Farm land as well as market gardens that had previously grown flowers became
vegetable patches for the humble potato, the food that was the favourite
vegetable of the Ministry of Food.Certain foods were promoted by the Ministry of Food as foods essential to good health, especially for children. The campaign to promote potatoes as a substitute for bread was a great success, with 60% more potatoes being eaten by the end of war that at its start.
The cartoon characters of Potato Pete and his friend, Doctor Carrot along with adaptations of traditional
nursery rhymes aimed to get adults and children to both enjoy and value vegetables.
Potatoes new, Potatoes old, Potatoes in a salad cold;
Potatoes baked or mashed or fried, Potatoes whole, potatoes pied;
Enjoy them all including chips Remembering spuds don't come in ships!
The Ministry of Food provided information leaflets on Miracle Foods, namely the potato, roots, greens, oatmeal and cheese.
One of the ministry's recipes presented in their Food Facts was "Potato Floodies", which really was a potato fritter.
Potato Floodies
4 medium-sized potatoes; 4 tablesp plain flour; 4 tablesp chopped mixed herbs (optional); dash of cayeene pepper (optional); 4 tablespoons of dripping or vegetable oil; salt and freshly ground black pepper
*Peel the potatoes and grate them in a bowl.
*Add sufficient flour to form a stiff batter.
*If you are wanting a "savoury dish", season with salt/pepper and herbs.
*Heat a little oil in a frying pan, and drop heaped tablespoons of the mixture into it. Turn when brown - cook about 4 mins each side.
*If you are wanting a "sweet dish", serve with a little jam or lemon juice & sugar.
Potato Pastry
175 gm self-raising flour; pinch salt; 70 gm cooking fat or butter; 55 gm potato (peeled & grated); 1 -2 tablespoons ice-cold water.
*Preheat oven to 200 degrees C.
*Sift flour & salt into a large bosl and rub in the fat/butter. Then add the potato and mix. Add enough water to bind the dough.
*Roll out on a floured surface and line a 23cm flan case. Prick the base all over with a fork.
*Bake for 15 mins until golden brown.
Here is a filling for a War-time Mock Apricot Flan:
Grate 450 gm young carrots and simmer in a saucepan with 4 tablespoons water, 2 tablespoons plum jam and 1/4 teasp almond essence. Simmer until a soft pulp is formed (perhaps for 1 hour). Spread the mixture onto the cooked pastry case. Melt an extra 2 tablesp plum jam with 1 tablesp water and use it to glaze the tart.
HOW CAN I APPLY THE ABOVE INFO TO MY LIFE?
Now is the time for me to be serious about growing potatoes. I agree that there is absolutely nothing like the taste of a small new potato
boiled just after it has been carefully prized from its earth mound – and it is
ever so many years since my last tasting of a "new potato"!
Seeding potatoes can be quite expensive – it is much cheaper to buy several
varieties of potatoes from the local supermarket, writing the name of each
variety on paper and popping the potato’s name in the bag before heading for
the check-out. Then I will need to plan where the different varieties are
planted, labeling them carefully so that I will know their identity and how each of them is best
cooked.