Well done!❤ absolutely loved your demonstration of cooking. The finished cake was gorgeous. I have an imperial war museum book that claims a very cool oven is 90-120C, 200-250F, or gas mark 0-1/2; a cool oven is 140-150C, 275-300F, gas mark 1-2; a very moderate oven is 160C, 325F, gas mark 3; moderate oven is 180C, 350F, gas mark 4; moderately hot is 190-200C, 375-400F, gas mark 5-6; hot oven is 220C, 425F, gas mark 7; and a very hot oven is 230-240C, 450-475F, gas mark 8-9. That might help future endeavors! The book citation for that is Victory Cookbook Nostalgic Food and Facts from 1940-1954 and was written by Marguerite Patten OBE. I am looking forward to your next video- enjoy your Christmas!
Thank you so much - that is really useful! I have a book of school dinner recipes from the 1950s and the oven temperatures and absolutely bonkers .. terms i've never heard before, I am going to use that and see if I can correlate them because that will be a brilliant help! Appreciate you going to the effort and I am going to pin this comment to the top so other people can see it x
Marguerite Pattern books were among the few printed after the war, and I still have a few. They were my main cook books in the 50s and 60s along with Be-ro baking.
I well remember mum having us all stir the Christmas cake. As the youngest guess who got to scrape the bowl out, yum. (And dodge the washing up) It was one of the best parts of the run up to Christmas along with making paper chains and strings of silver bells out of saved up milk bottle tops with my sister.
Cake mixture is so so good out of the bowl!!! I remember feeling heart broken when Edwina Curry terrified everyone about sarmonella and Mom wouldn't let me scrape the bowl and eat the mix anymore .. I still did though .. ;) x
Another alternative to make marzipan during rationing, was semolina with a little sugar and butter with some almond flavoring tastes more like the real thing and spreads on top of the cake easier, in fact I still make that for my cakes.
You are in the league of Tasting History! Your conversation throughout was an added bonus! So glad you have added historical cooking to your channel ❤️
Oh gosh, I just looked up one of their videos and that is a compliment and a half - I was so worried about posting this as it was so different and I felt a bit of an imposter with it .. I really enjoyed the process though and look forward to do some more! I am really interested in school meals and have some amazing books from my aunt who was a dinnerlady in the 60s .. can't wait to have a crack at some of those! x
Dried eggs in baked goods work well. They are used in commercial cake and quick bread receipes. Dried milk as well is fine for baking, Even to drink o.k. once one gets used to the taste. I used to make homemade yogurt with dried milk. My Grandmother cooked like this in the US depression years.
Seeing you make that cake brought back memories of my dad's mum making Christmas puddings for all the family with 4 big saucepans on her cooker boiling away for hours I can smell it now and also her bread pudding with her telling us to keep our hands off until it was cooled down oh I miss both my grandmother's cooking and baking, have a good Christmas roy Copenhagen Denmark ❤
Thank you Roy - my mouth is watering thinking about those now too - bread pudding is so wonderful, my Nan used to make it in a huge washing up bowl, trays and trays of it and it was absolutely stunning! I hope we never lose all these tasty treats because I really prefer them to all the modern cakes piled with chocolate and buttercream x
I wish I had put carrots it in - I think it needed it! But then I think we are used to lighter cakes these days. Amazing what they could do to make it work!
I enjoyed this one, Lucy. Mouth-watering and so pretty. We don't know how lucky we are now, do we? With all the choices our supermarkets give us. I'd love to make a Christmas cake but the family are grown and fled the nest and hubby can't stand fruit cake. Never mind, it was good to see you and your lovely mum enjoying it. Well done honey ❤
Thank you, fruit cake is quite divisive isn't it? I really love it - I am thrilled if there is a fruit tier on a wedding cake but there never is.. so I take my fill at Christmas! Little tip for you, 4oz marg, 4oz granulated sugar, rub in 8oz of self raising flour until like a crumble, add one egg, a splash of milk and a handful of mixed fruit and it makes a cake mix. Pop them into little fairy cake cakes and bake for about 15 minutes with a little sugar and nutmeg sprinkled on the top - that's my Great Nans rock cake recipe, it's a gorgeous little fruit cake, it makes about 12 but you can freeze them - maybe an alternative x
I'm amazed, that you managed to get the ingredients, that it worked so well and that your Mother looks so young, sure she's not your Sister? That was brilliant Lucy, thank you!
Omg she's going to love that and I hope she reads this comment!!! I am 44 and she had me at 27 so I'll let you do the maths ;) we are blessed with very good genes that seem to keep us youthful (outside at least arthritis inside 😂😂)
This was so interesting I was born in 1946 and although I cantemember rationing I can remember dried egg powder tins still being around and also the national milk tins and being given cod liver oil and malt .The cake looked very good, like you I can't tolerate soya but would love to try the icing ! Lovely to meet your Mum 😊❤
Yes, Soy gives me crippling stomach ache and rashes. I LOVED the malt off a big spoon, Mom still gave it us in the 80s. Cod liver oil though ... nooooo I used to cry and lock myself in the bedroom .. my absolute favourite was minidex though, it was an orange flavoured iron syrup. I will say hi to Mom :)
Yum, I wish I had done that - but I tried to stick to the rations .. if I made this recipe again though - which produces a very nice cake i WOULD soak the fruit for sure!
Lucy thank you so much for showing me how to make the twisted streamers. I love how it turned out. This video was brilliant I loved it all. Thank you again
Hi Lucy - that was BRILLIANT ! How lovely to meet your Mum too. I made my very first Christmas Cake this year. I'm 70 in march, so I decided I'd better, before it's too late ! Mine turned out looking very similar to yours, but I am feeding it with Brandy and Sherry now - YUM ! I bought the marzipan, but will make the Icing and just slap it on the top, bung a piece of crepe paper round it and let it do ! Thanks for all you do for your viewers, we all love you and thoroughly enjoy your down to earth videos. Take special care 🙂 X X
Thank you Michael ! That's going to be so delicious ... Brandy and Sherry is going to be a wonderful combination. I don't really drink but in Christmas cake I feel it's really important and I missed it in this one. Definitely buy the marzipan and whatever you do don't make the soy "mock marzipan" .. I think you could tell from my face .. I was being brave .. haha xx
Oh Lucy what a wonderful gift to your viewers to experience an authentic rationing recipe before Christmas! How wonderful to meet your Mum too! She's such a lovely lady. Your cake looks very similar to Marguerite Patten’s Vinegar Cake recipe I attempted to make from her Feeding the Nation cookbook. Mine was not nearly as pretty as yours! You did such a lovely job. I imagine how much of a treat this must've been for the families during such a difficult time. Happy Christmas to you & your sweet family Lucy🎄
Thank you - that makes sense in regards to vinegar cake, I did wonder if "lemon substitute" could equate to vinegar - it's an acid to set the baking powder off to rise the cake. It must have been a huge treat, imagine having barely anything sweet and then that appearing on the table, your mouth would be watering .. and knowing when it was gone it was gone .. everything is so available these days, most people can't really imagine it even though it wasn't really that long ago x
Well done getting the dried eggs, l haven't had treacle for year's, my mother used to use it in bread pudding. The cake looked great, brought back memories.
Hello and welcome Lucy's mum ❤️ thank god for screenshots cos we will definitely be giving this ago if we can find all the ingredients (sorry if it ends up being fresh eggs and milk) 🙈😂 loved this episode and all you do and a great way to demonstrate our history in a way we can try in modern way! Xx
Thanks Katy - I think if I made it again I would use fresh eggs too .. I would go with normal marzipan too as I thought the soy stuff was .. unusual! The cake itself is absolutely delicious though! I have put the full recipe for the cake with the method (even though the method is pretty vague) in the info part of the video too .. let me know if you do make it and if you like it x
Looks lovely my old Lancashire mum loved marzipan was 15 in 1945 and dad 17 . She couldn't cook when she married dad in Sept 1952 as Her mum, Nanna couldn't afford to let mum muck up the recipes with tight strict rationing right up until then. Mum Said all the Aunties saved aside what they could for months and sugar & dried fruit coupons to make mum & dad's 3 tier lovely wedding cake they had in wedding album photos my older sister has kept. The coupons where handed in to the cake makers decorators shop when they ordered the style of wedding cake they wanted.. Still in 1952 strictish rationing was still going on especially for foodstuffs. Dad said to me years ago didn't know whether it was horse or cow meat for steak for dinner with peas n chips , just got what was available on the meat rationing you could get ... Love the cake and seeing your lovely mum in this episode.
Thank you, I think it's wonderful people pulled together and saved and what a treat that cake must have been on the big day! I think people forget rationing went on until 1954 and sometimes presume it ended in 1945, used to blow my mind my Dad was born when rationing was still taking place! Mom just missed it but remembered the National Milk! x
I love this! I was watching a old Fanny Craddock Christmas episode last night and her cake was also very similar but with lots more booze and a much bigger cake - it was fascinating to see!
Ooo Lucy this was fascinating to watch. I felt I learnt so much about the rationing too. I’m so glad you tasted it so we could get your opinion. Great to meet your mom, she seems as wonderful as you. Merry Christmas to you all. 🎄🎉🍾🥰
She's lovely!! Didn't want to do the filming but when I said we could taste the cake .. we both love fruit cake and "old fashioned" sweets and cakes. I was relieved it tasted nice .. Mom has rang me today actually to say she couldn't resist another piece! haha x
What a lovely and authentic video! ❤ I enjoyed it very much, thank you. I admire the courage and ingenuity of the ordinary people during and after because rationing didn’t just stop when the war ended. And also the skills that the housewifes needed to have to be able to feed their family every day despite of the shortages and the fast changes of the portions and rules regarding the rationing.
Absolutely - it was so confusing, even researching it all the points and weights that changed so often, it must have been a minefield, and the skills people had are so different to today - it was obvious from those instructions they just presumed the mass majority knew how to make a cake .. now they need to tell people coffee is hot! haha.
This brought me back to our home ec days! This was fascinating and great to hear it’s like manor farm cake in terms of texture and taste ❤ thanks for doing this x
Awww ,how lovely to have your mum with you " taste testing". I personally don't like Marzipan, so I wonder if this would taste better. Well done Lucy 🎉
How fascinating was this? Lucy I was rivited! You're mum is lovely. Did you really like the mock marzipan? As always, thank you so much! I learn the coolest things from you. ❤✌️
My children are middle aged now, but I remember making a cake once and the oldest son ,who hated vegetables, saying " you aren't putting carrots in that one are you !"
Hello Lucy enjoyed that video if I knew you were coming I'd have baked a cake 😂 like yourself I'm from Birmingham. a merry Christmas to you and your mum big up 👍
Hi Lucy! This was wonderful and so festive. I grew up eating Christmas cake and mincemeat tarts. I've made the tarts for Christmas but I have never made a Christmas cake from start to finish on my own. You have inspired me. Lol It was lovely to meet your Mom.🥰
Thank you - she took some persuading because neither of us really looked tv ready!! haha. Have a go at your own Christmas cake - this one really was delicious! Let me know how you get on (I love mincepies by the way - I eat so many in December it's terrible, I can't turn one down!)
Fascinating! And sobering to think that it's all now so long ago that not you, not your Mum, but your Mum's mum (as a child!) or her Gran would have eaten this for real...
Very interesting yet different... You could visit some of the NT properties local to you at Christmas... they always have different themes and they change regularly. Black country living museum also dress up for Christmas, same as blist hill etc always insightful visiting them around Christmas. Keep the videos coming looking forward to them.
She is going to LOVE this so much!!! We have good genes, I can only hope to look so youthful at her age, we have a weird gene on my Moms side that no one goes grey (not sure what that is all about) so that really helps! I am very proud of her and she doesn't realise how lovely she is xx
I haven't made toffee for YEARS! Remember my friend Scott?, he dipped his finger in boiling toffee when we were making it as teens - I've never forgotten the pain on his face and don't think I've made it since actually!
I remember Scott and I’m not surprised that put you off 😩 My grandad always used to have Thorntons black treacle toffee at Christmas when we were small. Whenever I see or use it that’s what I think of
I'm not a huge fan of Christmas cake, but my mom was. She passed in 2022, so thank you for giving me a little reminder of her. Much love from Vancouver BC 🇨🇦 ❤❤
YUM! Lucy, well done!! And your Mum is gorgeous!! Not that keen on Marzipan, but I make myself cope :) Don't think I've ever actually made a Christmas Cake - once all the Great Cook rellies had passed over to that Great Bakery in the sky, it was easier to buy a "Lions" (the BIG Xmas cake thing, Down Under). As the weather was often scorching (in West Aussie), I preferred to make and eat Sultana Cake, which was a yellow cake (no, not Nuclear!) and much "lighter". But let's face it; almost any "cake" is lovely and desirable, IMHO...... Oh, maybe that's just this little piggy?? 🤭 RjB
That icing looks amazing! I’m definitely going to try that! What a lovely video. I love WW2 ration recipes. It’s fascinating to me how creative they were and how clever. Like you said about the icing, so much of what they did was pure alchemy. It was lovely seeing you hang out with your mum too 😊 Merry Christmas to you Lucy.
Thank you! It was lovely to spend time with her, we are both really creative and she enjoyed seeing how I make and direct the videos and I very much enjoyed how many great creative ideas she has too! X
@ oh that’s wonderful! I’m so glad you had a lovely time with her. And that’s fantastic that she was able to contribute creatively! I had my mum visit a few weeks ago. She hadn’t been here since NYE as I regularly go to the town where she lives and so I pop in to her house. But it was lovely to have her at my house again. She’s coming again for Christmas and bringing my aunties which will be very special. So far the forecast is 32°C. Hopefully that’s way off and it’s a pleasant day in the 20’s so my dog can wear his elf suit 😂😂
32 degrees .. my goodness!!! You know I've always wanted to experience Christmas in the "summer" to see what it's like because I just can't imagine it! Christmas Day here is usually 5-10 degrees .: and often rain .. none of that snow you see on the cards!
@ ahhh but there’s always the hope of snow in the weeks prior. We have the dread of a stinker 😂😂 Well, some people enjoy the heat. I don’t. Some families still do the full traditional Christmas dinner and have their ovens blaring for hours. My family just decide on something that’s fairly easy. We did BBQs a lot when Dad was still with us. Now we’re all so far apart that getting everyone together really doesn’t work, so Mum will see my brother Christmas Eve then come to me Christmas Day and bring leftovers lol. And my sister in law is cooking most of it so it’ll be pretty good 😁 I’ll probably make a dessert but it’ll likely be a no bake cheesecake or something like that to avoid using the oven. If you ever have a chance to get here and experience an Aussie Christmas definitely do it. You could have Christmas on the beach 😁 Btw. It was 40° yesterday. I’m so glad it’s not going to be that hot for Christmas!
Thank you Mary - I will indeed! My house looks like the ghost of the 1960s threw up all over it - canterbury bell lights, lanterns and all so I am feeling very happy :)
Hello from Canada, Lucy! As I listened to you explain about how Christmas fruit cakes were made in the 1940s, I recalled my Mum telling me about what it was like for her family during the war. My Grandparents lived on a farm in the country during the war, and their four daughters, including my mum, would help stir the batter for the Christmas cake, and each make a wish. My Mum and I made a Christmas fruit cake a couple of years ago, and we each made a wish as we stirred the cake batter. Two years ago, we made some mincemeat for Christmas, and as with the Christmas cake batter, we each made a wish while stirring the mincemeat. Mum added minced potato and carrots to our mincemeat, as well as lard. We couldn't get any suet, so we had to substitute lard. I helped mix the lard into the mixture of the mincemeat, by using my hands. I'd seen my Grandmother do that, so I copied her method. We still have a couple of jars of mincemeat in the freezer! Watching you make your lovely Christmas fruit cake, marzipan, and icing reminded me of Christmases long ago at my grandparents' house. They are gone, but I still have my memories! Happy Christmas, Lucy! ~Janet in Canada
Oh Janet, that's so lovely! Lard is a most underused and underrated ingredient these days I think - my Dad used to make amazing chips in a saucepan with lard! We always had a block in the house. I absolutely love mincepies, they are my favourite Christmas treat, this year I had the pleasure of working with a group of seniors with dementia and we all shared the bowl and passed it round, it was incredible seeing them all come to life and start to share memories - food can be so important in bringing people together. Happy Christmas :) x
Thank you again Lucy, you did really well making that cake, it looked so authentic. I am 78 so i can remember sugar, and foods containing sugar, being on ration when i was a child. My gran used to make a cake very similair, although we did have real eggs. I think the fruit was soaked in water, or tea beforehand so tlhe cake was not dry.. lovely to meet your mum. We used to do the twisted crepe paper streamers and paper chains for christmas decorations. I still did them with my children when we couldn't afford much else. 🙂🎄
I really wish I had soaked the fruit - even in hot water, I think we will make it again as it's really delicious and do it next time! Thank you for your lovely compliments x
Hi Julie! Thank you so much for spending your time with me and watching - it's so appreciated (and Liverpool is my absolute 2nd home of a city here - I love it !!)
LOVED THIS ! My grandmothers had similar recipes, will have to see if I can find them. One was in her early twenties, and the other was in her mid thirties in 1945. Both were in the U.S., but we had also had rationing, so many of the older recipes had similar constraints on quantities and types of ingredients. Both, in their own way, always made meals special, and I wonder if it's because they knew how much a simple meal can restore a sense of normalcy.
I think food is so important in making us feel safe, calm, relaxed - and of course satisfied! Your brain works better when it's being fed. I think like you say they were amazing, my Dads sisters could make an amazing meal out of barely anything - my favourite was their plated pies made from pastry using the fat from the Sunday roast meat - absolutely gorgeous!
Wow, a great end product that looked amazing. We certainly take things for granted these days. Thanks for another great video taking us a step back in time. 👏
I’m one of the very few brits who can’t stand fruit cake, Xmas puddings, or Marzipan. It was still very interesting to watch though. You smashed it 👍🏼 Merry Christmas x
Thank you darling. I saw you sticking up for me and was replying when it vanished. I was highly appreciative as that comment actually made me cry (I'm too soft I know) as I was literally trying to help someone who asked. Oh well ... it is what it is - but thank you. YOU'RE amazing ❤️
hahhaa.. you saw through us .. "interesting" means pretty horrible in our family code so when she said that I knew what she meant really .. you know what it's like, trying to be polite .. !! x
This whole video was so lovely. I recall even in the 1960s recipes were still basic, leaving a lot of guesswork when i was trying to "help" in the kitchen! Great cake and Mum looks fab too!
That turned out really well 🙂 Lovely to meet your mum, the talent behind those beautiful doll's houses you showed us in another video & hello to Rupert too ❤
very nice,you talking about cake mix as you made it. made me think of my English great aunts living with rations and shortages into the 50's. and they sent me the best books.
I loved this video! I love to bake so the substitutions were fascinating and the whole topic was so cozy and nostalgic for the holidays. I also really enjoyed seeing you interact with your mum and the surprise cameo by Rupert! You have become such a natural in front of the camera now that a lack of confidence isn't holding you back! ❤🍰🎄
Thank you so much! It does sometimes, I have quite a lot of unkind comments about my accent and how I pronounce things sometimes and I have just been through a bunch so this comment came at a GOOD time! I wonder should I go and get some elocution lessons to sound like a "real English lady" .. haha .. I love my Brummie accent really!
@throughlucyslens by no means!! Keep your accent as is! The whole point of watching these videos is to learn about the area and the people who lived/live there. Don't change who you are to suit someone else's ignorance. If they really struggle they can use the captions, but honestly, like anything it's just a matter of practice. I love your accent, I know I am getting the real thing: a real Brummie and the real you ❤️
@@throughlucyslens BTW, Lucy, I seem to remember that you created an email address for the channel. I have a question, but I can't remember the address.
I used to make Christmas cake, but I found it people didn’t eat it so I stopped making it as it was being wasted. I could only eat so much myself LOL it’s very interesting to see various things that were rationed. Thank you for showing us that, it was lovely to see your mum, Merry Christmas to you and your family in case I don’t see you next week 😊❤🎅
It's such a shame so few people seem to enjoy Christmas cake - should have had me and Mom round we would have scoffed the lot!! Thank you - a very Happy Christmas to you too! :)
You and your mother look quite alike! The pup is adorable. My grandfather loved fruit cake, but his always ended up tasting so, so strong-- they'd put hair on your chest, he always said!
Go for it ! I always think when making a cake what can possibly go wrong? It's packed full of lovely ingredients so it doesn't matter what it looks like it's the taste that matters :)
Thank you Lucy, It looks delicious; My mum and Grandma always made their own Christmas cakes. When you were mixing the ingredients, and at the end you scooped a little on your finger to taste, it reminded me of when my brother and I were young children and we would fight who could get to scrape the most out of the bowl. My brother, being older always won.
Absolutely - chefs perks are one of the best bit of making a cake .. my sister and I used to argue about it too!! I don't know why raw cake mix tastes so good, it shouldn't really but it's just delicious!
The cake looked so pretty with the crepe paper and the real holly. I'm not a lover of fruit cake so I've never made a Christmas cake, but enjoyed you making yours. My Grandmother used to tell me about the rations and the bombing in Liverpool! Scary times!
So scary, as a child I was really interested in the Morrison shelters - you know the ones that looked like a kitchen table in a cage .. I used to set one up under the dining table and sit there wondering how awful it must have been sat there thinking your home could be hit at any minute .. a miracle anyone came out of it with such a positive attitude like they did!
@@throughlucyslens I've never heard of a Morrison shelter. My Grandmother told me she decided not to go to the communal shelter one night and it received a direct hit. They stayed in their Anderson shelter instead! My Dad was evacuated to Wales from Birkenhead but my Mother stayed on Liverpool! Your videos are a delight!
@@throughlucyslens Yes. Her family's home was badly damaged in the bombing and they moved into a prefab so I was very interested in your video about prefabs.
Thank you for a great recipe and an enjoyable Christmas visit. Your fruitcake recipe is quite similar to one that I've been using for about 40 years! It has no fat content at all but more flour than yours. It also calls for a pound of dried fruit and it specifies that the fruit should be soaked overnight in strong cold tea. I like to use Earl Grey for this because it adds a little extra delicate flavor. Sometimes I haven't had enough dried fruit (very expensive here in the US), so I'll add chopped apples and nuts. More than once I've used trail mix when nothing else was available. The recipe never fails, and I usually try to keep a loaf or two in the freezer--nothing is better with a mug of tea. Glad to share the recipe if anyone is interested. Again thanks!
Thank you for offering to share your recipe,'that's really kind of you! I do wish I had soaked my fruit - we are going to eat the cake today at a family gathering and I'm worried it's going to be dry!
That was fascinating Lucy and your mum is just as lovely as you are, but where on earth did you get those ingredients - egg powder and the soy? If I can find these I'll definitely make it. Have a great Christmas and I look forward to more videos in the New Year.❤
I got them both online, the soy flour was actually advertised as fishing bait but I called the shop and they said it's packaged for humans it's just people use it for fishing, the powdered eggs were from a health food shop (and so expensive!!!) the powdered milk is a brand called Nido, it's the only one I could find that was whole milk - that was in Morrisons. X
Marguerite Patten OBE, an economist, was the lady who worked for the ministry for food and made up so many of these war time ration meals. She was hired specifically for this job. She died in 2015 at 99 years young. She worked in harrods after the war and endorsed the prestige pressure cooker. Interesting lady.
I think Marguerite and her colleagues at the MOF were incredible, some of the recipes are alchemy! I need to read some of her books actually, you have reminded me! :)
Hi Lucy, Really enjoyed watching this "Great Bake Off" edition,most enjoyable. Thanks for a super upload, Best wishes to yourself, Mum, Family & fellow viewers ❤❤❤.
My grandmother made a "war cake" that is similar (It had no milk or eggs. From my memory, it had Coffee or water, shortening or other solid fat like margarine, sugar, cake spice, flour and raisins...)
Well , that was so interesting Lucy! The time you spent finding the recipe,and the ingredients, then bringing them all together reminded me of the times spent in the queue at the grocers in Newport(Mon) to get some of the dried goods. We were lucky as we had hens so eggs were no problem…..and a black market item to swap for butter or sugar! Our milk was from my Mum’s cousin’s farm,delivered by horse and cart and measured direct out of the churns into large enamel jugs to keep in the cold pantry. I can remember that Mum and my aunties taking a bit of icing sugar off the cake to put in their tea as the sugar ration had all been used in and on the cake! Thanks for the memories once again Lucy , just happy recalling family get togethers ! Happy Christmas to you.
Really chuckling thinking about stirring a bit of icing sugar into their tea .. I tell you now I imagine my Dad would have done the same as he really didn't like his coffee without 2 sugars and working nights he needed that coffee! Really lovely memories - and honestly important oral social history shared here Vivienne - so thank you!
One of these days Lucy , you and I ought to meet up to share more oral history ! What with growing up during the latter part of the war and then finding myself in Brum to do my nursing , midwifery , health visiting training etc. I have seen life! And ….Birmingham was a good city to me for 27 years! I expect you may remember Condensed Milk? I used to sneak some which was meant for sugar in tea replacement for the men in my family …to have condensed milk sandwiches ! Yuk! And what about all those games that were played once Christmas lunch was over ? Quizzes , card games , hangman, consequences . And all singing songs from the ‘ Daily Herald Song Book’ around the piano ….and my Mum’s hero Ivor Novello , singing romantic songs from his shows ! Yes happy days indeed
I would really love that Vivienne, my Dad and his siblings all had really bad teeth as their Mom used to dip a dummy into condensed milk or virol to keep them quiet - I am sure their health visitor would have been advising her against it but she had such a poor upbringing and 7 kids running around, it must have been bedlam for them! X
What a lovely Christmas cake 🥮 I'll be making it for this Christmas! It occurred to me that despite there being no alcohol specified in the recipe, soaking the fruit in stout is A Thing as is soaking in cold tea. I've always soaked dried fruit in tea for any recipe so this time I might forego my habit and try stout instead! Having just discovered your delightful channel, I've subscribed. Thank you.
You are very welcome, thank you for your kind words - yes beer wasn't rationed so why not try some of the dark stuff? I imagine it would be lovely! Please let me know how it turns out xx
What a great video Lucy. So very interesting to understand the trials that post war rationing must have caused. This cake would have been esteemed after years of deprivation im sure. Lovely to see you and your Mum, like sisters! Being from north of the border my Mum was a great clootie dumpling maker and carrot was always included in the recipe. Im sure during the war years they would have incorporated whatever they could find. Merry Christmas to you both and the lovely doggie.
Thank you! I feel I now need to make and try a clootie as it's not something I've ever had - Mom will be so chuffed all these lovely comments she is getting. So ❤️
We loved this episode, thank you! I so enjoy reading rationing recipes and suggestions. Sometimes they sound awful and turn out okay. I'm going to try the icing recipe on our Christmas cake already made. Have a wonderful holiday season!
Excellent Lucy. I had long conversations with my Mom about food rationing and how they managed. Points were saved and swapped for months to get ingredients together as you said. I'm very interested especially to try the mock icing as I'm diabetic. I have very fond memories of mock cream, which Mom made for many years, and I have made it too. Lovely to meet your Mom as well. Thank you once again. Best wishes. x
The mock icing might be a great idea for you to try. It does have a small amount of sugar but I am sure a teaspoon of alternative sweetener would work the same, it tasted really lovely!
Lucy that was very interesting. I use powdered eggs when I go camping and it is great for scrambled egg or omelets, I've never baked with it. I was interested that the recipe had treacle in it, which gave sweetness and colour. My Mum who was an adult throughout the 2nd World War use a touch of gravy browning to ensure her cakes looked rich. Like you said some grated carrots would be good. Thanks for the post and best wishes for Christmas and 2025
That's interesting they taste nice because I have so many left over from buying the ones for the video; I'll try it as I love an omlette and often run out of eggs. I believe certain fast food joints use powdered eggs on their breakfasts and I really like them ...
My late mum reckoned carrot cake only became popular again amongst those with no memory of the war or post-war austerity and rationing. The thing she said was in very short supply was onions unless you grew your own. Wartime margarine was pretty disgusting apparently, with a distinctly fishy taste. There was also a tinned fish called snoek which nobody liked much.
Snoek! My goodness I have not thought about tinned snoek for a long time! Yes I've heard the margarine was disgusting, Mom actually said the same last night. I absolutely LOVE carrot cake I need to find a recipe from back then as the ones I like making contain a tonne of sugar - would be nice to see a cheaper alternative with less of the sweet stuff!
Well done Lucy and how nice to meet your mum 😊 The tablecloth at the beginning was the same as my gran's. Was there a name for that material ? Also I wish that dried egg was still readily available as it's so convenient.
Dried egg is so expensive now! I couldn't believe it, I naively thought it would be cheap as chips but it's quite the opposite - you can get it online but I don't know if the price is worth it unless you knew you used it regularly. It's Moms tablecloth - she made it actually .. so I will ask her what the fabric is called x
Christmas greetings, Lucy! I've been enjoying all your recent videos, even if I haven't commented on each one. This one was so different, and I loved it. In awe of your culinary skills as when I have tried mixing cakes I get ingredients eveywhere. Nice to see your Mum and the gorgeous little Bedlington Terrier, too. Have a wonderful Christmas and I hope that 2025 will be a fantastic year for you. I know I'm looking forward to watching more of your fab adventures. xx
Thank you so much! I have no excuse to make a mess as I ran a bakery for 10 years and sold my cakes all over the world including a wedding cake that went to Germany! I had hardly ever made a fruit cake though so I was nervous nevertheless! I just love food to be honest and would love to explore more food related history x
I hate baking but that was a fun experiment to watch. Back to the streamers...there were so many variations. The ceiling ones were obviously wider and it used to be one of my childhood jobs to roll two colours together, so that you got a 'barber pole' effect when they were twisted and hung. I also remember stretching the edges of the crepe to create frills, as well as the usual cut fringing.
Crepe paper is brilliant stuff isn't it? Problem is it's hard to get nice long pieces now, the barber shop effect ones sound brilliant actually! I'd love to try that xx
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Well done!❤ absolutely loved your demonstration of cooking. The finished cake was gorgeous. I have an imperial war museum book that claims a very cool oven is 90-120C, 200-250F, or gas mark 0-1/2; a cool oven is 140-150C, 275-300F, gas mark 1-2; a very moderate oven is 160C, 325F, gas mark 3; moderate oven is 180C, 350F, gas mark 4; moderately hot is 190-200C, 375-400F, gas mark 5-6; hot oven is 220C, 425F, gas mark 7; and a very hot oven is 230-240C, 450-475F, gas mark 8-9. That might help future endeavors! The book citation for that is Victory Cookbook Nostalgic Food and Facts from 1940-1954 and was written by Marguerite Patten OBE. I am looking forward to your next video- enjoy your Christmas!
Thank you so much - that is really useful! I have a book of school dinner recipes from the 1950s and the oven temperatures and absolutely bonkers .. terms i've never heard before, I am going to use that and see if I can correlate them because that will be a brilliant help! Appreciate you going to the effort and I am going to pin this comment to the top so other people can see it x
Marguerite Pattern books were among the few printed after the war, and I still have a few. They were my main cook books in the 50s and 60s along with Be-ro baking.
I well remember mum having us all stir the Christmas cake. As the youngest guess who got to scrape the bowl out, yum. (And dodge the washing up) It was one of the best parts of the run up to Christmas along with making paper chains and strings of silver bells out of saved up milk bottle tops with my sister.
Cake mixture is so so good out of the bowl!!! I remember feeling heart broken when Edwina Curry terrified everyone about sarmonella and Mom wouldn't let me scrape the bowl and eat the mix anymore .. I still did though .. ;) x
Another alternative to make marzipan during rationing, was semolina with a little sugar and butter with some almond flavoring
tastes more like the real thing and spreads on top of the cake easier, in fact I still make that for my cakes.
I think this would taste MUCH better than that soy - thanks for this, I will try it myself!
Please could you give the weights, I would love to try that.
You are in the league of Tasting History! Your conversation throughout was an added bonus! So glad you have added historical cooking to your channel ❤️
Oh gosh, I just looked up one of their videos and that is a compliment and a half - I was so worried about posting this as it was so different and I felt a bit of an imposter with it .. I really enjoyed the process though and look forward to do some more! I am really interested in school meals and have some amazing books from my aunt who was a dinnerlady in the 60s .. can't wait to have a crack at some of those! x
Loved this, brought back memories of baking with my Nana from her good old Bero books!
Glad you enjoyed it! I love a Bero book! I've got a couple in my stash and you have inspired me to get them out for a look tomorrow :)
Hi Lucy, how wonderful this is and lovely to see your mum too ❤
Thank you! She wasn't keen on doing her you tube debut but oh my people have been so lovely about her .. I think she might do it again!
Kid tested, mother approved..We got to unofficially meet your mom at the end, how lovely 😊❤🎂
She took some persuasion but we got there in the end, I think she enjoyed it really! Thank you x
Tell her she did really well. I hope to see more of her. A mother /daughter history tour or a Q&A .....😊@@throughlucyslens
Dried eggs in baked goods work well. They are used in commercial cake and quick bread receipes. Dried milk as well is fine for baking, Even to drink o.k. once one gets used to the taste. I used to make homemade yogurt with dried milk. My Grandmother cooked like this in the US depression years.
Really interesting about the yoghurt! Thank you for sharing ❤️
Seeing you make that cake brought back memories of my dad's mum making Christmas puddings for all the family with 4 big saucepans on her cooker boiling away for hours I can smell it now and also her bread pudding with her telling us to keep our hands off until it was cooled down oh I miss both my grandmother's cooking and baking, have a good Christmas roy Copenhagen Denmark ❤
Thank you Roy - my mouth is watering thinking about those now too - bread pudding is so wonderful, my Nan used to make it in a huge washing up bowl, trays and trays of it and it was absolutely stunning! I hope we never lose all these tasty treats because I really prefer them to all the modern cakes piled with chocolate and buttercream x
Bread pudding,yum😊
The year that my late mum was born.
It looks great. I'm sure that my nan still used carrots in her old Christmas cake recipe when I was a child. 💗👍😄
I wish I had put carrots it in - I think it needed it! But then I think we are used to lighter cakes these days. Amazing what they could do to make it work!
I enjoyed this one, Lucy. Mouth-watering and so pretty. We don't know how lucky we are now, do we? With all the choices our supermarkets give us. I'd love to make a Christmas cake but the family are grown and fled the nest and hubby can't stand fruit cake. Never mind, it was good to see you and your lovely mum enjoying it. Well done honey ❤
Thank you, fruit cake is quite divisive isn't it? I really love it - I am thrilled if there is a fruit tier on a wedding cake but there never is.. so I take my fill at Christmas! Little tip for you, 4oz marg, 4oz granulated sugar, rub in 8oz of self raising flour until like a crumble, add one egg, a splash of milk and a handful of mixed fruit and it makes a cake mix. Pop them into little fairy cake cakes and bake for about 15 minutes with a little sugar and nutmeg sprinkled on the top - that's my Great Nans rock cake recipe, it's a gorgeous little fruit cake, it makes about 12 but you can freeze them - maybe an alternative x
I'm amazed, that you managed to get the ingredients, that it worked so well and that your Mother looks so young, sure she's not your Sister? That was brilliant Lucy, thank you!
Omg she's going to love that and I hope she reads this comment!!! I am 44 and she had me at 27 so I'll let you do the maths ;) we are blessed with very good genes that seem to keep us youthful (outside at least arthritis inside 😂😂)
@@throughlucyslens Indeed you are, Happy Christmas to you both! Me too, happens to the best of us! Arthritis, I mean!
This was so interesting I was born in 1946 and although I cantemember rationing I can remember dried egg powder tins still being around and also the national milk tins and being given cod liver oil and malt .The cake looked very good, like you I can't tolerate soya but would love to try the icing ! Lovely to meet your Mum 😊❤
Yes, Soy gives me crippling stomach ache and rashes. I LOVED the malt off a big spoon, Mom still gave it us in the 80s. Cod liver oil though ... nooooo I used to cry and lock myself in the bedroom .. my absolute favourite was minidex though, it was an orange flavoured iron syrup. I will say hi to Mom :)
I used to love that malt and cod liver oil. I wonder if they still sell it?
magnificent episode
Thank you :) I love your user name btw ... x
my nan used to add a cup of brandy to the fruit and soak overnight :)
Yum, I wish I had done that - but I tried to stick to the rations .. if I made this recipe again though - which produces a very nice cake i WOULD soak the fruit for sure!
Lucy thank you so much for showing me how to make the twisted streamers. I love how it turned out.
This video was brilliant I loved it all.
Thank you again
Thank you - sorry the ones I made were a bit small! I hope you get to make some for Christmas xx
@throughlucyslens I already have the paper ready. Merry Christmas to you and your lovely Mum Lucy xx
Hi Lucy - that was BRILLIANT ! How lovely to meet your Mum too. I made my very first Christmas Cake this year. I'm 70 in march, so I decided I'd better, before it's too late ! Mine turned out looking very similar to yours, but I am feeding it with Brandy and Sherry now - YUM ! I bought the marzipan, but will make the Icing and just slap it on the top, bung a piece of crepe paper round it and let it do ! Thanks for all you do for your viewers, we all love you and thoroughly enjoy your down to earth videos. Take special care 🙂 X X
Thank you Michael ! That's going to be so delicious ... Brandy and Sherry is going to be a wonderful combination. I don't really drink but in Christmas cake I feel it's really important and I missed it in this one. Definitely buy the marzipan and whatever you do don't make the soy "mock marzipan" .. I think you could tell from my face .. I was being brave .. haha xx
Oh Lucy what a wonderful gift to your viewers to experience an authentic rationing recipe before Christmas! How wonderful to meet your Mum too! She's such a lovely lady. Your cake looks very similar to Marguerite Patten’s Vinegar Cake recipe I attempted to make from her Feeding the Nation cookbook. Mine was not nearly as pretty as yours! You did such a lovely job. I imagine how much of a treat this must've been for the families during such a difficult time. Happy Christmas to you & your sweet family Lucy🎄
Thank you - that makes sense in regards to vinegar cake, I did wonder if "lemon substitute" could equate to vinegar - it's an acid to set the baking powder off to rise the cake. It must have been a huge treat, imagine having barely anything sweet and then that appearing on the table, your mouth would be watering .. and knowing when it was gone it was gone .. everything is so available these days, most people can't really imagine it even though it wasn't really that long ago x
So enjoyed this especially you and Mum trying the cake ❤
Thanks Janet! We loved trying the cake too - really surprisingly delicious!
Well done getting the dried eggs, l haven't had treacle for year's, my mother used to use it in bread pudding. The cake looked great, brought back memories.
Mmmm bread pudding!! Gosh a long time since I've had that! ❤️
Hello and welcome Lucy's mum ❤️ thank god for screenshots cos we will definitely be giving this ago if we can find all the ingredients (sorry if it ends up being fresh eggs and milk) 🙈😂 loved this episode and all you do and a great way to demonstrate our history in a way we can try in modern way! Xx
Thanks Katy - I think if I made it again I would use fresh eggs too .. I would go with normal marzipan too as I thought the soy stuff was .. unusual! The cake itself is absolutely delicious though! I have put the full recipe for the cake with the method (even though the method is pretty vague) in the info part of the video too .. let me know if you do make it and if you like it x
Looks lovely my old Lancashire mum loved marzipan was 15 in 1945 and dad 17 .
She couldn't cook when she married dad in Sept 1952 as Her mum, Nanna couldn't afford to let mum muck up the recipes with tight strict rationing right up until then.
Mum Said all the Aunties saved aside what they could for months and sugar & dried fruit coupons to make mum & dad's 3 tier lovely wedding cake they had in wedding album photos my older sister has kept.
The coupons where handed in to the cake makers decorators shop when they ordered the style of wedding cake they wanted..
Still in 1952 strictish rationing was still going on especially for foodstuffs.
Dad said to me years ago didn't know whether it was horse or cow meat for steak for dinner with peas n chips , just got what was available on the meat rationing you could get ...
Love the cake and seeing your lovely mum in this episode.
Thank you, I think it's wonderful people pulled together and saved and what a treat that cake must have been on the big day! I think people forget rationing went on until 1954 and sometimes presume it ended in 1945, used to blow my mind my Dad was born when rationing was still taking place! Mom just missed it but remembered the National Milk! x
Really enjoyed the video Lucy. Very interesting. And seeing your Mum and the gorgeous dog. Thank you.❤
At first glance, I thought the other Lady was her Daughter. Wow!! Mum looks very young!!
Hahaha she is going to love this .. I won't tell you how young she is but if she was my sister there would be a 27 year old gap! Very good genes :)
Thanks Jean! We thought he was asleep ... he must have smelt the cake :)
Ohhhh, I’m only just starting to watch, but I know I going to LOVE it!
Fingers crossed xxx
Your mum is lovely Lucy.😊
Really enjoyed seeing this - now I know where some elements of my Mum's and Grandma's Christmas cake recipes came from. Wish you a Happy Christmas.
I love this! I was watching a old Fanny Craddock Christmas episode last night and her cake was also very similar but with lots more booze and a much bigger cake - it was fascinating to see!
Ooo Lucy this was fascinating to watch. I felt I learnt so much about the rationing too. I’m so glad you tasted it so we could get your opinion. Great to meet your mom, she seems as wonderful as you. Merry Christmas to you all. 🎄🎉🍾🥰
She's lovely!! Didn't want to do the filming but when I said we could taste the cake .. we both love fruit cake and "old fashioned" sweets and cakes. I was relieved it tasted nice .. Mom has rang me today actually to say she couldn't resist another piece! haha x
@ it made it more Christmassy having your mom enjoy the cake with you. Thank you so much for yet another brilliant video ❤️
Adorable. Just like my Grandmother's concoctions well into the 1960s. Cheers Lucy.
Thanks Tom, I love a bit of proper cake!
What a lovely and authentic video! ❤ I enjoyed it very much, thank you. I admire the courage and ingenuity of the ordinary people during and after because rationing didn’t just stop when the war ended. And also the skills that the housewifes needed to have to be able to feed their family every day despite of the shortages and the fast changes of the portions and rules regarding the rationing.
Absolutely - it was so confusing, even researching it all the points and weights that changed so often, it must have been a minefield, and the skills people had are so different to today - it was obvious from those instructions they just presumed the mass majority knew how to make a cake .. now they need to tell people coffee is hot! haha.
@@throughlucyslens yes, it feels like nowadays some people lost their common sense. 😂
😅😅😅
This brought me back to our home ec days! This was fascinating and great to hear it’s like manor farm cake in terms of texture and taste ❤ thanks for doing this x
Yes! Like the manor cake I remember as a kid (they are so small and dry now though, what happened mr Kipling!) x
@ manor cake used to be the Sunday treat, admittedly it’s not the same now as an adult, but I do remember them being bigger and less dry as a kid! x
Awww ,how lovely to have your mum with you " taste testing". I personally don't like Marzipan, so I wonder if this would taste better. Well done Lucy 🎉
It was more nutty flavour for sure - I am not keen on marzipan either, I find it too bitter x
How fascinating was this? Lucy I was rivited! You're mum is lovely. Did you really like the mock marzipan? As always, thank you so much! I learn the coolest things from you. ❤✌️
The mock marzipan is something I wouldn't make again 😂😂😂 thank you x
My nana always put grated carrot or grated apple into her Christmas cake along with black treacle
I wish I had added some carrot - and apple is an amazing idea too, everything was so tasty and moreish!
My children are middle aged now, but I remember making a cake once and the oldest son ,who hated vegetables, saying " you aren't putting carrots in that one are you !"
Hello Lucy enjoyed that video if I knew you were coming I'd have baked a cake 😂 like yourself I'm from Birmingham. a merry Christmas to you and your mum big up 👍
Hiya Bab :) Thank you! Merry Christmas xx
Hi Lucy! This was wonderful and so festive. I grew up eating Christmas cake and mincemeat tarts. I've made the tarts for Christmas but I have never made a Christmas cake from start to finish on my own. You have inspired me. Lol
It was lovely to meet your Mom.🥰
Thank you - she took some persuading because neither of us really looked tv ready!! haha. Have a go at your own Christmas cake - this one really was delicious! Let me know how you get on (I love mincepies by the way - I eat so many in December it's terrible, I can't turn one down!)
I love this so much- I knew I would! Well done, Lucy.
Thanks, I really appreciate it, I was really nervous about doing it as it's something so different so that is really kind of you x
Fascinating! And sobering to think that it's all now so long ago that not you, not your Mum, but your Mum's mum (as a child!) or her Gran would have eaten this for real...
Absolutely! Not long a go at all, fruit cake is starting to fizzle out which is a real shame but I totally love it x
Very interesting yet different... You could visit some of the NT properties local to you at Christmas... they always have different themes and they change regularly. Black country living museum also dress up for Christmas, same as blist hill etc always insightful visiting them around Christmas. Keep the videos coming looking forward to them.
Thank you Martyn! I'm desperate to get over to Blist Hill, I'm hopefully going this week xx
The cake really looks good!!❤️🇨🇦
I thought your mom was your sister lol
She is going to LOVE this so much!!! We have good genes, I can only hope to look so youthful at her age, we have a weird gene on my Moms side that no one goes grey (not sure what that is all about) so that really helps! I am very proud of her and she doesn't realise how lovely she is xx
@@throughlucyslensshe is very lucky!! You will probably inherit her genes, you look like your mom.😁
I really love your videos, well done! x
Thank you, genuinely very appreciative x
That black treacle is making me crave toffee 😂
The icing 🤯
I haven't made toffee for YEARS! Remember my friend Scott?, he dipped his finger in boiling toffee when we were making it as teens - I've never forgotten the pain on his face and don't think I've made it since actually!
I remember Scott and I’m not surprised that put you off 😩
My grandad always used to have Thorntons black treacle toffee at Christmas when we were small. Whenever I see or use it that’s what I think of
Huge shoutout to the generation that got their families through these times 🫶🏻👏👏 Thanks Lucy incredible video & 👋 to your Mum ❤🥰❤️
Yes!! Absolutely!! I think this all the time when I make these videos! I shall say hi to Mom :)
Hi, my granny used to put flour on the spoon so golden syrup and treacle didn't stick yo it. Makes it much easier to use.
That's a great tip. I usually dip it in boiling water so it slides off but this sounds better actually - thank you!
@throughlucyslens my grandmother was a brilliant Baker!
I'm not a huge fan of Christmas cake, but my mom was. She passed in 2022, so thank you for giving me a little reminder of her. Much love from Vancouver BC 🇨🇦 ❤❤
Thanks for watching, I think Christmas cake splits the crowd but we always remember those who loved it best x
YUM! Lucy, well done!! And your Mum is gorgeous!! Not that keen on Marzipan, but I make myself cope :) Don't think I've ever actually made a Christmas Cake - once all the Great Cook rellies had passed over to that Great Bakery in the sky, it was easier to buy a "Lions" (the BIG Xmas cake thing, Down Under). As the weather was often scorching (in West Aussie), I preferred to make and eat Sultana Cake, which was a yellow cake (no, not Nuclear!) and much "lighter". But let's face it; almost any "cake" is lovely and desirable, IMHO...... Oh, maybe that's just this little piggy?? 🤭 RjB
That icing looks amazing! I’m definitely going to try that!
What a lovely video. I love WW2 ration recipes. It’s fascinating to me how creative they were and how clever. Like you said about the icing, so much of what they did was pure alchemy.
It was lovely seeing you hang out with your mum too 😊
Merry Christmas to you Lucy.
Thank you! It was lovely to spend time with her, we are both really creative and she enjoyed seeing how I make and direct the videos and I very much enjoyed how many great creative ideas she has too! X
@ oh that’s wonderful! I’m so glad you had a lovely time with her. And that’s fantastic that she was able to contribute creatively!
I had my mum visit a few weeks ago. She hadn’t been here since NYE as I regularly go to the town where she lives and so I pop in to her house. But it was lovely to have her at my house again. She’s coming again for Christmas and bringing my aunties which will be very special. So far the forecast is 32°C. Hopefully that’s way off and it’s a pleasant day in the 20’s so my dog can wear his elf suit 😂😂
32 degrees .. my goodness!!! You know I've always wanted to experience Christmas in the "summer" to see what it's like because I just can't imagine it! Christmas Day here is usually 5-10 degrees .: and often rain .. none of that snow you see on the cards!
@ ahhh but there’s always the hope of snow in the weeks prior. We have the dread of a stinker 😂😂 Well, some people enjoy the heat. I don’t.
Some families still do the full traditional Christmas dinner and have their ovens blaring for hours. My family just decide on something that’s fairly easy. We did BBQs a lot when Dad was still with us. Now we’re all so far apart that getting everyone together really doesn’t work, so Mum will see my brother Christmas Eve then come to me Christmas Day and bring leftovers lol. And my sister in law is cooking most of it so it’ll be pretty good 😁 I’ll probably make a dessert but it’ll likely be a no bake cheesecake or something like that to avoid using the oven.
If you ever have a chance to get here and experience an Aussie Christmas definitely do it. You could have Christmas on the beach 😁
Btw. It was 40° yesterday. I’m so glad it’s not going to be that hot for Christmas!
Thanks Lucy. The cake looks delicious despite the ingredients being limited. I love a good old fashioned Christmas. 😊
Thank you Mary - I will indeed! My house looks like the ghost of the 1960s threw up all over it - canterbury bell lights, lanterns and all so I am feeling very happy :)
Hello from Canada, Lucy! As I listened to you explain about how Christmas fruit cakes were made in the 1940s, I recalled my Mum telling me about what it was like for her family during the war. My Grandparents lived on a farm in the country during the war, and their four daughters, including my mum, would help stir the batter for the Christmas cake, and each make a wish. My Mum and I made a Christmas fruit cake a couple of years ago, and we each made a wish as we stirred the cake batter. Two years ago, we made some mincemeat for Christmas, and as with the Christmas cake batter, we each made a wish while stirring the mincemeat. Mum added minced potato and carrots to our mincemeat, as well as lard. We couldn't get any suet, so we had to substitute lard. I helped mix the lard into the mixture of the mincemeat, by using my hands. I'd seen my Grandmother do that, so I copied her method. We still have a couple of jars of mincemeat in the freezer! Watching you make your lovely Christmas fruit cake, marzipan, and icing reminded me of Christmases long ago at my grandparents' house. They are gone, but I still have my memories! Happy Christmas, Lucy! ~Janet in Canada
Oh Janet, that's so lovely! Lard is a most underused and underrated ingredient these days I think - my Dad used to make amazing chips in a saucepan with lard! We always had a block in the house. I absolutely love mincepies, they are my favourite Christmas treat, this year I had the pleasure of working with a group of seniors with dementia and we all shared the bowl and passed it round, it was incredible seeing them all come to life and start to share memories - food can be so important in bringing people together. Happy Christmas :) x
Absolutely loved this Lucy and I'm going to give it a go. Thank you, a glimpse into my Nana's Christmas back then ❤Well done x
Please let me know how you get on and if you like the cake x
@throughlucyslens I certainly will x
Thank you again Lucy, you did really well making that cake, it looked so authentic. I am 78 so i can remember sugar, and foods containing sugar, being on ration when i was a child. My gran used to make a cake very similair, although we did have real eggs. I think the fruit was soaked in water, or tea beforehand so tlhe cake was not dry.. lovely to meet your mum. We used to do the twisted crepe paper streamers and paper chains for christmas decorations. I still did them with my children when we couldn't afford much else. 🙂🎄
I really wish I had soaked the fruit - even in hot water, I think we will make it again as it's really delicious and do it next time! Thank you for your lovely compliments x
I thorough enjoyed this. I’m going to make that cake.
You look exactly like your Mother… she looks like your sister!
Thank you! She is going to LOVE these compliments - I hope she reads them! ❤️
I have one of those milk tins , my nan used it for biscuits until just 3 years ago ❤
Keep hold of it - I think they are really special ! x
Gosh to think my grandma and maybe her neighbours could have been making things like this
Absolutely, and not even that long ago x
Love watching your video's.....my Mum is from England, Liverpool.....and I've always been fascinated with the history of the United Kingdom.
Hi Julie! Thank you so much for spending your time with me and watching - it's so appreciated (and Liverpool is my absolute 2nd home of a city here - I love it !!)
LOVED THIS ! My grandmothers had similar recipes, will have to see if I can find them. One was in her early twenties, and the other was in her mid thirties in 1945. Both were in the U.S., but we had also had rationing, so many of the older recipes had similar constraints on quantities and types of ingredients. Both, in their own way, always made meals special, and I wonder if it's because they knew how much a simple meal can restore a sense of normalcy.
I think food is so important in making us feel safe, calm, relaxed - and of course satisfied! Your brain works better when it's being fed. I think like you say they were amazing, my Dads sisters could make an amazing meal out of barely anything - my favourite was their plated pies made from pastry using the fat from the Sunday roast meat - absolutely gorgeous!
What a fantastic video - thank you xx A wonderful way to spend 20 minutes on a Sunday evening... one day, I'll have a go!
Yes please do! I'd love to hear how yours goes - and the cake itself really is delicious x
Lovely video Lucy, fantastic christmas cake!. enjoyed watching💕
Thank you; we had such a lovely time creating it too x
Wow, a great end product that looked amazing. We certainly take things for granted these days. Thanks for another great video taking us a step back in time. 👏
Absolutely! Thanks for coming with me Susan ❤️
Happy Christmas vlogg have a happy Christmas lucy and to you abd yiur happy smile dog 🐕 have a happy day always ❤🎉😊
Thankyou Stephen! I did think of you when Rupert jumped up on the table because I know you like to see him x
I’m one of the very few brits who can’t stand fruit cake, Xmas puddings, or Marzipan.
It was still very interesting to watch though. You smashed it 👍🏼
Merry Christmas x
Thanks Dan, I think fruit cakes divide the crowd. I've always loved them but my sister can't stand it! Thanks for watching tho bud,
Appreciated!
That was fun to watch! Very interesting! Glad I found your channel.
Thank you darling. I saw you sticking up for me and was replying when it vanished. I was highly appreciative as that comment actually made me cry (I'm too soft I know) as I was literally trying to help someone who asked. Oh well ... it is what it is - but thank you. YOU'RE amazing ❤️
Thank you for sharing fantastic as usual, looks so good. Nice to see your mom. Interesting 😂
hahhaa.. you saw through us .. "interesting" means pretty horrible in our family code so when she said that I knew what she meant really .. you know what it's like, trying to be polite .. !! x
A love this video Lucy! You are such a delight to watch. Lovey to see your mom too. BTW, I have inherited my Grandmothers 1953 cookbook.
I bet that's a real gem! I just adore old recipe books!
My mum up until recently did stir up Sunday. I remember when I was at uni I did my stir and wish over Skype (even Skype feels old now!)
That's so lovely!!! We never did it, but I've decided from now on I am! X
This whole video was so lovely. I recall even in the 1960s recipes were still basic, leaving a lot of guesswork when i was trying to "help" in the kitchen! Great cake and Mum looks fab too!
Thank you! Recipes these days are pages and pages long covering all eventualities, I love how these contain a lot of guess work - far more fun!
That turned out really well 🙂
Lovely to meet your mum, the talent behind those beautiful doll's houses you showed us in another video & hello to Rupert too ❤
Hello :) Yes she is so creative and clever .. Rupert sends a woof x
very nice,you talking about cake mix as you made it. made me think of my English great aunts living with rations and shortages into the 50's. and they sent me the best books.
I loved this video! I love to bake so the substitutions were fascinating and the whole topic was so cozy and nostalgic for the holidays. I also really enjoyed seeing you interact with your mum and the surprise cameo by Rupert! You have become such a natural in front of the camera now that a lack of confidence isn't holding you back! ❤🍰🎄
Thank you so much! It does sometimes, I have quite a lot of unkind comments about my accent and how I pronounce things sometimes and I have just been through a bunch so this comment came at a GOOD time! I wonder should I go and get some elocution lessons to sound like a "real English lady" .. haha .. I love my Brummie accent really!
@throughlucyslens by no means!! Keep your accent as is! The whole point of watching these videos is to learn about the area and the people who lived/live there. Don't change who you are to suit someone else's ignorance. If they really struggle they can use the captions, but honestly, like anything it's just a matter of practice. I love your accent, I know I am getting the real thing: a real Brummie and the real you ❤️
Thanks Nadia for those lovely words! I remember when I went to university I tried to speak more "posh" but I just sounded like a fool 😂
@@throughlucyslens BTW, Lucy, I seem to remember that you created an email address for the channel. I have a question, but I can't remember the address.
No problem! It's lilsparlourtube@gmail.com x
I used to make Christmas cake, but I found it people didn’t eat it so I stopped making it as it was being wasted. I could only eat so much myself LOL it’s very interesting to see various things that were rationed. Thank you for showing us that, it was lovely to see your mum, Merry Christmas to you and your family in case I don’t see you next week 😊❤🎅
It's such a shame so few people seem to enjoy Christmas cake - should have had me and Mom round we would have scoffed the lot!! Thank you - a very Happy Christmas to you too! :)
You and your mother look quite alike! The pup is adorable.
My grandfather loved fruit cake, but his always ended up tasting so, so strong-- they'd put hair on your chest, he always said!
Ohhh yes, plenty of alcohol to warm the blood over winter! haha .. sometimes it can be a bit much can't it?
Awesome! Makes me want have a go
Go for it ! I always think when making a cake what can possibly go wrong? It's packed full of lovely ingredients so it doesn't matter what it looks like it's the taste that matters :)
Thank you Lucy, It looks delicious; My mum and Grandma always made their own Christmas cakes. When you were mixing the ingredients, and at the end you scooped a little on your finger to taste, it reminded me of when my brother and I were young children and we would fight who could get to scrape the most out of the bowl. My brother, being older always won.
Absolutely - chefs perks are one of the best bit of making a cake .. my sister and I used to argue about it too!! I don't know why raw cake mix tastes so good, it shouldn't really but it's just delicious!
The cake looks beautiful. Merry Christmas to you all from across the pond!
Merry Christmas right back over :) ,, thank you xx
The cake looked so pretty with the crepe paper and the real holly. I'm not a lover of fruit cake so I've never made a Christmas cake, but enjoyed you making yours.
My Grandmother used to tell me about the rations and the bombing in Liverpool! Scary times!
So scary, as a child I was really interested in the Morrison shelters - you know the ones that looked like a kitchen table in a cage .. I used to set one up under the dining table and sit there wondering how awful it must have been sat there thinking your home could be hit at any minute .. a miracle anyone came out of it with such a positive attitude like they did!
@@throughlucyslens I've never heard of a Morrison shelter. My Grandmother told me she decided not to go to the communal shelter one night and it received a direct hit. They stayed in their Anderson shelter instead! My Dad was
evacuated to Wales from Birkenhead but my Mother stayed on Liverpool! Your videos are a delight!
This was very interesting. My Mum used to tell us about the rationing during the war. She was from the East end of London in Poplar.
Ohhh Poplar is such a fascinating place for me, she must have had a tough war with that area being targeted so much in The Blitz?
@@throughlucyslens Yes. Her family's home was badly damaged in the bombing and they moved into a prefab so I was very interested in your video about prefabs.
So glad to hear they were moved somewhere nice, I think those people who lived through it are the embodiment of strength x
Thank you for a great recipe and an enjoyable Christmas visit. Your fruitcake recipe is quite similar to one that I've been using for about 40 years! It has no fat content at all but more flour than yours. It also calls for a pound of dried fruit and it specifies that the fruit should be soaked overnight in strong cold tea. I like to use Earl Grey for this because it adds a little extra delicate flavor. Sometimes I haven't had enough dried fruit (very expensive here in the US), so I'll add chopped apples and nuts. More than once I've used trail mix when nothing else was available. The recipe never fails, and I usually try to keep a loaf or two in the freezer--nothing is better with a mug of tea. Glad to share the recipe if anyone is interested. Again thanks!
Thank you for offering to share your recipe,'that's really kind of you! I do wish I had soaked my fruit - we are going to eat the cake today at a family gathering and I'm worried it's going to be dry!
That was fascinating Lucy and your mum is just as lovely as you are, but where on earth did you get those ingredients - egg powder and the soy? If I can find these I'll definitely make it. Have a great Christmas and I look forward to more videos in the New Year.❤
I got them both online, the soy flour was actually advertised as fishing bait but I called the shop and they said it's packaged for humans it's just people use it for fishing, the powdered eggs were from a health food shop (and so expensive!!!) the powdered milk is a brand called Nido, it's the only one I could find that was whole milk - that was in Morrisons. X
Marguerite Patten OBE, an economist, was the lady who worked for the ministry for food and made up so many of these war time ration meals. She was hired specifically for this job.
She died in 2015 at 99 years young. She worked in harrods after the war and endorsed the prestige pressure cooker. Interesting lady.
I think Marguerite and her colleagues at the MOF were incredible, some of the recipes are alchemy! I need to read some of her books actually, you have reminded me! :)
Awesome, Lucy. I loved this video, the combination of history and cooking.And I also loved to meet your Mum. Thank you for this gem
Very welcome! We had such a lovely day together creating it x
That was an interesting experiment. It's an idea for Christmas , to get into the spirit of it. Going vintage and cooking on a budget
We really enjoyed it - felt very Christmassy which is something I miss these days :)
Hi Lucy, Really enjoyed watching this "Great Bake Off" edition,most enjoyable. Thanks for a super upload, Best wishes to yourself, Mum, Family & fellow viewers ❤❤❤.
Thank you so much! Really appreciate your feedback as I was worried about it really! X
@throughlucyslens It looked great, luv the way you bring history to life, best wishes.
Very kind of you, I enjoy doing it so much!
My grandmother made a "war cake" that is similar (It had no milk or eggs. From my memory, it had Coffee or water, shortening or other solid fat like margarine, sugar, cake spice, flour and raisins...)
Oh lovely! Thank you for sharing this x
This looks so yummy! Have to say, marzipan on a cake is my absolute favourite! 🎄
I love it on wedding cake - the wedding cakes I remember as a kid with the lovely thick royal icing ..
Enjoyed this. Thanks, Lucy. Nice to see your mum, too :)
We enjoyed making it so much - had the best time! Thank you for watching x
Well , that was so interesting Lucy! The time you spent finding the recipe,and the ingredients, then bringing them all together reminded me of the times spent in the queue at the grocers in Newport(Mon) to get some of the dried goods. We were lucky as we had hens so eggs were no problem…..and a black market item to swap for butter or sugar! Our milk was from my Mum’s cousin’s farm,delivered by horse and cart and measured direct out of the churns into large enamel jugs to keep in the cold pantry. I can remember that Mum and my aunties taking a bit of icing sugar off the cake to put in their tea as the sugar ration had all been used in and on the cake! Thanks for the memories once again Lucy , just happy recalling family get togethers ! Happy Christmas to you.
Really chuckling thinking about stirring a bit of icing sugar into their tea .. I tell you now I imagine my Dad would have done the same as he really didn't like his coffee without 2 sugars and working nights he needed that coffee! Really lovely memories - and honestly important oral social history shared here Vivienne - so thank you!
One of these days Lucy , you and I ought to meet up to share more oral history ! What with growing up during the latter part of the war and then finding myself in Brum to do my nursing , midwifery , health visiting training etc. I have seen life! And ….Birmingham was a good city to me for 27 years! I expect you may remember Condensed Milk? I used to sneak some which was meant for sugar in tea replacement for the men in my family …to have condensed milk sandwiches ! Yuk!
And what about all those games that were played once Christmas lunch was over ? Quizzes , card games , hangman, consequences . And all singing songs from the ‘ Daily Herald Song Book’ around the piano ….and my Mum’s hero Ivor Novello , singing romantic songs from his shows ! Yes happy days indeed
I would really love that Vivienne, my Dad and his siblings all had really bad teeth as their Mom used to dip a dummy into condensed milk or virol to keep them quiet - I am sure their health visitor would have been advising her against it but she had such a poor upbringing and 7 kids running around, it must have been bedlam for them! X
Really loved this one, Lucy! Great meeting your mum!
Thanks Jeff, she was an unwilling participant but I think she enjoyed it really ;)
What a lovely Christmas cake 🥮 I'll be making it for this Christmas!
It occurred to me that despite there being no alcohol specified in the recipe, soaking the fruit in stout is A Thing as is soaking in cold tea. I've always soaked dried fruit in tea for any recipe so this time I might forego my habit and try stout instead!
Having just discovered your delightful channel, I've subscribed. Thank you.
You are very welcome, thank you for your kind words - yes beer wasn't rationed so why not try some of the dark stuff? I imagine it would be lovely! Please let me know how it turns out xx
What a great video Lucy. So very interesting to understand the trials that post war rationing must have caused. This cake would have been esteemed after years of deprivation im sure. Lovely to see you and your Mum, like sisters! Being from north of the border my Mum was a great clootie dumpling maker and carrot was always included in the recipe. Im sure during the war years they would have incorporated whatever they could find. Merry Christmas to you both and the lovely doggie.
Thank you! I feel I now need to make and try a clootie as it's not something I've ever had - Mom will be so chuffed all these lovely comments she is getting. So ❤️
We loved this episode, thank you! I so enjoy reading rationing recipes and suggestions. Sometimes they sound awful and turn out okay. I'm going to try the icing recipe on our Christmas cake already made. Have a wonderful holiday season!
Let me know if you like it, we thought it was nice - different but in a good way compared to sugar packed icing x
Thank you Lucy for this interesting baking video. It was nice to meet your mum too.
She loved it once she started! We both wish we had time to put a bit of makeup on but the cake needed eating ;) x
@throughlucyslens you both looked lovely x
Excellent Lucy. I had long conversations with my Mom about food rationing and how they managed. Points were saved and swapped for months to get ingredients together as you said. I'm very interested especially to try the mock icing as I'm diabetic. I have very fond memories of mock cream, which Mom made for many years, and I have made it too.
Lovely to meet your Mom as well.
Thank you once again. Best wishes. x
The mock icing might be a great idea for you to try. It does have a small amount of sugar but I am sure a teaspoon of alternative sweetener would work the same, it tasted really lovely!
@throughlucyslens thank you Lucy. x
Lucy that was very interesting. I use powdered eggs when I go camping and it is great for scrambled egg or omelets, I've never baked with it. I was interested that the recipe had treacle in it, which gave sweetness and colour. My Mum who was an adult throughout the 2nd World War use a touch of gravy browning to ensure her cakes looked rich. Like you said some grated carrots would be good. Thanks for the post and best wishes for Christmas and 2025
That's interesting they taste nice because I have so many left over from buying the ones for the video; I'll try it as I love an omlette and often run out of eggs. I believe certain fast food joints use powdered eggs on their breakfasts and I really like them ...
Loved your demonstration. It sounds as though it’s delicious!
It was a lovely cake Julie x
My late mum reckoned carrot cake only became popular again amongst those with no memory of the war or post-war austerity and rationing. The thing she said was in very short supply was onions unless you grew your own. Wartime margarine was pretty disgusting apparently, with a distinctly fishy taste. There was also a tinned fish called snoek which nobody liked much.
Snoek! My goodness I have not thought about tinned snoek for a long time! Yes I've heard the margarine was disgusting, Mom actually said the same last night. I absolutely LOVE carrot cake I need to find a recipe from back then as the ones I like making contain a tonne of sugar - would be nice to see a cheaper alternative with less of the sweet stuff!
@throughlucyslens People would add sweet cicely (the leaves, I think) to puddings as it has the property to intensify sweetness.
Cake looks amazing Lucy.😊
Thank you! We enjoyed making it so much!
Well done Lucy and how nice to meet your mum 😊
The tablecloth at the beginning was the same as my gran's. Was there a name for that material ?
Also I wish that dried egg was still readily available as it's so convenient.
Dried egg is so expensive now! I couldn't believe it, I naively thought it would be cheap as chips but it's quite the opposite - you can get it online but I don't know if the price is worth it unless you knew you used it regularly. It's Moms tablecloth - she made it actually .. so I will ask her what the fabric is called x
What a LOVELY video.
Thank you so much - means a lot x
Wonderful ❤ Thank you!x
Very welcome, thank you for spending your time with me watching x
Christmas greetings, Lucy! I've been enjoying all your recent videos, even if I haven't commented on each one. This one was so different, and I loved it. In awe of your culinary skills as when I have tried mixing cakes I get ingredients eveywhere. Nice to see your Mum and the gorgeous little Bedlington Terrier, too. Have a wonderful Christmas and I hope that 2025 will be a fantastic year for you. I know I'm looking forward to watching more of your fab adventures. xx
Thank you so much! I have no excuse to make a mess as I ran a bakery for 10 years and sold my cakes all over the world including a wedding cake that went to Germany! I had hardly ever made a fruit cake though so I was nervous nevertheless! I just love food to be honest and would love to explore more food related history x
@@throughlucyslens Wow, that must have bene hard work but very satisfying whe your clients were happy. x
I hate baking but that was a fun experiment to watch. Back to the streamers...there were so many variations. The ceiling ones were obviously wider and it used to be one of my childhood jobs to roll two colours together, so that you got a 'barber pole' effect when they were twisted and hung. I also remember stretching the edges of the crepe to create frills, as well as the usual cut fringing.
Crepe paper is brilliant stuff isn't it? Problem is it's hard to get nice long pieces now, the barber shop effect ones sound brilliant actually! I'd love to try that xx