PODCAST: British Ration Week Episode 5: Woolton Pie (Patreon)

The Minister of Food who was really the heart of the rationing program was Frederick Marquis, Lord Woolton. A prominent businessman who entered government as a political novice when the war began, Woolton took his responsibility as a charge not simply to ensure that Britain survived the war, but as a mission to use the opportunity to improve public health, particularly among the lower classes. He was a refreshing example of a political figure who eschewed personal power and political strife in favor of the betterment of his society.

The head chef of the Savoy Hotel created a wartime dish which they named Woolton Pie after the Minister of Food, and which has become an excellent example of the whole rationing program in microcosm.

Woolton Pie (makes 1 pie):

½ lb potatoes, scrubbed but not peeled and cut into chunks

½ lb carrots, washed and sliced

½ lb cauliflower, broken into chunks

½ lb swedes (rutabagas), peeled and cut into chunks

3-4 green onions (we used a quarter leek, both white and green), sliced

1 tsp vegetable extract*

1 tsp oatmeal **

Preheat oven to 350.  Add all vegetables to a saucepan and just cover with water. Simmer until tender, approximately 10-15 minutes. Drain, reserving liquid.  Put vegetables in a pie plate and add half the reserved liquid. Cover with a pastry or potato crust and bake until crust is golden brown.  

Use the remaining liquid to make a gravy for serving:in a saucepan, bring liquid to a boil; in a separate cup, mix about 2 T flour with ½ c water and slowly add mixture to boiling liquid whisking constantly. Season liberally with salt and pepper. 

* I don’t know what vegetable extract is, but I’m assuming something similar to bouillon cubes. We didn’t have those, so I just used turkey stock instead of water to cook the vegetables. 

** This is supposed to thicken the liquid into a gravy. It doesn’t. 

Day 5 Menu:

Breakfast: Oatmeal with raisins, tea

Lunch: Beans with Bacon, Skillet Biscuits

Tea: Bread Pudding, tea

Dinner: Woolton Pie, ale

For the recipes for today's dishes - and lots of other details about the experiment - please see our data page at InRange.tv: 

http://www.inrange.tv/british-rationing-recipes/