The Ration Book Diet

by Mike Brown, Carol Harris, C.J. Jackson

The Wartime diet that our parents and grandparents had to endure during the dark days os the Second World War may seem unappealing to modern tastes, but its low fat, high fibre and sensibly sized portions meant that the British population enjoyed a level of health and fitness unsurpassed since 1945. Using the wartime diet as a model, sixty recipes have been specially created to enable you and your family to eat more healthily. Some are taken straight from Second World War cookery books, with only minor adjustments to suit the 21st century palate. For the most part, however, new dishes have been created to use the same range of rationed ingredients available to housewives during the war. These original recipes and variations have been combined to produce a day-by-day meal plan for a week. Added to this basic diet plan are recipes for treats and special occasiona, not forgetting food for children and some helpful advice on what to do with leftovers.

160 pages, Hardcover

First published December 9, 2004

About the author

NOTE: There is more than one author with this name on Goodreads.
Mike^^Brown
This is the author of wartime histories of Britain.


The author of How I Killed Pluto and Why It Had It Coming Is here

Reviews

[Lila · Rating 5 out of 5]

At first, I was a bit confused as to why there would be a recipe book with British WWII ration recipes and updated versions. Then I saw the British television series Supersizers Go Wartime on Youtube and returned to this book with enthusiasm. I learned that people were healthier after being on the ration diet than before--or now. This is fascinating reading, although US readers should be warned that the revised versions of the recipes will need some conversion.

[Kristine Sprunger · Rating 3 out of 5]

I would have liked to see the original recipe alongside the modified recipe.

[Amber Ray · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting book. I'll keep it around a while for some of the recipes. I've tried the toad in the hole (great with chopped up sausages and green onions...it's very like a quiche and makes a great brunch!) and a different version of Woolton pie which made way too much and was rather stodgy...may try a different recipe in smaller quantities with maybe a whisker of sausage to add flavor...do NOT forget gravy with Woolton pie or it's awfully bland!

Rationing diets may have been a hair short on excitement and variety, but they were quite carefully engineered for health...basically it's veg at every opportunity, limited fats and sugars. While I'm not following this diet per se, I'm using it as a bit of inspiration in my attempts to keep fit.

I may also be trying several other recipes from this book like the fish cakes, the vegetable tagine, and the broiled trout recipe.