1943 Rations for Lent 2023. The first full week.

26th February to 4th March.

The following is a tally of what I have consumed in the last seven days against the ration allowance for 1943.

16 mugs of tea, probably using 12 tea bags. Ration 24 bags a week.

About half a loaf of wholemeal bread, mainly home-made. Not rationed.

3 teaspoons home-made blackberry marmalade. Minimal against the ration of 1 lb. per month.

7 rye cracker biscuits, or about 1/4 pack at 2 points per pack.

4 mean scrapes of marmite.

3 oz. porage oats at 2 points per lb.

1 3/4 oz. Sliced ham and 2 oz. Fatty bacon against a combined ration of 4 oz. for both.

1 fresh egg, my entire weekly ration.

2 oz. cheese, the whole ration, as cheese on toast.

Meat: 4 oz pork loin and a steak and kidney pie. Total cost £2.20 against £3.20 allowance.

Vegetables: 2 leeks, 6 cabbage leaves 7 oz. Sprouts, the leaves of a cauliflower, 1 carrot and 3 potatoes, all off ration. 1/2 tin baked beans at 2 points per tin.

(A salad of cauliflower leaves, carrot and leek with 1 small tin sardines at 1 point.)

A root vegetable and mushroom stew with 1 pork faggot, made last week.

A portion of Woolton Pie with aforesaid cabbage and leek.

5 apples.

12 squares dark chocolate: about a quarter of my ration.

3 pints alcohol free beer and 1 of cider.

A small portion of fish and chips from the local shop (1 point?)

Lunch at the racecourse of Cumberland sausage, bubble and squeak, onion rings and mushroom, cost £9.95 against my allowance of £14.50 (1 point?)

I have used no more than six points this week, even allowing for opening new packs of foods and counting the full points value.

I am just about on target, maybe slightly below my allowance with a little to carry over.

Yesterday I received from the Imperial War Museum Library “The Ration Book Diet”, which should be useful along with the book I received for Christmas.