Friday, January 8, 2021

When Rationing Began ... and Me Trying to Get Organised


 On this day in 1940 rationing in the UK began.  

Most people understood what was going to happen and although not looking forward to being on such strict rations they could see that this was the fairest way of making sure that everyone got their fair share of available foods.

This Challenge has not started the way I intended it to at all and I feel as though I am just on the verge of starting rather than already through the first week.  The little freezer here at the flat was full to bursting when I arrived so yesterday I finally got round to sorting it out.

How such a little space could hold so much I have no idea, but I had to set about planning what to do with it.  Most of the things can be incorporated into my rations, the vegetables and sausages etc other things I will just grit my teeth and use up even though they do not fit in with what I am trying to achieve this year, which is to get back to eating simple real foods that my Nana would have recognized.


She wouldn't have recognised a Kiev that's for sure, so that was the first to go, served with some of the rice from my ration.  A simple meal but one of my favourites.


As it was in the biggest box too I thought 'well that's more space in the freezer for sure'.  (I double wrapped the remaining one for safe storage outside it's box.)


I obviously did not repack it as well as it was packed at first!!

With Alan heading here this weekend for a business meeting he can help me to eat through some of the foods that I want to use up and get out of the way, and in my head I have decided that I am going to begin the Challenge in earnest on Monday.  By begin I mean proper days food photographs, all three meals of everyday being made from rations with only minimal input from the food stores in the way that I had planned initially.


One thing I have been pleased about at the end of this week of rationing is that my coffee supply has held up remarkably well.  I have been making a point of drinking tap water when ever I have been thirsty and only having a coffee when I am sitting down to enjoy a break, either at the computer reading through blogs or watching television in the evening ... and of course that most important first coffee of the day after the icy cold doggy walk along the riverbank.  So I've just reweighed this and out of my ration of 2oz I still have half an ounce left ... phew!!

Over the course of the weekend I will be publishing photos of what else I have been up to during these  first few days of the Challenge, while I have been trying to make sense of the stores I already had and how they are going to fit in with the rationing at the start of this year.

Sue xx


15 comments:

  1. A friend at work asked me, how long am I going to do this. I said the goal was a year. Then I said, at least I have the option to quit at any time. Imagine not knowing when or if rations would ever be over.

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    Replies
    1. Carol, do you have a blog (you previously mentioned writing about your own rationing challenge) and is it private?

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    2. Carol is on my sidebar, her blog is called 'Inching Along Towards ....' just click on the link. It's well worth a read as we are both getting to grips with the Challenge in two different countries.

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  2. It's that old saying - food expands to fill the space available! :-)
    xx

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    Replies
    1. It definintely seems to have ... where the bloody hell has it all come from!! ;-)

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    2. Maybe it's reproducing when you're not looking. :-)
      xx

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  3. Replies
    1. Haha ... the laugh of the day award goes to Chrissie :-)

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  4. Well, you seem to be starting off in a very sensible way - using up food is what our grannies would have done anyway. That little freezer must be a Tardis 😉

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    1. Yes, it makes sense to use things up, nothing wasted and space gained. I couldn't believe it as I pulled stuff out and out and out!!

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  5. I think you've got more food in your little freezer than I have in my 4 drawer One! I'm excited to see the challenge begin on Monday ;) And those Kievs look delish!

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    1. Gosh those Kievs are delicious, Alan actually prefers them to the chicken ones. 😃

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  6. My goodness you did have your little freezer packed to the gills. I am amazed at how much you managed to fit in there.

    I am also excited to see the beginning of your challenge.

    God bless.

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    1. Yep, it was amazing to pull everything out and see how much was in there. I dread to think how much I have managed to pack into the larger one back in Wales 🤣🤣

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  7. Just discovered your blog via a good friend. I was explaining to someone the other day that queueing in the shops and pharmacy was like standing around with Mum in the later days of rationing. They thought I was spinning a tale! Ah well. Those Village Bakery rolls take me back home!

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