Rover Showroom / Food Office / Intershop / Litten Tree

I can't remember where we got the ration books or food office foodstuffs from but Ministries seemed to take whatever building they required. But the Ministry of Food was the butt of many crude and rude jokes. Go to work on an egg, feel foul all day, one of the cleanest. But I do remember the dried milk and concentrated orange juice. My sister wrote she was coming home on 'leave' for a few days and would be bringing a mate with her. They duly arrived, but she had also written to my brother, he turned up next day with two of his shipmates. Now there were three extra grown ups calling mother 'mum' and she ran about like a broody hen.The house rang with laughter. Mum got the best large tea-pot from the dresser and made tea, but no one noticed she also used dried milk and soon everyone was spitting and gagging at the taste, so dad told me to put on my coat, take the milk can to the farm and get a quart of milk. This I did and mum made fresh tea. But sometime in the afternoon she gave my baby brother a spoonful of orange juice, his tiny body shuddered and his face screwed up. That had us all in stitches. In the evening dad and the five uniforms went to the 'Castle' pub. Me and my younger brother took blankets down to the Anderson shelter for the night, leaving our room for the sailors, the girls slept in my sister's room. Yes, I well remember the dried milk and orange juice.

Hi Kaga. Did you enjoy the powdered egg, used to be sold in a tin, and what about the rosehip syrup?

Was it 'Delrosa' Rosehip Syrup? I liked the orange juice, it was thick and sweet and came in quite small glass bottles with green metal screw tops if I recall correctly. I was born in 1949 but had a ration book, as rationing went on until about 1953.

Right you are Coventry49, I liked the orange juice too, still did in 1962 from the Whoberley Welfare Clinic (for my daughter). As for the ration books, the best page was the confectionery page. Those were supposed to be the good old days, we didn't have a care in the world then.

The farce was that if you could afford it you could eat almost as much as you wanted in any restaurant. Fish & chips was also exempt from rationing, again if you could afford it.

Dutchman, of course you're right, I think sugar was our only problem, but being a family of many kids that was bound to happen. Probably did our teeth good, the orange juice I have never liked even now, but near a farm, meat and eggs were no problem, powdered eggs we did not need, and the post I wrote about was about the only time we ran short of milk, as mother had made a beasting pudding that none of our visitors had ever heard of, but enjoyed.

I have to ask Kaga, in case no one else does, what is a 'beasting pudding' ? If you meant 'beesting' made with honey then I would understand but 'beasting' I do not !!

Dreamtime, you can ask any question you want, I am only glad to try and answer. A beasting pudding was like a rice pudding but the milk was the first from a cow that had just calved so was extra rich in vitamins, and more like an egg custard. The word beasting was spelt many ways. Regards, Kaga.

Beasting pudding

Gotcher, thanks lads, hence the suffix 'beast'. I will have to chat up a local farmer for that then, if I am so lucky. I enjoy milk puddings. The good ol' rice pud always goes down well in our house more so with the nutmeg sprinkled on top. (Now back to the Food Office)

I was born in January 1954 and I was issued a ration book, I think it stopped in March that year. I remember rosehip syrup, also a little red gel capsule you took each day - began with B - it's on the tip of my tongue - Betamin?

We used to get the baby milk and orange juice for my younger brother from the Coop hall in Poole Road. I loved the orange juice although I was not allowed very much.

I remember 'Haliborange' capsules - presumably Halibut Liver Oil flavoured with orange. Also 'Virol' and 'Radio Malt'(Cod Liver Oil & Malt).

My mother told me rationing was still in when I was born. I remember Haliborange - it sounded horrible, and if I remember correctly, tasted horrible.

My wife is the only person I've ever met who likes the taste of cod liver oil and used to ask for an extra spoonful when she was a kid