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News
from Historic Royal Palaces
www.hrp.org.uk
Source: Amber Overby, Brock
Communications
Archived press release
ABOVE: A "War Time Lunch" at Kensington
palace. INSET BELOW: Afternoon tea. EDITOR'S NOTE: I sampled a preview version of
the lunch during a recent trip to London, and the meal was excellent. (Forget
any ideas you had about wartime meals of sawdust bread with baked beans.)
Kensington Palace Rations Food for D-Day Commemoration
 LONDON - To commemorate the 60th anniversary of D-Day, The Orangery
restaurant at Kensington Palace and the New Armouries restaurant at HM Tower of
London is featuring a special World War II luncheon and afternoon tea menu for one year only
from June, 2004 until the end of May, 2005.
The wartime menu also coincides with
the opening of the new exhibition, Queen, Couture and Country: Behind the Royal
Wardrobe, at Kensington Palace in June.
The chefs have worked with curators at both Kensington Palace and HM Tower of
London to develop the war time menus, which are available alongside the more
modern menus at The Orangery and the New Armouries. The menus appeal to
visitors’ sense of nostalgia as well as the modern palate.
Both menus are inspired by original 1940s recipes, which ingeniously used the
limited amounts of ingredients available to keep meals fun and nutritional in
times of rationing. For example, "Dr. Carrot’ and ‘Potato Pete’ were characters
introduced to encourage people to eat homegrown vegetables, which were
plentiful. Sugar was also rationed. However, when there were adequate supplies,
the Ministry would release a little more for jam making.
During the Second World War the British Government introduced food rationing.
Each person was issued a ration book, which was full of coupons to be cut out
and used to buy a fixed amount of rationed food each week. A point scheme was
introduced for other non-rationed foods and each person had an allowance of 16
points per month.
One typical week’s allowance: three pints of milk, three quarters of a pound
to one pound of meat, one egg, three quarters of an ounce of cheese, four ounces
of bacon, two ounces of tea, eight ounces of sugar, two ounces of butter, two
ounces of cooking fat, and 16 points a month. Meals eaten away from home were
‘off ration’ and a popular alternative for individuals who could afford it. The
ability of the rich to enjoy almost pre-war levels of gastronomy, led to such
resentment that the government prevented restaurants charging more than five
shillings a meal.
War Time Lunch Menu
Two-course: 11.50 GBP, Three-course: 14.50 GBP
Lettuce, parsley and potato soup
Salad of chicken, broad beans, cucumber and lettuce with a mustard and
tarragon vinagrette
Potato salad with eggless mayonnaise
Treacle Tart
Glass of rhubarb wine
War Time Afternoon Tea Menu
10.95 GBP or 8.50 GBP (without wine)
Cucumber and watercress sandwich
Rock cake and plum jam
Carrot cake
Glass of rhubarb wine
To book advance tickets to Kensington Palace, please call (+011 44) 870 751
5180.
For recorded information about visiting Kensington Palace, please call (+011
44) 870 751 5170.
Alternatively, visit the official website at
www.hrp.org.uk.
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