Frontline Cookbook: Battlefield Recipes from the Second World War

by Royal Logistic Corps Museum, Valentine Warner (Foreword)

According to Napoleon, an army marches on its stomach and it fights on its stomach too – yet have you ever wondered how hundreds of men on the frontline are fed amidst hails of bullets and how kitchens are created in the desert or in the trench lines? In 1941 the Army officially created the Army Catering Corps and opened the Army School of Cookery in Aldershot. Troops were trained to make meals out of the bare minimum of ingredients, to feed a company of men from only a mess tin and cook curries to feed hundreds only yards from the frontline. Frontline Cookbook brings together recipes from the Second World War, including hand-written notes from troops fighting in the Middle East, India and all over Europe. Many recipes are illustrated with cartoons and drawings on how to assemble the perfect oven and kitchen tools at a moment’s notice from nothing. This book is the perfect inspiration for those who like to create an amazing meal anywhere, anytime, from anything.

272 pages, Kindle Edition

First published August 1, 2012

Reviews

[Robin Braysher · Rating 4 out of 5]

Army catering is hardly up there with the Spitfire and the Normandy landings in terms of glamour, but it was a vital component in maintaining the health, efficiency and morale of the fighting forces. This is a fascinating little book which captures the serious effort that was put into feeding the army, the challenges faced by army caterers on different fronts, and the ingenuity used to overcome them. It is well illustrated with photos, extracts/diagrams from manuals and, best of all, training notes made by army cooks themselves. It also covers the dietary requirements and preferences of Indian and African troops, reminding us that military catering was not a 'one size fits all' operation. This is not a book I will be using in the kitchen - unless I need to make a jam roly-poly pudding for 100 people - but it's a useful one to have on the shelf next to the more usual accounts of Second World War battles and campaigns. My favourite quote is this: 'British servicemen do not respond to a diet that lacks tea'. Time for a cuppa, I think!

[Tim · Rating 5 out of 5]

Perhaps of limited interest, but if you are into cookery, military provisioning, and generally feeding large groups of people with basic to custom made in the field equipment, it's fascinating.
Filled with sketches, diagrams, photos, menus, etc., I found it highly informative, an insight to a largely unacknowledged section of the the military, but without which they could not function.
" An Army marches on its stomach "