This recipe dates back to WW1, from the trenches, where food was often not hot by the time it came from the field kitchen to the front line. Soldiers would often throw together whatever they had to hand to make a hot meal and cook them over a little stove in the trenches.
Trench stew is the order of the day, here on Remembrance Sunday…
Ingredients
- 1 turnip or large potato
- 1 parsnip
- 2 carrots
- ½ tin corned beef
- ½ stock cube
- 1 or 2 biscuits or stale bread
- 1 pint of water
Method
- Chop up the vegetables, carrots into small pieces, other veg larger pieces and add to pint of boiling water with stock cube in.
- As the veg becomes tender mix in 1/2 can corned beef (I didn’t as I’m vegetarian) and crumble in the stale bread or biscuits/crackers and simmer for a few more minutes.
Serves 2
The 1940's Experiment 
Hmm wonder if using some smoked tofu instead of the corned beef would work?
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I am sure it would be delicious!! xxx
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Nice to see you back! The stew looks yummy, might try that.
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Hurray! you’re back. The ingredient list looks dubious, but the stew looks delicious. I was nervous about colcannan too, but it’s turned out to be a fave of the family’s. I’ll give this a whirl, too!
Whew, back to writing…started a new book after finally releasing the vintage ghost story collection 🙂
~ Tam Francis ~
http://www.girlinthejitterbugdress.com
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So lovely to see a post and a new recipe, and at such a fitting time too. I hope you are well, looking forward to a life update post soon!
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I’ve never actually considered how those rations of tinned meat would have been eaten, so this is another way in which the recipe is interesting! Sounds pretty good– I bet they didn’t eat that well so often.
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Lovely to see you,re back… have been waiting 🙂 will give this a go to
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I just discovered your website. It is so interesting! I think finding one’s diet fascinating like you do with the historical aspect might be a key for all of us. I like the economical aspect of hat you are doing too. I made Woolton Pie today. I put it together on my lunch hour and we’ll have it for dinner after work. Don’t think I’ll try the trench stew since I home canned a bunch of beef vegetable stew already.
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looks tasty will make this next week
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