It's a Long Way to the End of 1940s Week - Corned Beef Fritters

Well after the shenanigans and excitement of the 1920s, it's time to keep calm and carry on with a bit of 1940s Rationing! I won't lie, while I'm interested in the challenges this week will represent, the idea of a very limited larder doesn't quite register the same amount of excitement as drinking quite a lot of gin does! The first thing I decided was that I was going to be as strict as possible with the recipes chosen and what would have been available at the time. I also decided against buying powdered eggs (I know, this coming from the woman who brought the modern day equivelent of Garum), but Christmas is rapidly approaching and I decided that I probably shouldn't buy ingredients that I may never use again!

Here's what two adults would have got in terms of rationing for one week:

• 
  8oz - Margarine 
  
• 4oz - Butter
• 4oz - Lard
• 2 Eggs
• 4oz - Cheese
• 6oz - Sugar
• Meat to the value of 1s 2d (roughly £2.30 today).

Other things were rationed too, but I made sure that any of the recipes I followed this week stuck very closely to what rations both myself and my partner would have got at the time. For this reason, it's quite possible there will be some famous recipes I miss, because I wouldn't have had the rations to make them. There will be a VE Day Tea at the end of the week, as I do want the partner to enjoy something in the week, but as the great Sue Perkins said in the BBC's Supersizers Go Wartime, this is the time of '...boundaries, restrictions, want, need, necessity'. 

I found most of my 1940s recipes on a fantastic Blog called The 1940's Experiment where a lady went on a 1940s Ration based diet to lose weight and become more healthy. She included the recipes she used so others could make them. So most of the meals I made this week were either from her blog or from my Granny, the best Granny in the world. 

Corned Beef Fritters

Ingredients

• 
  2 oz/56g plain flour (I used my leftover rye flour, waste not want not)! 
  
• pinch salt
• 100ml milk
• pinch of herbs
• 2 teaspoons grated onion (I used a leftover shallot from 20s week)
• 6oz/170g corned beef finely flaked
• a little dripping or margarine

Originally this recipe called for an egg, but as two recipes this week will require my two rationed eggs I made up for it by adding more milk.

Method

1. Mix and blend the flour with the salt, beaten egg and dash of milk. Beat until a smooth batter is achieved.
2. Add corned beef, onions and herbs
3. Melt the dripping or fat in a frying pan and drop in a spoonful of the mixture, press down to form a small patty. I did not read the recipe carefully so made four large ones, think I should have followed it though and made the eight as mine were a little undercooked.
4. Fry on either side until crisp and brown and serve with veggies. 

I served mine with boiled cabbage and potatoes, if you want to be truly 1940s and save on both fuel and washing up, boil your spuds and cabbage in one pot. Cut the potatoes into quarters, add to a pot of cold, salted water and then bring to the boil. Simmer for ten minutes. Then add the sliced cabbage.

Despite how bland the meal looked both the partner and I really liked it. The partner had never had corned beef before, so was a bit apprehensive about trying it, but he said it was really good. I also liked it, particularly because it did remind me of eating corned beef at my Granny's house, but again really should have made smaller patties and not whacked on the heat so high.