mark 5 for half an hour.

Digging for Victory

The time for potato harvest has arrived. Here are some of the sneaky spuds we've been growing in the back garden. We will be cooking some tonight to see what they taste like!

Here's more on Potato Pete and friends: http://www.homesweethomefront.co.uk/web_pages/hshf_dig_for_victory_pg.htm

Tuna Surprise

This is a bit of a different fish recipe but very more-ish.

Ingredients:
2 x 185g cans of tuna drained
1 hard boiled egg chopped
37g stale breadcrumbs
Pinch of paprika
Pinch of nutmeg
Pinch of curry powder
1/2 tsp of mustard
2 tsps Worcester sauce
25g margarine
25g cornflour
1/2 pint of milk
Salt and pepper

Method:
Take a pie dish and spray lightly with oil. Melt Marg in a pan, stir in the cornflour. Take off heat and add the milk gradually, stirring as you go. Bring to the boil then lower the heat and cook for 3 minutes stirring all the time. Add all the other ingredients apart from the breadcrumbs. Pour into the pie dish and cover with the breadcrumbs. Bake in the oven at gas mark 5 for 20 minutes.

Vegetable and Corn Beef Casserole.

I took a casserole dish and put in a can of plum tomatoes, some broad beans, mushrooms, chopped spring onion, 1/4 pint of water, a beef stock cube and several dashes of worcester sauce.

Then I covered it and put it in a pre-heated oven at gas mark 6 for 30 minutes.

The resulting casserole tasted suspiciously like oxtail soup!! Yum! ;)

Potato Stirfry.

A very basic recipe. I used very thinly sliced potato, chopped cabbage, chopped spring onion, sliced mushrooms and whole cherry tomatoes. I fried them in a little oil with a drizzle of chicken stock and some worcester sauce. When the potato softens, it's ready to serve. I added a little rock salt and some black pepper.

Jam

This week I've mostly been making jam. We've grown some strawberries and (along with a few shop bought ones, sugar ration and pectin,) we've made some lovely homemade jam.

As well as being able to put it towards our preserve ration we've also found that it makes a great present! My mum loved it. So come Christmas and good seasonal fruit harvest, we should have presents covered! Xx

Crumbed Mackerel.

A really simple recipe, good for using up a couple of slices of stale or toasted bread.

Take two slices of dry bread and pop in a blender along with 1 tsp parsley, 20g cheese, a pinch of salt, a pinch of pepper and 1/2 tsp powdered mustard.

Lay two smoked mackerel fillets in a baking tray. Cover with the crumb mix and bake in the oven at gas mark 5 for about half an hour.

This recipe is fab for Omega 3- fatty acids.

Serve with chips and veg, or beans.

Sugar Overload!

My other half and I seem to be finding ourselves overwhelmed by the sugar ration. We just about manage to get through our weekly ration of jam and we don't usually eat sweets (and couldn't afford them this week anyway) so sweet ration tends to fall by the wayside. We fly through the meat and dairy rations with ease, however we have sugar coming out of our ears. I think a weekly cake maybe in order just to use it up! Suggestions on a postcard please......lol!

My grandfather was born in 1894 (my mum was youngest of 12 and I'm youngest of 3. I never met my grandad as he died when mum was 14.) For most of his life he worked for Tate and Lyle, even getting a long service certificate! So our lack of sugar intake is slightly embarrassing! However we get through golden syrup like nobodies business as it gets used in my sauces.

Grandad worked at Plaistow Wharf (where most of the golden syrup was made,) for a lot of his employed life at Tate and Lyle, so I'm sure all will be forgiven! If you want a good read, there's a great book called, "The Sugar Girls" which I highly recommend.

Golden syrup was bought on the points system and as you only got 16 points a month and a can could cost up to 24 points we need to keep an eye on it and swap to sugar in sauces wherever possible.

Just as a reminder here's the ration we are using weekly in modern weights for 2 adults during the war:

Rations for 2 adults per week:

Butter: 113g
Bacon and ham: 226g
Margarine: 226g
Lard: 113g
Sugar: 454g
Meat: 908g (200g to be taken as corned beef)
Milk: 6 pints occasionally dropping to 4 pints
Cheese: 113g
Eggs: 4 eggs a week.
Tea: 113g
Jam: 908g every two months = 113g a week for 2 people on 4 week months.
Sweets: 680g every four weeks = 170g total a week/85g each.

Plus all the veg you can grow, game/offal you can get your hands on and nutritious national loaf!! Although remember the british population upped their potato intake to save on using flour or bread, in order to lessen the toll on merchant vessels and in turn save young sailors lives.

'Potatoes new,
Potatoes old,
Potatoes (in a salad) cold,
Enjoy them all including chips,
Remembering spuds don’t come in ships.’

Keeping It Simple.

Last night we just had ham, egg and baked sliced potatoes.

It was our fresh egg for the week along with most of our ham ration, (200g was 2 slices!) because we are buying proper ham freshly sliced from the butcher rather than the pre-processed, pre-packaged stuff.

With it we had baked sliced potatoes, that look scandalously like chips! (Fries to all our American cousins.) All I did was chop up some potatoes, boil them until they are par-boiled (hard but with soft edges), drain the water, put 1 tsp or two of oil in the pan with them, give them a shake in the pan with the lid on to coat them, lay them on a baking sheet and bake them for 20 minutes on gas mark 6 or until golden brown.

Whenever you see chips on my plate, it's these - far healthier as long as you watch how much oil you use.

It was yummy. I did cheat slightly and put tomato ketchup on them rather than salad cream, but hey, I'm only human!

See what I mean from going to the link below and scrolling down to 1940:
http://www.heinz.co.uk/ourcompany/aboutheinz/heinzstory

Adverts below are from during the war and after the war:

Weighing Out the Rations for the Week.

Well, I just finished weighing out this weeks ration. We have some lovely bits and pieces that I'm really looking forward to. Some lovely tenderised feather steak and 2 slices of fabulous fresh ham from the local butcher, as well as some meat paste for sandwiches. I can't wait! We've got some mini turnips I'm not quite sure what to make with but I'm sure I'll figure something out. So watch this space!!

Spam Kebabs.

First cube some spam, then slice up some courgette and tomatoes and put them on kebab skewers.

Take the kebabs and roll them in flour, pinch of salt and pepper. Then dip them in a egg and milk mix and then roll in a little potato flour with parsley.

Pop in an oven at gas mark 6 for 20-25 minutes.

(You can always use up any of the left over milk and egg in potato mash to go with the kebabs, as I did.)

Corned Beef Burgers.

Yummy corned beef burgers.

Ingredients:
1/2 small onion, chopped
3oz mushrooms
200g corned beef
2 tablespoons fresh breadcrumbs
1/2 tablespoon dried mixed herbs
1/2 tablespoon tomato purée/sauce
salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
flour, for shaping

Method:

Place corned beef, onion and mushrooms in a food processor and process until finely chopped. Alternatively just chop small by hand. Add breadcrumbs, herbs, tomato purée, salt and pepper. Mix or mash until mixture binds together but still has some texture. Mould handfuls of the corned beef mixture into burger patties using lightly floured hands.
Pop them on a greased baking sheet on a baking tray, put in an oven at gas mark 5/6. Cook the burgers for 12 to 15 minutes, turning once, until evenly cooked.

Instructional Video - Cinnamon Apple Cake

Here's the video! Just click on the sentence in purple below. (If using a computer: On the next page, click on desktop in order to get out of the mobile version, then the video should play as usual.) Hope you enjoy it! Xx

Eating For Victory Cinnamon Apple Cake

Re: Instructional Video.

I'll be making the instructional video this weekend, so prepare yourselves! Lol! :)

Corned beef casserole.

Yesterday I made corned beef casserole. A really easy, no nonsense meal.

Ingredients:
4 potatoes.
1 large onion
100g macaroni
3/4 pint water
Chicken stock
1 tin corned beef.

Method:
Chop the potatoes, onion and corned beef and place them in a casserole dish with the macaroni, water and stock. Cover and pop in a preheated oven at gas mark 5 for 45mins or until the potatoes are cooked through. You can use a fork to test this. If you want to be adventurous you can add 2 tbsp of wine, sherry, beer or cider for se extra flavour.

This is so simple, even a 1940's man could do it! ;D

Chicken stock and pâté.

After we had a traditional roast chicken dinner, we took the carcass and what little meat remained attached to it and put it in a pan with enough boiling water to cover it, along with garlic, ground peppercorns, sage and parsley. Simmer and reduce, skimming off scum and adding more water when/if required. After 3-4 hours strain the liquid into a jug. This is chicken stock and can be frozen and used in other recipes.

The left over meat and bones can then be separated. Throw the bones away. Pop the meat into a food processor with a little lemon juice and blend until made into a paste. Transfer the pâté into jam jars. You can melt a little butter and pour over the top of the pâté as a seal if you wish it to keep a little longer. Without it, it will last a couple of days. With it, it will last for 4 days, but less once the butter seal is broken.

Venison steaks in a mushroom sauce.

Game was one of the meat cuts that wasn't on ration. It's the first time we've had venison and we found it to be very tender and tasty. I served it with a tipsy mushroom sauce.

Ingredients:
2 Venison steaks

For the sauce:
2 tbsp margarine
4 tbsp flour
1/4 pint of milk
1 small onion chopped
2 large portobello mushrooms chopped
1tsp syrup
1tsp mustard powder
1 beef stock cube
Splash of Worcestershire sauce
Splash of sherry
2tsp parsley
Pinch of salt

Heat the margarine in a pan and pop in the chopped mushroom and onion. Cook until onions go translucent. Then add the flour. Mix so that the vegetables are coated. Then add the milk. Mix well. Then add the rest of the sauce ingredients. Pop on a low heat and allow to simmer, stirring occasionally.

While this is cooking, sear the venison on both sides and continue to cook for 15 minutes for rare to medium rare meat. Serve with the mushroom sauce, mash and peas.

Roasted veggies with bacon bits.

This is very simple recipe, but very tasty!

Ingredients:
New potatoes
Onion
Tomatoes
Courgette
Red pepper
Bacon

Method:
Boil the potatoes until cooked. Meanwhile chop all the other ingredients and put them in a casserole dish. When the potatoes are done, put them in the casserole dish. Mix the ingredients around and spray with fry light or with a little drizzle of oil. Then place the lid on and put the dish in the oven at gas mark 6 for an hour. Then serve.

Over 1000 views!

Fab guys! The instructional video I promised will be posted in a few days time!! Hope you enjoy it! Xx

Strong oat and wholemeal bread

The original national loaf was apparently very stodgy and a funny colour! This recipe gives you a really chewy, tasty, honey-coloured loaf. Especially nice when warm. For more info on the national loaf: http://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/national_wheatmeal_loaf.htm

Ingredients:
1 ½ lb strong wholemeal bread flour
½ lb oats
1 ½ tbsp salt
1 ½ tbsp dried yeast
1 dsp honey
425 ml tepid milk water

Method:
Mix together all the ingredients and knead for about 10 minutes until you have a soft dough. Place the dough in an oiled bowl, cover with a tea towel and leave until dough has doubled in size (around 2 hours). Knock back the dough, give a short knead then cut into two equal pieces. Place in a loaf tins and leave to rise for another 2 hours.
Pre-heat oven to gas mark 6 then bake loaves for 30 min. To test the loaves turn them out of their tins and give the base a tap. if it sounds hollow they are ready. Allow to cool on a wire rack.

Recipe adapted from the wheatmeal loaf recipe found on: http://www.butcherbakerblog.com/2011/01/31/national-wheatmeal-loaf-and-mock-banana-anyone/

Breaded corned beef balls and sweet fritters.

Tonight we experimented with breaded corned beef balls and for afters; sweet fritters.

For the meatballs:
Put half a small onion, a tin of corned beef, a dash of Wooster sauce and 1 slice of bread in a food processor and chop until you have something that resembles a paste. Then make the mixture into small balls, brush with egg or milk and roll in some more breadcrumbs before placing in the oven for 10-12 minutes on gas mark 6. You could always add a teaspoon of herbs or spices for added flavour.

For the fritters we rubbed 25g margarine into 225g of self raising flour. Then we added 1/4 pint of milk, an egg, 25g sugar and mixed it into a thick batter. We then heated a little oil in a pan and added little dollops of the mixture. Making sure to fry on both sides until brown and firm to the touch using the spatula. Remove them onto a rack to cool before rolling them in caster sugar.

Fish and chips (sort of!)

I promised the other half fish and chips, but I couldn't afford it this week. So rather than break my promise, I made him a fish cake from tuna, onion, mash potato and parsley and moulded it into the right shape! I served it with chips, salt and vinegar and mushy peas!

Meat paste

This meat paste is great for sandwiches and a good way to stretch out any leftover corned beef.

Depending on how much corned beef you have left and how far you want to stretch it, you will have to adjust the amounts of ingredients you use. Here's a basic guide: Melt some margarine in a pan, then gradually sprinkle in a little flour and mix until there are no lumps. Add enough milk to make a thick paste. Add a couple of spoons of gravy, a few drops of Wooster sauce and some mustard, then add some grated onion and some dry chopped parsley. Cook for a couple of minutes adding more milk if required. Then add the corned beef. Mix until a thick paste is formed. Transfer this to a jar or other container and place in the fridge. After 4 hours of cooling it is ready to use. It keeps for 4 to 5 days: Long enough for a working week of packed lunches! Xx

Mock Duck!

Here is a recipe for mock duck that we found and tried out for ourselves. Personally I'd advise using less onion and apple (6oz or 5oz perhaps rather than 8oz) as there seemed to be too much, but other than that it was really yummy.

Serve with roast potatoes, steamed veg and lashings of gravy!

http://www.ww2talk.com/forum/united-kingdom/5559-mock-duck.html

Jubilee cupcakes

Sorry that I've been a little quiet of late, it's just I've been busy with a jubilee show my musical society was doing in aid of the Samaritans. Here's a picture of the Christmas pudding and chocolate cupcakes I made for the after show party! Not strictly on ration but it was a celebration.

The basic mix was:
225g margarine,
235g wholewheat flour,
225g demerara sugar,
1tsp baking powder,
4 eggs.

I just halved the mixture and added melted 75g dark chocolate and 3 tsp cocoa or 125g mincemeat and 2 tsp sherry for the different flavours. :)

Instructional video.

When my blog reaches 1000 viewers I will post an instructional video showing how to make one of my favourite wartime recipes! Xx

Mushroom Macaroni

Our dinner last night was mushroom macaroni! It was our own creation, as we discovered from one of my many books that people made macaroni cheese during the war and as we were low on cheese, we adapted it. The recipe below is for 2 people, just double for 4.

Ingredients:
200g Macaroni
1/4 of a medium sized Onion
Handful of sliced button Mushrooms
25g Flour
25g Margarine
1/4 pint of Milk

Method:
Boil the macaroni in a pan until cooked. Meanwhile cook the mushrooms and onion in a frying pan until browned slightly. Then in a separate pan melt the margarine, add the flour and stir into a paste. Gradually whisk in the milk until you have a thickish sauce. Add the onion and mushroom and cook for a further minute or two. Add the macaroni to the sauce, mix thoroughly so that all the pasta is coated. Then transfer to a casserole dish and sprinkle a little cheese on top before grilling. Remove the dish once the cheese has bubbled and browned. Serve with a side salad.

This weeks shopping!

2x Thin Sliced Ham (125g) £1.22
1x Dried Sage (13g) £0.71
1x Stock Cubes Beef (12x6g) £0.92
2x Instant Mash Potato (120g) £0.40
1x Gravy Granules for Meat (500g) £0.84
1x Spam Lite Chopped Pork and Ham (200g) £1.53
2x Princes Lean Corned Beef (200g) £4.96
1x Large Onions (3) £0.82
7x Apples by Weight (100g)£0.70
1x White Potatoes (2.5Kg) £1.35
3x Bramley Apples by Weight (100g) £0.41
1x Plain Wholemeal Flour (1.5Kg) £1.60
1x Free Range Mixed Eggs (6) £1.00
1x Smoked Haddock Fillets (400g) £3.00
2x Oatilicious Medium Sliced Bread (800g) £2.00
1x Sausage Meat (454g) £2.58

Estimated Total Order:
£24.04

Beef shortcakes!

Gorgeous beef shortcakes. Unfortunately due to copyright on the book I got it from, I cannot share the recipe. However the book is called "The victory cookbook" and the author is the one and only Marguerite Patten OBE, who worked for the ministry of foods during the war. She was also the first television chef! I got the book from Amazon. It's published by the imperial war museum.

For more information on Marguerite: http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marguerite_Patten#section_1

For a Internet search of her various recipes: http://www.google.co.uk/search?hl=en&client=safari&q=marguerite+patten+recipes+online&revid=1307721924&sa=X&ei=waTLT9nSEo638QPd3931Dw&ved=0CBUQ1QIoAA&biw=320&bih=416

The Amazon page for the book: http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/aw/d/0753706830/ref=mp_s_a_1?qid=1338746439&sr=8-1

Dan's peppered lamb chops and veg mash.

My other half worked his magic on dinner tonight! With lovely peppered lamb chops!

Ingredients
2 lamb chops
1 tsp Coarse ground black pepper
Pinch of Dried parsley
Pinch of Ground ginger
4 large Potatoes
4 Cabbage leaves
1/2 cup Peas

Method:
Slice the cabbage leaves and put them in a pan with the peas. Cover with water and simmer. In a separate pan put the peeled and chopped potatoes, cover with water and again bring to simmer.
Put the pepper, parsley and ginger in a dish. Put in the chops and coat both sides in the seasoning. Put under a hot grill for 10 minutes turning halfway through. While the chops are cooking drain the potatoes, and the cabbage and peas. Mash the potato, then mix in the cabbage and peas. Take the chops out from the grill, checking they are cooked all the way through. Serve with the mash and lashings of instant gravy!

Yum!

Cauliflower and bacon bake.

Yesterdays dinner was a delicious cauliflower and bacon bake. So good that I forgot to photograph it as i was too busy eating!!

Ingredients:
1 full head of Cauliflower
3 slices Bacon
1 Onion
1/2 cup grated Mature Cheddar Cheese
2 tbsp Margarine
1 tbsp Flour
1/4 pint Milk
1 tsp Parsley

Method:
Steam or boil some cauliflower until cooked through. Drain and place in an ovenproof dish. Chop an onion and some bacon and fry. Sprinkle the cooked bacon over the cauliflower. Then in a pan melt the margarine, add a little flour and stir into a paste. Little by little add the milk until you have a smooth sauce. Add the cooked onion and parsley to the sauce and cook for a further 5 minutes. Take the sauce off the heat and pour over the cauliflower and bacon. Sprinkle grated cheese on top and oven bake at gas mark 4 for an hour.

Spam hash

A spam hash is really simple and easy to make, it's fairly quick too!

Ingredients:
A tin of spam
4 large potatoes
1 large onion
Frylight or oil

Method:
Chop up the potatoes and boil until cooked. Drain and put to one side Chop onion and spam. Fry the onion until translucent. Add the potato and spam. Cook until spam starts to brown. Serve with a side salad.

Herring and tomato hotpot

Yesterdays dinner was herring and tomato hotpot!

Ingredients:
3 potatoes
1 onion
1 can chopped tomatoes
1 can herring in tomato sauce
Pinch or two of parsley

Method:
Grease a casserole dish. Slice the potatoes and lay a thin layer on the bottom. Slice the onion and layer this on top. Break up the herring and flake over. Then pour on a layer of chopped tomato. Repeat this, putting s layer of potato on top sprinkled with parsley. Place in a moderate oven (gas mark 5 to six) and leave to cook for an hour. Serve with vegetables.

This week's shopping list

2x Baked Beans in Tomato Sauce (410g) £0.52
1x Semi Skimmed Milk 6 Pints (3.41L) £1.74
1x Flora Lighter Than Light Spread (500g) £1.70
1x Loose Leaf Tea (250g) £0.94
1x Sherbet Fruit Cocktail Sweets (200g) £0.88
1x Sweet Pickle (290g) £0.24
1x Lyle's Golden Syrup Bottle (454g) £0.98
1x Spam Lite Chopped Pork and Ham (200g) £1.53
1x Lean Corned Beef (200g) £2.48
1x Extra Lean Smoked Back Bacon Rashers Thick Cut (8 per pack - 250g) £2.58
10x Apples by Weight (100g) £1.00
1x Macaroni (500g) £0.72
3x British Lamb Chops by Weight (100g) £3.00
1x Rosey Apple Sweets (200g) £0.88
1x Peas (1Kg) £0.95
1x Wholemeal Self Raising Flour (1.5Kg) £1.60
1x Free Range Mixed Eggs (6) £1.00
2x Medium Sliced Oat Bread (800g) £2.00
1x Mature Cheddar (350g) £2.00

Estimated Total Order:
£26.74

Split pea soup with a chocolate sponge for pudding!

Split pea soup is an old classic, so I thought I'd give it a go. It's very basic and quite nutritious. I used a recipe I found online, I later found a recipe in a old wartime leaflet that would have made it far tastier and more interesting!! I will definitely do that version next week and you'll see the difference! This time all I did was get some dry green split peas from a supermarket, measure out 1 cup full (for two people,) into a pan and add 3 cups of water and a stock cube then heated and simmered the mixture for about an hour skimming off the foam at the end and adding extra water as needed. I also added chunks of spam for extra flavour. It doesn't look like much so this version wouldn't impress visitors but the pudding should make up for that.....

Now onto the more exciting bit!! The chocolate sponge!! The recipe is from the ministry of foods leaflet, number 30, "Cakes, biscuits and scones without eggs."

Chocolate sponge

Ingredients:
1/2 lb self raising flour
1/2 tsp salt
2 tbsp cocoa
3 oz. Sugar
1 tbsp syrup
12-14 tablespoons hot water
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
3 oz. Margarine
A drop or two of vanilla essence.

Method:
Mix the flour, salt, cocoa and sugar together. Dissolve syrup in the water and add the bicarbonate of soda. Melt the margarine and mix all the ingredients together, including the vanilla essence, but do not beat the mixture, which should be very soft. Bake in a moderately hot oven for 20 minutes.

You can use two 8" sandwich tins if you want to make a classic sponge cake that you can put a jam, chocolate or cream filling in. I used a loaf tin as we are just going to have the odd slice occasionally with a nice cup of tea. :)

Meat curry

Yesterday I made meat curry. I got the recipe from a ministry of foods leaflet from 1946. Who says rationed food had to be bland!! This was really tasty and I highly recommend trying it!

Meat curry

Ingredients:
1 onion
1 apple
300-500g diced lamb/beef
4 tbsp flour
1 1/2 tbsp curry powder
1/2 tbsp mustard powder
3/4 pint of stock
1 tbsp chutney or vinegar
1 tbsp marmalade
1 tbsp syrup or black treacle

Method:
Fry the onion and apple in a pan for a few minutes until the onion starts to brown. Then add the meat. Fry lightly then remove the meat and put to one side. Then add the flour, curry powder and mustard powder to the apple and onion and stir until everything is coated. Then gradually add the stock, stirring as you go. Then add the chutney or vinegar, the marmalade and syrup or treacle. Stir this all together. Add the meat back in. Let the mixture simmer for an hour or until the meat is tender and serve.

I served mine with a little rice as I had some, but the leaflet advises the use of macaroni, potatoes, or cauliflower in place of rice.

Pineapple turnover

Yesterday we had shop bought kidney pie with chips and vegetables and a homemade pineapple turnover. Pineapple was an unusual treat bought over by American G.I's. to impress the English girls!

I however had a can that was still in date, but had been in my cupboard for about a year. I was never going to use it otherwise, so for the purposes of this recipe imagine I got them on the Black Market. Shhh! Careless talk costs lives!

Pineapple turnover.

Can of Pineapples
4 tsp Honey
227g self raising flour
85g sugar
85g margarine
1/4 pint of milk and water.

Take a cake tin that has a removable bottom and line it with grease proof paper. Grease the tin first to help the paper stick, then grease the paper. Line the bottom with pineapple and honey.

In a separate bowl rub the margarine into the flour and sugar to form breadcrumbs. Then add the milky water (hold back a little of the milky water and you can add the juice from the pineapple can if you want instead) and mix until you have a smooth batter. Pour this into the tin over the pineapple.

Place in a preheated oven at gas mark 4 for approximately 45 minutes or until golden brown and firm. Leave in the tin to cool for 5 minutes. Then remove the tin and slide off the base. Take off the grease proof paper and voila! Your turnover is done! If you don't have pineapple why not use cooking apple and add a tsp cinnamon to the flour? You can use berries or pears too!

Spam fritters

Today we had spam fritters with a fried egg, beans and chips.

Spam fritters are really easy to make:

Ingredients:
340g/12oz Spam
Frylight
125g/4oz (1 cup) Plain flour
Pinch of salt
1 egg
125ml/4 fl oz (half cup)Milk and water.

Method:
Mix the flour, egg, milk and water to form a batter. Slice the spam and dip the slices in the batter. Heat the frylight in a pan then add the battered spam. Cook on each side for 2-3 minutes. Serve with mash or chips and beans.

Chicken casserole with fruit crumble for pudding

Today we had chicken casserole for dinner with fruit crumble for afters.

The chicken casserole was a very simple affair. I popped raw chicken and chopped root and other vegetables, in a casserole dish. I then put in enough water to cover the ingredients and a couple of stock cubes. I put the lid on and placed the dish in a pre-heated oven at gas mark 4 for an hour.

With the fruit crumble, I took a few blueberries and chopped up 3 brambly apples and 4 plums. Each layer I popped in the dish, I covered with a tablespoon of brown sugar. For the topping I took 5 tbsp of flour, 2 tbsp brown sugar and 2 tbsp of margarine. I rubbed the margarine into the flour and sugar until it looked like breadcrumbs. I sprinkled this on top and popped the dish in the oven at gas mark 4 for 45 minutes. I served it with a little plain yogurt.

This weeks shopping list.

1x ASDA Smartprice Porridge Oats (1Kg) £0.75
1x John West Herring Fillets in Tomato Sauce (190g) £1.27
1x ASDA Smartprice Tuna Flakes in Brine (185g) £0.49
2x ASDA British Skimmed Milk 4 Pints (2.27L) £2.00
1x Flora Lighter Than Light Spread (500g) £1.70
1x ASDA Parsley (11g) £0.66
1x ASDA Chosen by You Liquorice Twists (275g) £0.88
2x ASDA Granary Farmhouse Loaf (400g) £1.40
4x ASDA Smartprice Instant Mash Potato (120g) £0.80
1x ASDA Smartprice Orange Marmalade Medium Cut (454g) £0.27
1x Princes Lean Corned Beef (200g) £2.48
1x ASDA Smartprice Pears £0.73
1x ASDA Extra Lean Smoked Back Bacon Rashers Thick Cut (8 per pack - 250g) £2.58
6x ASDA Smartprice Apples by Weight (100g) £0.60
5x ASDA Onions by Weight (100g) £0.38
1x ASDA Spring Onions £0.67
1x Great Scot Green Split Peas (500g) £0.68
1x Colman's Mustard Powder (57g) £1.34
1x ASDA Smartprice Wrapping Film (300mm x 60m) £0.60
2x Goblin Steak & Kidney Pudding (155g) £1.56
1x ASDA Diced Lamb (300g) £4.00

Estimated Total Order*:
£25.84

Week 2 Meal Plan

Monday

Breakfast
Cereal

Lunch
Egg sandwich with spring onion and apple.

Dinner
Spam fritters, fried egg, chips and tomatoes
Rice pudding

Tuesday

Breakfast
Jam on toast.

Lunch
Cheese sandwich and an apple.

Dinner
Steak and kidney pudding with chips and beans
Pineapple upside down cake.

Wednesday

Breakfast
Porridge with fruit

Lunch
Bacon and pickle sandwich and a pear.

Dinner
Meat curry with rice.
Pineapple upside down cake.

Thursday

Breakfast
Marmalade on toast

Lunch
Tuna jacket potato with a pear

Dinner
Baked leeks in a cheese sauce with mash.
Pineapple upside down cake.

Friday

Breakfast
Porridge with fruit

Lunch
Corned beef salad sandwich and an apple

Dinner
Split pea soup
Chocolate sponge cake.

Weekend off.

Monday

Breakfast
Jam on toast

Lunch
Bacon sandwich with apple

Dinner
Vegetable pie
Chocolate sponge cake.

Tuesday

Breakfast
Porridge with fruit

Lunch
Cheese and pickle sandwich

Dinner
Herring hot pot
Chocolate sponge cake.

Corn beef hash mash and beans.

For Sunday lunch we had corn beef hash mash and beans. This was all made from leftovers; great if you don't want to waste anything. Corn beef hash is a proper filling comfort food and this mash version is no exception.

First we took the leftover mash out of the fridge and mashed in the leftover corn beef and a spring onion. We fried the mix in a frying pan for a few minutes each side and arranged it on a plate with the reheated baked beans. Yum!

Cottage pie with gingerbread cake for pudding.

Today we made a cottage pie by frying spare root veg, what mince we had left and oxo beef stock in a pan. We then popped it into a casserole dish and covered it with sweet potato mash before popping it in the oven at gas mark 6 for ten minutes. You can use normal potato mash if you want to stick to a more traditional recipe. We used sweet potato so we could up our 5 a day intake.

Then for afters we had gingerbread cake. I got the recipe from a ministry of foods leaflet. It is eggless so good for those with allergies or in our case for saving our rationed eggs!

Gingerbread cake.

Ingredients:
1/2 lb self-raising flour
6oz syrup
1tsp ground ginger
1tsp bicarbonate of soda
1/2 pint tepid water.

Place flour and syrup in a bowl. Mix the ginger and soda with the water, add to the flour and syrup and mix all together. Turn into a greased tin about 11" x 7", and bake in a moderate oven for about 1 and a quarter hours. Do not cut for 2 days.

I made this cake on Wednesday so it could sit for the required time. Pop it in a cake tin like I did to keep it fresh. (An old used quality street tin does the job just as well.)

My other half loved it! :) I didn't even get a chance to photograph it before he tucked in!!

Faggots, Mash and Veg with Fruit and Yogurt for Pudding

Tonight we are having Faggots with mash and Vegetables.
See the following link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Faggot_(food))

My other half wants pasta as he seems to think they are like meatballs, (Eh?!) but I'm having the traditional potato mash and veg.

We are also having blueberry and apples with yogurt and toasted oat topping for pudding. (As the blackberries I had originally planned to use are canned and the blueberries are fresh and will go off, I am going to use the blueberries. I toast the oats in a frying pan with a little frylight and sugar.)

I'm cheating today and using Mr Brains Faggots in place of making my own. I'm saving up for a mincer though so hopefully I'll be able to make my own soon. You can pick up homemade ones directly from the local butcher sometimes if you'd rather not do it yourself, or you can use supermarket bought Mr Brains Faggots as a alternative, but please be aware they don't have all the traditonal ingredients and contain a lot of salt. It's entirely up to your own taste though, I'm just using pre-packaged as I didn't get to the butchers in time to buy ready made.

I personally always advise buying from the local butchers (whether you are getting the ingredients to make faggots, faggots ready made or any other meat products,) thereby supporting your local butcher/farmers.

If you have a mincer and want to make your own, one version of the traditional recipe is:

Traditional Faggots:

Ingredients
1 pint Tepid Water
3 oz Breadcrumb
1 tbsp vinegar
1 tsp dried sage
1 tsp dried mixed herbs
1 egg beaten
1 Pigs heart
1 lb Pigs liver or (mixture of liver & lights)
8 oz Belly pork
Bacon scraps
Pigs Caul
2 Onions
Salt & Pepper to taste

Method:
Basically you pop all the meat through the mincer and pop it in a bowl. Add the other ingredients, stir, then shape, wrap in Pigs Caul put on a plate and chill in the fridge for an hour. Then place them on a baking tray. Spray with oil and Cook on gas mark 6/7 for 40 minutes. Make up some gravy, you can even make onion gravy if you want. Take the faggots out of the oven and serve with the gravy and vegetables.

Here is the nutritional information and further description from a pack of Mr Brains Faggots if you want to buy pre-packaged;

Mr Brains Faggots - Pork faggots in a West Country sauce.

Rich & tasty. A firm family favourite since 1925.

Herbert Hill Brain, a butcher from Bristol, first started making heart warming family meals in 1925. With their unique West Country Sauce, the dishes soon grew in popularity to become firm family favourites across the country. Today, the same passion and love goes in to creating each dish as Mr. Brain's continues to provide tasty meals for families both large and small.

Ingredients:
West Country Sauce (62%) contains: Water, Lard, Wheat Flour, Modified Maize Starch, Tomato Puree, Salt, Colour (E150c), Yeast Extract, Sugar, Onion Flavour, Spice & Herb Extracts (Celery),Pork Faggots (38%) contains: Water, Rusks, Rehydrated Pork Rind, Pork Liver (15%), Onion, Pork (4%), Pork Fat, Wheat Flour, Salt, Sage, Spice Extracts

Allergy Information:

Contains: Celery, Gluten, Wheat

May Contain: Soya\Soybeans

Per 238g serving cooked:
Calories: 241

Sugar: 3g

Fat: 10g

Saturates:4g

Salt: 4.0g

These are very high in salt (one serving has 67% of your GDA) but whichever you choose to use is entirely up to you.

After this time I will be buying ready made from my butcher (until I have a mincer).
When I do get a mincer and I make my own, I will post the results and recipe again for you. :D

Liver and onion

Yesterday the other half made liver and onion. It was a really tasty but quick meal.

I suggest going to a good butcher for your meats as then you can get the leanest cuts. In the case of offal, having it properly trimmed is essential.

After you have bought your liver, simply slice it into chunks, (you can ask your butcher to do this for you if you like,) then fry it with chopped onion until brown.

We used lambs liver, but you can also use pig or ox. If you don't like a strong flavour though, you could try chicken liver.

This is so simple and tasty. We served it with sweet potato (in place of regular potato as it counted towards our 5 a day,) broccoli and cauliflower.

Sausage and mash with baked apple and blackberries for pudding.

Today we had sausage and mash for dinner. The sausages were made with lean meat and the mash was mixed with a little salad cream (which was available at the time on points), peas and spring onion.

I then baked the cored brambly apples in the oven and waited until they were baked through to heat the blackberries in a pan on the hob. I then placed both in a bowl and sprinkled over a tsp of sugar. Simple and yum! :D

Stuffed hearts with step by step photo guide.

Today I'm making stuffed hearts to my nan's recipe. I've been taught by my mum who was taught by my nan, who was a live in servant (a maid and cook) for jewish families for a number of years in the late 1920's. She married my grandad in 1931, and with his four kids by his first wife, she had 12 kids to deal with by the mid 50's. So about 6 or 7 mouths to feed during wartime. So if anyone knew how to cook a meal from nothing, it was her!

Stuffed hearts.

2 hearts
Half a box of stuffing
Cooking fat (in this case frylight.)

Take the heart and remove the tubes and innards to create a pocket. Make up the stuffing and fill the heart. Take a casserole dish and fill the bottom with stuffing. Lay the hearts on top. Rub the tops with fat or spray with frylight. Place the lid on top and put in a pre heated oven at gas mark 5 for 2 hours, turning the hearts over halfway through. Serve with roast potatoes and vegetables.

The stuffed hearts (without the veg) cost a ridiculously cheap 79p each for the hearts and 99p for the box of stuffing, which would easily stretch to four or five as the two of us only used half the packet! You could stretch it out even more by mixing in more breadcrumbs. This makes a good, filling, but cheap alternative to other meat dishes, perfect for large families.