Rationing in the United Kingdom

Rationing in the United Kingdom is the series of food rationing policies put in place by the government of the United Kingdom during certain wartime periods of the 20th century [Ina Zweiniger-Bargielowska "Austerity in Britain: Rationing, Controls and Consumption, 1939-1955", Oxford Up (2002) ISBN 978-0199251025. For general background, "see" David Kynaston "Austerity Britain, 1945-1951", Bloomsbury (2007) ISBN 978-0747579854. ] .

At the beginning of World War II, the UK imported 55 million tons of foodstuffs per year (70%), including more than 50% of its meat, 70% of its cheese and sugar, nearly 80% of fruits and about 90% of cereals and fats. It was one of the principal strategies of the Axis to attack shipping bound for the UK, restricting British industry and potentially starving the nation into submission (see Battle of the Atlantic).

In order to deal with the extreme shortages the Ministry of Food instituted a system of rationing. Each person would register with their local shops, and was provided with a "ration book" containing coupons. The shopkeeper was then provided with enough food for his or her registered customers. When purchasing goods, the purchaser had to give the shopkeeper a coupon as well as money.

Timeline of rationing

- that were bringing food to the country and starve Britain into surrender. In about two years, Britain had just six weeks' food left and, therefore, had to ration its food supplies.

During the Second World War, rationing was introduced very early. On 8 January 1940, bacon, butter and sugar were rationed. This was followed by meat, tea, jam, biscuits, breakfast cereals, cheese, eggs, milk and canned fruit. One of the few foods not rationed were fish and chips. Strict rationing caused many people to buy food on the black market; however people were often tricked with cheaper substitutes such as horsemeat instead of beef.Fact|date=July 2007

As the war progressed, most kinds of food came to be rationed, as were clothing and petrol. Clothing was rationed on a points system. Initially the allowance was for approximately one new outfit per year; as the war progressed the points were reduced to the point where the purchase of a coat constituted almost an entire year's clothing.

Rationing continued after the end of the war. In fact, it became stricter after the war ended than during the hostilities. Bread, which was not rationed during the war, was rationed beginning in 1946. This was largely due to the necessity of feeding the population of European areas coming under Allied control, whose economies had been devastated by the fighting. Sweet rationing ended in February 1953, and sugar rationing ended in September of that year. The final end of all rationing did not come until 1954 with bananas. Some of the ersatz foods like apple crumble and carrot cake continue to be popular today.

British Restaurants

Restaurants were exempt from rationing, which led to a certain amount of resentment as the rich could supplement their food allowance by eating out frequently and extravagantly. In order to restrict this certain rules were put into force. No meal could cost more than five shillings; no meal could consist of more than three courses; meat and fish could not be served at the same sitting. Establishments known as "British Restaurants" supplied another almost universal experience of eating away from home. British Restaurants were run by local authorities, who set them up in a variety of different premises such as schools and church halls. They evolved from the LCC’s Londoners’ Meals Service which originated in September 1940 as a temporary, emergency system for feeding those who had been bombed out. By mid-1941 the LCC was operating two hundred of these restaurants. Here a three course meal cost only 9d. Standards varied, but the best were greatly appreciated and had a large regular clientele. Similar schemes were run in other towns and cities.

Standard rationing

The average standard rations during the Second World War are as follows. Quantities are per week unless otherwise stated.

Food rations

* 1 shilling 2 penny (approximately 1 lb 3 oz or 540 g) of meat (offal or sausages were only rationed later on from 1942-1944. [Although sausages were not rationed, it should be noted that the meat needed to make them was so scarce that they were very rarely seen. Meat needed to be saved to send to soldiers in the war.] )
* 4 oz (113 g) bacon or ham
* 3 pints (1.7 l) of milk per week or 1 packet of milk powder per month
* 2 oz (57 g) butter
* 2 oz (57 g) margarine
* 2 oz (57 g) fat or lard
* 2 oz (57 g) loose tea (teabags were not used widely in the UK)
* 1 egg per week or 1 packet (makes 12 “eggs”) of egg powder per month ("vegetarians were allowed two eggs" [http://www.vegsoc.org/members/history/vegwar.html Vegetarian history - World War Two ] ] )
* 2 oz (57 g) jam
* 3 oz (85 g) sugar
* 1 oz (28 g) cheese ("vegetarians were allowed 3 oz (85g) of extra cheese ration, as they gave up their meat ration")
* 3 oz (85 g) sweets
* 2 lb (907g) onions (onions were only rationed between 1942-1944)
* plus, 16 “points” per month for tinned and dried food.

There is a well-known story of Winston Churchill asking to see an example of typical British rations, and being presented with a life-size wooden mock-up model of the rations. He beamed and said, “All in all, a fine meal. A fine meal.” When he was then told that they were not a single meal, but a whole week’s rations, he thundered, “Then the British people are starving. Something must be done!”

Non-food rations

* 66 “points” for clothing per year, in 1942 it was cut to 48 and then to 36 in 1943.(e.g. 2 points for a pair of knickers, 5 points for a man's shirt, 5 points for a pair of shoes, 7 points for a dress and 26 points for a man's suit). Clothing rationing points could be used for wool, cotton and household textiles. People had extra points for work clothes, such as overalls for factory work. No points were required for second-hand clothing and fur coats, but their prices were fixed. Before rationing lace and frills were popular on knickers but these were soon banned so material could be saved.
*1 lb (454 g) of soap per month (household soap, beauty soap, and soap flakes, but not shaving soap)

References

See also

* British cuisine
* Rationing
* Utility furniture
* Woolton pie

External links

* [http://www.history.ac.uk/ihr/Focus/War/londonRation.html History in Focus: War - Rationing in London WWII]
* [http://www.channel4.com/history/microsites/0-9/1940house/ref/food/rat.htm Food Rationing]