The Wartime Kitchen and Garden

by Jennifer Davies

Published to tie in with a BBC2 series and an Imperial War Museum exhibition, this book takes readers back to the days when Hitler's U-boats patrolled the Atlantic, and imported foods were scarce. For the men, woman and children left behind during World War II, life changed dramatically. People who had never gardened before had to start growing their own fruit and vegetables, housewives had to cope with rationing, and their families had to get used to unfamiliar foods such as spam and nettle soup. The book includes the personal memories of Ruth Mott and Harry Dodson (television's "Victorian" cook and gardener, respectively), as well as tales and anecdotes from many people who remember wartime cookery and "digging for victory".

Genres: Nonfiction, History, Gardening, Cookbooks, World War II, Food and Drink, Cooking

224 pages, Hardcover

First published October 28, 1993

Reviews

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

I remember enjoying Jennifer Davies' books on the TV Victorian kitchen and garden series, and I enjoyed this one on World War II. No matter how much I read on that period there always seem to be interesting new details and perspectives to find. This book didn't seem all that closely tied to the TV programmes indeed I'd've liked a little more of that.

What struck me here is how strong that wartime influence has been in my own life although I was born in the early 60s some of the daft songs, the stories about food, some of the better recipes the general demeanour around food. I was struck by the awful things that were done to soil and in an effort at pest control, and the mention of the soil contamination which caused poor yields. Some of the unsuccessful kitchen experiments must have been heartbreaking with ingredients so precious. I particularly liked one recipe which included just 'a suspicion of cheese'

What also struck me in this book was how most people had a lot to learn and fast - they didn't know it all in the first place and simply knuckle down and implement it. There was clearly a phenomenal amount of administration and government direction going on and I wonder how (and whether) people could keep up. It's a lovely blend of photographs from the series, contemporary images, diary entries, Davies' research and lots and lots and lots of government guidance.

[Hilary (A Wytch's Book Review) · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wonderful and gentle look at the horrendous time that was the second world war. Mrs Ruth Mott plays herself and also a lady who has taken in a young mother and her son who are evacuees from a major city, and she shows how people made do with the limited ingredients they had on rations. Harry Dodson had a land army girl working with him in the local large house gardens - these had naturally been given over to food production, most of which was then shipped to cities.