Recipes that British Tommies lived on in WWI (1 Viewer)

[BLReed]

A cookbook for WWI soldiers has been published for the first time in 100 years revealing the surprising recipes that British Tommies lived on in the trenches.

Hundreds of thousands of troops were armed with The British Army Cook Book as they headed to off war in 1914.

The book contained detailed instructions on how to rustle up mouth-watering menus to feed entire platoons using meagre war-time rations.

Each soldier was allowed 10 ounces of meat and eight ounces of vegetables a day, with which frontline 'chefs' were expected to provide tasty and nutritious meals.

Recipe suggestions in the book include beef curry, roast meat and Yorkshire puddings, Irish stew, Turkish pilau, toad-in-the-hole and various soups.


http://www.telegraph.co.uk/history/world-war-one/11260112/Surprising-recipes-that-British-Tommies-lived-on-in-WWI.html

Available from Amazon
http://www.amazon.co.uk/British-Army-Cook-Book-1914/dp/1445643421/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1417282602&sr=8-1&keywords=The+1914+British+Army+Cook+Book

 

[Martin Tabony]

It goes against the idea that squadies just ate "Bully Beef" and "Hard Tack". A good cook is worth looking after!!^&grin

Martin

 

[johnnybach]

It goes against the idea that squadies just ate "Bully Beef" and "Hard Tack". A good cook is worth looking after!!^&grin

Martin

True enough Martin - but I can remember eating little else than "Irish Stew" from my mess-tin, when on exercise in Germany - sometimes for weeks at a time. Now, I happen to like stew - but it DID get a bit tiresome after a while - eating the same darned thing. Yes - a good cook IS worth looking after - but I don't think that every unit was blessed with one!

Our gang usually preferred to eat "Compo" (tinned rations), which provided a much more varied diet - and just required re-heating, either on a "hexi" cooker - or on the completely unauthorised camping stove, that most of us clubbed together to buy - and bung in the trailer - along with a large bottle of camping gas. Okay, it cost us a tenner each to buy the kit - but we were then virtually independant of our "Chefs" ( irony intended), and could eat a more varied diet than the same old stew, knocked up each day. We would also supplement the compo rations with freshly purchased produce ( eggs, bread, milk - sometimes meat etc,) that we bought from "village shops" - somewhere along our routes. I can also remember that we usually had a largish tin of Curry Powder - somewhere in the trailer - which was liberally used as an ingredient - along with a tin or two of Compo!!

In fact - that was where most of us learned to "cook" - (really re-heating a mixture of tinned and fresh ingredients), in order to survive!jb

 

[Martin Tabony]

True enough Martin - but I can remember eating little else than "Irish Stew" from my mess-tin, when on exercise in Germany - sometimes for weeks at a time. Now, I happen to like stew - but it DID get a bit tiresome after a while - eating the same darned thing. Yes - a good cook IS worth looking after - but I don't think that every unit was blessed with one!

Our gang usually preferred to eat "Compo" (tinned rations), which provided a much more varied diet - and just required re-heating, either on a "hexi" cooker - or on the completely unauthorised camping stove, that most of us clubbed together to buy - and bung in the trailer - along with a large bottle of camping gas. Okay, it cost us a tenner each to buy the kit - but we were then virtually independant of our "Chefs" ( irony intended), and could eat a more varied diet than the same old stew, knocked up each day. We would also supplement the compo rations with freshly purchased produce ( eggs, bread, milk - sometimes meat etc,) that we bought from "village shops" - somewhere along our routes. I can also remember that we usually had a largish tin of Curry Powder - somewhere in the trailer - which was liberally used as an ingredient - along with a tin or two of Compo!!

In fact - that was where most of us learned to "cook" - (really re-heating a mixture of tinned and fresh ingredients), in order to survive!jb

Chieftain driver mate, we had a B.V. (Boiling Vesal) in the turret, so compo was just cooked on the move. As well as a padded steal box for carrying hand grenades that was ideal for storing eggs. It was the "poor bloody infantry" that had to live on "all in stew" with their "racing spoon".
Driving past a foot patrol with a nice hot mug of tea and an "egg banjo". I've been called most things!!^&grin:salute::

 

[johnnybach]

Chieftain driver mate, we had a B.V. (Boiling Vesal) in the turret, so compo was just cooked on the move. As well as a padded steal box for carrying hand grenades that was ideal for storing eggs. It was the "poor bloody infantry" that had to live on "all in stew" with their "racing spoon".
Driving past a foot patrol with a nice hot mug of tea and an "egg banjo". I've been called most things!!^&grin:salute::

It was probably me! Thank goodness too - for the "Bratty Caravan" - that usually graced most of the Northern German villages and towns. We used to use the radio to tell others when they were open - or about to shut. Without them - I'd have probably not survived!!!

Took me ages to STOP carrying a spoon in my pocket - still got a KFS set in the glove-compartment of the car. Old habits die hard - and................you never know..................... jb

 

[Martin Tabony]

It was probably me! Thank goodness too - for the "Bratty Caravan" - that usually graced most of the Northern German villages and towns. We used to use the radio to tell others when they were open - or about to shut. Without them - I'd have probably not survived!!!

Took me ages to STOP carrying a spoon in my pocket - still got a KFS set in the glove-compartment of the car. Old habits die hard - and................you never know..................... jb

Wolfgang with his big blue van , he could find you anywhere, no matter how cammed up you were. I wonder if the Russians realised that all they had to do was follow the Bratty van to find all the "secret" locations!^&grin

 

[DMNamiot]

There are always great places to store food on the tank! Since we rarely ammo in the racks behind the TC we used that space to keep food.

Ah the good old days

Dave

 

[johnnybach]

Used to love the Long Wheelbase Landrover with a quarter ton trailers attached - because of the room you had to spread out in the back of the vehicle and store stuff like cookers and food, bivvies'n'bags, cam-nets etc., in the trailer. Broke our hearts when they decided to make us "Air Portable" - as we then had to use the stripped down FFR (short-wheelbase) vehicle. Same trailer - but no room any more for guys in two or three sleeping bags in the back (warm and dry).

A typical remote detachment - would mean 4 guys (for 24 hour radio coverage on up to three radio-nets) - all trying to stay alive in a tiny cramped space. Frequently on the move - so often no time to make up a Com-Centre with tented accomodation. Okay, I appreciate tanks are not exactly "roomy" - but gotta be better than a teensy Land Rover with three radios/ batteries, personal weapons etc!

Egg Banjo's eh? Sheer luxury!{sm3} jb

 

[Martin Tabony]

The main problem with a tank is that it gets cold in the winter, then stays cold through till next winter! If you were lucky you could "find" a German magot bag because it had zips for putting your feet through. Then you just wore it while driving!

Martin

 

[DMNamiot]

I totally understand that one Martin, I was an expert at getting the heaters running on three different types of vehicles, M1, M2 and the M113 Carried spare parts for all of them on my tank and they were always in high demand.

 

[johnnybach]

I totally understand that one Martin, I was an expert at getting the heaters running on three different types of vehicles, M1, M2 and the M113 Carried spare parts for all of them on my tank and they were always in high demand.

Strangely enough - staying warm wasn't so much of a problem in an FFR (means Fitted For Radio). With four guys crammed in the tiny vehicle - in sleeping bags whenever possible - two biggest and one small up front - and one in the back to keep an eye on the radio sets/tuning etc., - we needed to frequently run the engine (to keep the radio batteries charged up) - we could have the heater going and (mostly) keep warm. Headphones on reduced radio traffic noise to a minimum - and kept ears warm. Snag was - when there was a flap on (usually in the early hours) - we were frequently told to "switch that ruddy noise off" (or words to that effect):wink2:

Then, of course, when the power went down - and we eventually lost comms - it was our fault! (and then we got cold!) - No Win. ^&confuse jb

Back to the thread - however - this bring back any memories/favourites???

 

[Martin Tabony]

I totally understand that one Martin, I was an expert at getting the heaters running on three different types of vehicles, M1, M2 and the M113 Carried spare parts for all of them on my tank and they were always in high demand.

HEATERS!! you had it easy ^&grin:salute:: Seriously though I could never understand why all that heat was thrown out the back but no one thought to divert it our way!
By way did you tell the infantry that the turret was on a "13 turn thread." We told them we had to count how many times we turned the turret so that we could turn it back. If you didn't the turret unscrewed and fell off!^&grin

Martin

 

[Martin Tabony]

Strangely enough - staying warm wasn't so much of a problem in an FFR (means Fitted For Radio). With four guys crammed in the tiny vehicle - in sleeping bags whenever possible - two biggest and one small up front - and one in the back to keep an eye on the radio sets/tuning etc., - we needed to frequently run the engine (to keep the radio batteries charged up) - we could have the heater going and (mostly) keep warm. Headphones on reduced radio traffic noise to a minimum - and kept ears warm. Snag was - when there was a flap on (usually in the early hours) - we were frequently told to "switch that ruddy noise off" (or words to that effect):wink2:

Then, of course, when the power went down - and we eventually lost comms - it was our fault! (and then we got cold!) - No Win. ^&confuse jb

Back to the thread - however - this bring back any memories/favourites???

"Menu may vary" Ha, all you ever got was ten year old chicken curry!.

We used to stay warm when parked up by raising the engine air filters and sitting with our feet on the engine.(while passing around a bottle of something medicinal) Our tent was supposed to be a lean to agains the side of the vehicle butit was warmer to sleep on the back deck.

 

[DMNamiot]

Hi Martin that is totally hysterical!

We used similar ones on the especially dopey guys like go to the commo shack and get a can of squelch for the radio or the ever funny take this hammer and tap on the armour looking for soft spots... Of course my mechanics got mad at me one day when they sent a really new PVT over to see if I had any reticles for the main gun so I sent him back with a Bradley exterior reticle for their main gun. Of course I was laughing but they were upset that I ruined the joke...

Best Job I ever had

Dave

 

[johnnybach]

"Menu may vary" Ha, all you ever got was ten year old chicken curry!.

We used to stay warm when parked up by raising the engine air filters and sitting with our feet on the engine.(while passing around a bottle of something medicinal) Our tent was supposed to be a lean to agains the side of the vehicle butit was warmer to sleep on the back deck.

There you are - there's always a way! Hope you kept in DOGS formation.:wink2:

Whilst the engine was running ( to charge batteries) we also had various tin cups/cans etcetera placed on any hot-spots on the engine/exhaust - to heat water up. The resulting warm water was good for washing/shaving etc., - but could always be pressed into service as a starter for a brew - with a faintly petrolly/oily tatse. This was further enhanced by the Hexy (to bring the warm to the boil), to give a rather unique taste!{eek3}

One of my favourites from the breakfast range - was an oatmeal block (which nobody else liked very much) liberally squeezed with condensed milk from the tube - and a dollop of jam on top - washed down with a sugary brew!(to disguise the aformentioned taste). When I think of the sugar content I consumed - I sometimes think I ought to have sued the British Army - for eventually becoming diabetic, later on in life!!!

I once read somewhere, that the favourite main meal from this selection - was the Chicken Curry - so trust you lot to corner the lot! We could hardly ever get away from the All-In-Stew, heavily sprinkled with Curry Powder - as no-one could agree on what else to do with it! And if we got the order to "Crash-Out", whilst it was heating up - you just scoffed it at whatever temperature it had got to - along the way. This is where the spoon in the side pocket came into play - as we passed around the mess-tin!{sm3}

It's no wonder that when I offer to do the cooking, my wife usually reminds me ......."And no squaddie grub!"{sm4} jb

 

[Martin Tabony]

Hi Martin that is totally hysterical!

We used similar ones on the especially dopey guys like go to the commo shack and get a can of squelch for the radio or the ever funny take this hammer and tap on the armour looking for soft spots... Of course my mechanics got mad at me one day when they sent a really new PVT over to see if I had any reticles for the main gun so I sent him back with a Bradley exterior reticle for their main gun. Of course I was laughing but they were upset that I ruined the joke...

Best Job I ever had

Dave

Send a new bloke to pump up the air in the rubber track pads! Or stick two cans of Coke into the exterior telephone, then pull up beside some infantry. The driver then jumps out and shouts up to the commander, asking if he wants anything. The commander obviously asks for a "Can of coke,please, drive". You then go to the back of the tank and put 50pf into the telephone, lift the cover and remove a can. You then drive off with them thinking you have a vending machine on the back of your vehicle!^&grin

Martin

 

[Al Fisher]

One of the goodies of being in the Navy is that you get pretty good food. We always had two choices: eat what they served or go without! In heavy weather we'd sit on the deck eating sandwiches. But one of the real joys was getting a slug of salt water or diesel oil in the drinking water! For those of you who never had a saltwater and diesel Coke, you just can't imagine the sheer joy of your first sip! And then during winter it seems as if we'd always have to come about during chow . . . nothing like p-----g off the cooks! I still remember the joy of it all after more than 50 years . . .

Bosun Al

 

[DMNamiot]

Hi Al,

Diesel Coke or water sounds totally nasty! I have only had to contend with overly chlorinated or whatever it was they put in the water to make it drinkable so I cant even begin to imagine how crapy that would taste!

Dave