I’m trying to do more daily updates either on the blog here or on my YouTube channel at http://www.RationBookRecipes.tv – it’s honestly difficult though but I have got to get used to it!
I also wanted to let you know about a few clips I quickly put together from the “Highworth VE Day 2025”. My eldest daughter and I loved visiting this little event as we love Highworth and want to live there one day! It’s very close to Swindon where I currently live and we need to be close by as I want to be close to my parents. There is a lovely sense of community in this small little market town.
I’m now beginning to cook more proper meals again from my rations rather than nibbling through small, light snacks. I’m still going to be mindful not to fill my tummy too much just in case the abdo pain was anything to do with large meals or high-fat meals. I’m trying hard to generally have a high-fibre, low-fat diet right now and keep the meals on the smaller side. As my fear of the pain coming back subsides, my appetite is increasing though so it will be hard work to keep that under control this week but so far, so good and I am honestly loving being back on rations! I’m using the hashtag #rationcore now on my posts as I truly believe all us “rationers” need our own hashtag and recognition for our obsession!
Finally, here is a little video I posted on YouTube this morning with some snippets of some of the food I ate last week. I just LOVE rationing!!!
I survived to end of week 3 on wartime rations! AND had a really frugal week too in regards to what I spent on my rationed food as I STILL haven’t used up any points. However, this coming week will be completely different as my supplies are running low!
Starting weight: 287 lbs
Week 1 weight: 276.4 lbs
Week 3 weight: 271.2 lbs
Weight-loss week 1: 10.6 lbs
Weight-loss week 2: 4.4 lbs
Weight-loss week 3: 0.8 lbs
Weight-loss total : 15.8 lbs (1stone 1.8 lbs) in 3 weeks of wartime rations
What I’ve eaten and what I’ve spent
Another simple eating week with smaller portions. Here are some of the things I’ve eaten!
Faux fish with steamed potatoes and kale
Salads
Mashed potatoes
Sausage sandwich
Stews
Porridge
Toast & Jam
Weetabix
Apples
Baked potatoes
Bread and butter
Slice of birthday cake (victoria sponge my daughter made for her birthday)
Again, a week where I haven’t spent much but mostly because I haven’t yet to buy any sugar from my main rations and no points needed for the first three weeks either but this week I will need to stock up so it will be more expensive.
My total expenditure on food in week 3 including main rations and extras (which includes buying the faux fish) was £17.70p.
I’ve also been trying to find old photos of families during the war, sitting down to eat as I really want to see what they have on their plates, what size are their plates, what portion sizes, what type of plates they are using? These things fascinate me!
The main photo to the left was the recommended food store to keep in the pantry for one person in 1942. I’m loving that we see coffee there! I am having one cup a day in the morning which makes my day quite frankly!
My ultrasound went well….
I had my ultrasound on Friday (I’ve been having upper right abdo pain) and nothing sinister was found (phew!) so now I’ll be back to the doctor at some stage but it is looking like what they expected which is maybe “post gallbladder removal syndrome”. The main treatment for this is a high fibre, low fat diet with smaller, more frequent meals so trying to achieve this via the rationing!
Another significant weight-loss this week. I’m back to eating a more varied diet but still eating small portions more frequently, scared that my abdo pain will come back. I still feel a tension and dull uncomfortableness upper right, under my rib. I’ve had this pain for several years mildly on and off, then I got severe pain in that area and my chest which was gall stones and had my gallbladder removed in 2019. The severe pain never came back again but I’ve continued to get dull pain and tension in that area on and off for many years still. I even had an ultrasound in 2020 because of it but all looked OK so I have no idea. Having an ultrasound on January the 30th. The doctors seem to think it could be something like “Post cholecystectomy syndrome” which makes sense. All I know is I am fed up with it now…it can be pretty uncomfortable! They have given me some nice strong drugs but I haven’t taken any and saving them for a special occasion!
So lets get on to a more interesting topic, what have I eaten and how much have I spent?
With my eating very healthily and in smaller, lighter portions, I honestly haven’t baked anything wonderfully interesting so this week I’ve had the following meals…
Bangers and Mash
Salads
Creamed Leeks and Potatoes
Bubble & Squeak
Stews
Porridge
Toast & Jam
Weetabix
Apples
Canned peaches
Baked potatoes
My average calories per day have been between 1200 and 1400 calories which isn’t much for me. I’ll be looking to raise that a little but I have plenty of padding and a lighter diet has to take precedence at the moment.
As I’m keeping to a low fat diet, I have only used half my fat ration, I’ve also used less that half of my sugar ration (in week 2 I am still using week 1’s allowance).
How much did I spend in week 2?
Making a slight adjustment to the £9 it costs per week for basic rations (as I didn’t take my fat allowance or sugar allowance), I have spent a total of £14.95 on food in week 2.
Here are the groceries I have bought for next week in addition to my rations. I still haven’t had to buy anything with my points but I do have a few things that will need replacing soon!
Thank you so much for all your support this week. The last couple of weeks have been a little difficult but also so exciting as I am working towards my dream of being able to support myself rather than returning to corporate life.
Dear all, as I navigate a life without an income and work on my 1st recipe book, I have to think of other streams of income that can help support my channels and I. We’ve all heard of “don’t put all your eggs in one basket” and I have learned this is very true!
Over the coming months I will alongside, the recipe book (and video creation and blogging) be creating the “Ration Book Emporium” on Etsy (launches late February here https://www.etsy.com/shop/RationBookEmporium ) where I will be selling downloadable and physical products such as rationing themed books, ebooks, recipe cards, posters, tea towels, aprons and much more, for all rationing fans PLUS I will also be introducing a membership level in February to my YouTube channel (called the “Ration Book Club”).
Nothing currently will change on the channel at all, and I will continue to create free content for everyone as I currently do, but going forward, I will be creating some EXTRA content such as LIVE streams for the “Ration Book Club” where we can meet once a month for a natter as well as extra useful and helpful content for members. This membership will be the minimum amount I can set it at which will be 0.99p per month in the hope that this will be affordable to more people. I will announce this when the “Ration Book Club” is ready to launch.
Thanks again for all your support…. I am working sooooo hard to make this dream come true and not have to return to a day job!
There are occasional moments in my day where I feel time unexpectedly slip, and today was one of them. Standing in Tesco, I spotted a familiar little tin on the baking supplies shelf: Borwick’s Baking Powder, priced at just 95p, quietly unchanged while the world around it has rushed on.
Borwick’s Baking Powder has been a staple of British kitchens since the mid-19th century. First produced in the 1840s, long before electric mixers and glossy cookbooks, it helped generations of home bakers coax lightness into cakes and scones cooked in wood and coal-fired ovens. By the time the 1940s arrived, Borwick’s was already old-fashioned, in the best possible sense, as a trusted cupboard essential.
What struck me most was the tin itself. The design you can buy today looks remarkably similar to those from over a century ago. Original Borwick’s tins regularly appear on eBay for £15 or more, but if you are watching the pennies, this modern version does the job beautifully. Tucked into your kitchen cupboard, it would pass perfectly for something lifted straight from a 1940s wartime home.
Here are some advertising images below for “Borwick’s Baking Powder” from 1892 through to 1947 I found that you might like to see! I LOVE old advertising ads and signs!
A Brief History Timeline of Borwick’s Baking Powder
1840s Borwick’s Baking Powder is first produced in Britain, at a time when home baking relied on skill, experience and often unreliable raising methods. Baking powder quickly proves revolutionary for everyday cooks.
Mid–Late 1800s Borwick’s becomes a trusted household name. Its distinctive tin design begins to take shape, practical, recognisable, and reassuringly plain.
Early 1900s The brand is firmly established in British kitchens. Borwick’s tins are commonly found in pantries and baking cupboards across the country, used for cakes, breads, and puddings.
1939–1945 (Second World War) During rationing, Borwick’s remains an important baking staple. Reliable raising agents help home cooks make the most of limited ingredients, and the tin would have been a familiar sight in 1940s kitchens.
Late 20th Century While many brands modernise or disappear, Borwick’s retains its traditional look, becoming quietly nostalgic even while still in everyday use.
Today Still available in UK supermarkets for under £1, Borwick’s Baking Powder continues to use packaging that closely echoes its Victorian and early 20th-century designs. Original tins are now sought-after collectibles, while the modern version remains a practical and affordable link to the past.
Question:“Do you remember this tin from your childhood kitchen? Or did your mum bake with Borwick’s during the war years? I’d love to hear your stories in the comments!”
A quick touch in today! I’ve had a very busy day with lots of typing involved and trying not to get too distracted! I’m having such a great time discovering old WW2 recipes and am trying to decide what recipes to re-create for the cookbook!
I came across this so thought I would share it. This cookery booklet was published by the Self Help Co-Op grocery group to assist people to produce good food during wartime rationing. (New Zealand, 1942).
A BIG weight loss this first week, a lot will be water weight but also I have been eating a lot less than I normally would! Honestly, I’m glad a lot has dropped off even though some of it is because of my abdo pain episode. It has given me a shock, especially my high blood pressure reading and oxygen sats level.
I’ll be updating you on all things rationing throughout the week and this weekend as I have a lot to say!
I’m not getting out and about too much right now (I’m typing this from my bed as my abdomen feels most comfortable here) as honestly, every mild twinge I am worrying the big pain will come back again! Ultrasound on January the 30th.
In the interim, I’m sticking to rationing but eating small portions of food every 2-3 hours. I do seem to feel twinges about 15 minutes after eating but honestly, I don’t know if that is just me taking notice more around meal times! I’m keeping a food diary however!
I have also been out a couple of times for some gentle, short walks. This all adds to feeling happier and good health so I will continue this when I can!
What have I been eating this week?
Well, I started the week off with a couple of really large stews such as the kale and bean stew above. However, since Wednesday’s abdo pain episode and visit to urgent care, I’ve been careful to eat small portions and have foods that give me less wind. I’ve only used half my fat ration, a smidgen of my sugar ration, I ate my cheese, half my milk, most of my tea ration, and I used up all my meat ration (pea protein alternative). I didn’t bake or eat any puddings.
I’m hoping to bake a few things this week and eat small portions of them. I do feel hungry as I am not eating enough but I am building this up this week and will aim for 1500 cals daily this week on small portions. At the moment I am averaging 1200 (not from choice!).
I recorded a chatty catch-up video for YouTube which premiere’s tonight at 7pm. Hope you’ll join me there for a chit-chat.
You may know already that I had an abdominal pain issue that had me in urgent care this past week so I’ve been taking things easy and strictly watching my diet (yes, even on rations!) so I am currently eating very small meals every 2-3 hrs and am keeping a food diary over the next couple of weeks to keep an eye on things.
I hope to be back to baking and cooking next week though, while this week I am muddling through eating bits of potato, porridge, toast/jam and apples! I’m slowly starting to add other bits of food in..
Dear all, I need your feedback, and I’ll likely ask you another 10 times too until I get this right! How do you feel about this book cover design? Is it boring, sterile, not nostalgic enough, is it modern with a little hint of vintage thrown in? (I’ve used Gill Sans font used in the 1940s and a modern, fun retro font too) Would it stand out on a bookshelf among other recipe books? (I don’t want it to look like many of the others.) Do you like or dislike it? Do you have an idea? I need to know how it makes you feel (please), and I will not be offended, so please be brutally honest! >>> Thank you xx
For new readers: I quit my job, and I’m taking a leap of faith to self-publish a recipe book in 3 months as a personal growth project (and because I’ve always wanted to so badly). But I also want to create everything around it to from the design to marketing, socials and ecommerce (as well as the baking, photography and writing) as for me this is also all about learning and acquiring new skills too.
Where do I begin? I’m currently on extreme rations while trying to understand what is going on with intense, upper-right abdomen cramps yesterday. I ended up in Urgent Care, had a long, long wait, but received lovely care, treatment, blood and wee tests, and a referral by the surgical team for an Ultrasound scan. Oh, and they gave me strong drugs (codeine phosphate) in case I had another attack.
All is absolutely fine, and the hospital feels it is likely to be a post-gallbladder removal syndrome where there can be spasms of the sphincter or a change in concentration of bile salts (among other things), even several years after having your gallbladder removed. This makes sense to me as it feels so similar to the pain and cramps I had in 2019 and little cramps and tension I’ve had since then over the years too.
To cut a long story short, I’m going to avoid massive stews with lots of beans and lentils, keep to smaller meals and make sure that they are fairly low in fat, keep a food diary for a week and see if I get any further pain and cramps after eating, and take notes!
Yesterday I barely ate at all, apart from several dextrose tablets borrowed from my daughter’s handbag while we spent several long hours waiting in urgent care. Today has been a little better, with 50g of oat bran for breakfast, then half a small baked potato for lunch, followed by half of a low-fat pasty I made yesterday using wartime economical pastry, filled with a meat substitute, leeks, and potatoes that I’d prepared the day before.
Here is the recipe I used for the “economical pastry”.
1 oz fat
4 oz flour
1/2 tsp salt
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder (or none if using self-raising flour)
milk to bind
Makes enough pastry for 4 pasties.
And here is my daughter giving me a pep talk when we got in late last night. Honestly, she really looked after me and is a treasure.
