Preface

At the beginning of World War II the United Kingdom imported 55 million tons of foodstuffs per year, including more than 50% of its meat, 70% of its cheese and sugar, nearly 80% of fruits and about 90% of cereals and fats. One of the principal strategies of the Axis was to attack shipping bound for Britain, restricting British industry and potentially starving Britain into submission. Mushroom cloud from the nuclear explosion over Nagasaki rising 18 km (over 11 miles) into the air. ... The word ton or tonne is derived from the Old English tunne, and ultimately from the Old French tonne, and referred originally to a large cask with a capacity of 252 wine gallons, which holds approximately 2100 pounds of water. ... Food from plant sources Food is any substance consumed by living organisms, including liquid drinks1. ... Meat is animal tissue (mainly muscle) used as food. ... Cheese - Wikipedia /**/ @import /w/skins-1. ... A sugar is a form of carbohydrate used in the food and drinks industries, and important in biochemistry. ... In botany, a fruit is the ripened ovary, together with its seeds, of a flowering plant. ... Cereal crops are mostly grasses cultivated for their edible seeds (actually a fruit called a grain, technically a caryopsis). ... This article is about lipid molecules, for FAT see File Allocation Table. ... The Axis Powers is a term for those participants in World War II opposed to the Allies. ...

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 hand over the coupon as well as the money for the purchase. On 8 January 1940, bacon, butter and sugar were rationed. This was followed by meat, fish, 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 this left many people often buying dodgy goods such as horsemeat instead of beef. Rationing is the controlled distribution of resources and scarce goods or services: it restricts how much people are allowed to buy or consume. ... January 8 is the 8th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 1940 was a leap year starting on Monday (link will take you to calendar). ... Bacon is any of certain cuts of meat taken from the sides or back or belly of a pig, cured and possibly smoked. ... Balls of butter on a plate Butter is a dairy product made by churning fresh cream. ... Atlantic herring, Clupea harengus, the most abundant fish species in the world. ... A cup of tea A tea bush. ... For other meanings of the word jam, see Jam (disambiguation) Jam from berries Jam is a type of fruit preserve. ... A biscuit is a type of food. ... Breakfast cereal Breakfast cereal is a food product designed especially to be marketed to consumers as a breakfast food. ... Bird eggs are a common food source. ... A glass of milk Milk most often means the nutrient fluid produced by the mammary glands of female mammals. ... Fish and chips in wrapping paper Fish and chips is deep-fried fish in batter with deep-fried potatoes, and a popular take-away food. ... The black market is the sector of economic activity involving illegal economic dealings, typically the buying and selling of merchandise illegally. ... Beef is meat obtained from a bovine. ...

As the war progressed, most kinds of food came to be rationed, as were clothing and petrol. 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. (See also List of types of clothing and Clothing terminology) Humans often wear articles of clothing (also known as dress, garments or attire) on the body (for the alternative, see nudity). ... Petrol pumps in Germany Petrol (commonly known as gasoline in North America, and sometimes also called motor spirit) is a petroleum-derived liquid mixture consisting primarily of hydrocarbons, used as fuel in internal combustion engines. ... A typical restaurant in uptown Manhattan A restaurant is an establishment that serves prepared food and beverages to be consumed on the premises. ... The shilling was a British coin first issued in 1548 for Henry VIII, although arguably the testoon issued about 1487 for Henry VII was the first shilling. ...

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 entire year's clothing allowance.

The average standard rations during WW2 per week (unless otherwise)

 Please note: Many people got less then this, because of the difficulty in getting this items from the shop. 

Food rations

• 1s 2d (approximately 1lb 3oz or 540 g) of meat (offal or sausages weren't rationed)
• 4oz (113 g) bacon or ham
• 3 pints (1.7 l) of milk or 1 packet of milk powder per month
• 2oz (57 g) butter
• 2oz (57 g) margarine
• 2oz (57 g) fat or lard
• 2oz (57 g) loose tea (teabags were not used widely in the UK)
• 1 egg or 1 packet (makes 12 “eggs”) of egg powder per month
• 2oz (57 g) jam
• 3oz (85 g) sugar
• 1oz (28 g) cheese
• 3oz (85 g) sweets
• plus, 16 "points" per month for tinned and dried food.

The shilling (or informally: bob) was a British coin first issued in 1548 for Henry VIII, although arguably the testoon issued about 1487 for Henry VII was the first shilling. ... Above: A variety of coins considered to be lower-value, including an Irish 2p piece and many US pennies. ... Officially the pound is the name for at least three different units of mass: The pound (avoirdupois). ... The ounce is the name for a number of different units of mass (oz), and also of two units of fluid volume (fl oz) and of one unit of force, the ounce-force (ozf). ... Meat is animal tissue (mainly muscle) used as food. ... Offal is the entrails and internal organs of a butchered animal. ... Some of the many varieties of Sausages A sausage consists of ground meat and other animal parts, herbs and spices, and possibly other ingredients, generally packed in a casing (traditionally the intestines of the animal), and preserved in some way. ... Bacon is any of certain cuts of meat taken from the sides or back or belly of a pig, cured and possibly smoked. ... Technically, ham is the thigh and buttock of any animal that is slaughtered for meat, but the term is usually restricted to a cut of pork, the haunch of a pig or boar. ... The pint is a unit of volume. ... A glass of milk Milk most often means the nutrient fluid produced by the mammary glands of female mammals. ... Powdered milk is a powder of a substance that when mixed with water creates a milk drink. ... Balls of butter on a plate Butter is a dairy product made by churning fresh cream. ... Margarine is a generic term used to indicate any of a wide range of butter substitutes. ... Cooking oil is purified fat of plant or animal origin, which is liquid at room temperature. ... Lard is an animal fat produced from the fatty or otherwise unusable parts of pig carcasses. ... A cup of tea A tea bush. ... Bird eggs are a common food source. ... For other meanings of the word jam, see Jam (disambiguation) Jam from berries Jam is a type of fruit preserve. ... A sugar is a form of carbohydrate used in the food and drinks industries, and important in biochemistry. ... Cheese - Wikipedia /**/ @import /w/skins-1. ... The term confectionery refers to food items rich in sugar. ...

Non-food rations

• 66 (later 48) “points” for clothing per year (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 & 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 & fur coats, but their prices were fixed.
• 16oz (454g) of soap per month

Rationing of some items continued after the end of the war, even bread which was not during the war were rationed in 1946, the final end of all rationing not coming until 1954. Some of the ersatz foods like apple crumble and carrot cake continue to be popular today. 1954 was a common year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Ersatz is a German name (literal meaning: substitute) for products, especially chemical compounds and provisions developed in wartimes when shortage of certain goods was imminent. ... Carrot Cake The Cake Carrot cake is a sweet spice cake with grated carrot mixed into the batter. ...

External links

• http://www.history.ac.uk/ihr/Focus/War/londonRation.html
• http://www.channel4.com/history/microsites/0-9/1940house/ref/food/rat.htm