WW2 Homemade Soup Recipe

3 carrots, 3 turnips, 3 onions, 3 leeks, 5 potatoes, 2 oz Stork margarine, 2 quarts water salt and pepper ...

Scrub the vegetables; peel the turnips, potatoes and onions; scrape the carrots; wash the leeks. Cut the leeks and onions into fine rings and the turnips, carrots and potatoes into dice. Melt the Stork margarine in a large saucepan, add the vegetables, put on the lid and leave them to sweat in the hot Stork for 15 minutes, shaking the pan from time to time. Then add 2 quarts of boiling water and a little salt and leave the soup to simmer gently until the carrots are tender. If the vegetables are old, or dry, the cooking may take 1-1½ hours. Season with salt and pepper and serve hot. Other vegetables from the allotment may be added to this soup, such as cabbage, green beans, celery, etc., but they should all be cut in small pieces or shreds before cooking.

From Cooking in War-time (1940) by Elizabeth Craig.

 

Leek Pudding

Potato suet crust pastry 8 oz self-raising flour 2 oz finely chopped suet 2 oz raw potato, grated.

Filing

2-3 large leeks, or 6 small ones, Pepper and salt.

Trim the leeks, cut in four lengthwise, wash thoroughly and chop into one-inch lengths. Make up the pastry and line a pudding basin with two-thirds of it, leaving the remaining piece to form a lid. Fill up the basin with the cut leeks, seasoning at each layer. Roll out the pastry lid, place in position, then damp the edges and seal together. Caover with greased paper, place in the steamer and cok for about 2 hours. Serve with a good brown gravy.

 

Pea Soup

Pods from 2 lb peas, 1½ pints water, 2-3 tablespoons peas, 1 spring onion, lettuce leaves, salt and pepper, 1 tablespoon cornflower, 10 fl oz milk, ½ teaspoon chopped mint.

Wash the pea pods thoroughly and discard any withered ones. Bring the water to the boil. Add the peas, pods, the spring onion and the lettuce leaves and seasoning. Boil for 30 minutes. Rub through a sieve. Mix the cornflower with the milk until smooth and add to the soup. Bring to the boil again and boil for 2-3 minutes. Add the chopped mint and serve.

From Cookery Under Rations (1941).