I just randomly picked up my little war-time recipe book, first published in 1944, and glanced through it, thinking how many recipes for food items would never be used again because in the eighty years since they were written, our kitchens, food preparation and food have changed. Things haven’t just changed because there was a war which affected lives in so many ways, but our way of eating as well as what we eat and how we cook is hugely different.
Boiled salt beef (“After soaking the meat for a few hours or overnight, place it in a pan and cver with cold water. Bring slowly to the boil.”) pressed beef |(who presses beef these days, and why would you?) roast stuffed skirt (can you buy skirt these days?) – these would have been common, cheap and popular ways of cooking everyday meals. Although many more women were working outside of the home in 1944, most would have still been responsible for meals and household chores. There are thirteen beef recipes in this section of ‘Cookery To-day and To-morrow’ by Nell Heaton,
Rationing began on 8th January 1940 when bacon, butter and sugar were rationed. By 1942 many other foodstuffs, including meat, milk, cheese, eggs and cooking fat were also ‘on the ration’.
This is a typical weekly food ration for an adult:
Bacon & Ham 4 oz
Other meat value of 1 shilling and 2 pence (equivalent to 2 chops)
Here is Nell’s recipe for Spiced Beef:
Drain a piece of pickled beef and sprinkle it with a little mixed spice. Roll the meat and tie or skewer and bind. Place it in a casserole with a well-fitting lid and add sufficient water just to cover the meat. Put on a lid and cook in a moderate oven for four hours. Remove the meat, drain and place on a large dish. Garnish with cress and parsley
Here is a modern recipe from Riverford Organic Farmers:
- 1kg beef joint
- 100g dark brown sugar
- 50g each of cracked peppercorns (pink ones will be particularly good), allspice and juniper berries
- 5g ground cinnamon
- 80g salt
Prep time: 5 min, cooking time: 6h
- Rub the dry ingredients into the beef. Place it in a plastic zip-lock bag and refrigerate in a bowl for 1 week, turning daily.
- Preheat oven to 140°C/Gas 1. Rinse off any excess spices, pat dry and place in a casserole dish (with lid) and add a glass of water.
- Cover the pan with a double layer of foil, fitting it tightly over the pan to prevent any evaporation and put on the lid. Cook in the oven for 3-4 hours.
- Remove from the oven and cool for 2 hours with the lid on.
- You can either eat it immediately (try with mash, cabbage, mustard and the broth), or wrap it in foil and film and press under a bag of sugar overnight.
https://www.riverford.co.uk/recipes/spiced-beef
There’s no mention of garnishing with cress and parsley!
Lois Elsden 