Alice’s Potato Scones
Alice, one of the IBCC’s Duke of Edinburgh volunteers, has put together a blog post all about VE Day, including a delicious recipe for potato scones.
The 75th anniversary of VE Day is rapidly approaching – the 8th of May having been a time of great celebration amongst the allies of World War Two ever since 1945. It marks the day of celebration, and recognised national holiday, after the announcement that the war had ended with Europe was broadcast to the British people on the radio on the 7th of May 1945.
Fun Facts about VE Day 1945:
– Queen Elizabeth (Princess at the time) described it as being ‘one of the most memorable nights of my life’.
– In New York, 15,000 police officers were needed to control the celebrating crowds.
– VE Day did not signify the end to the war, as the allies were still fighting Japan. VJ Day on August 15th (1945) celebrates the day Japan surrendered.
Rations
During the war, supplies including food and fabric were rationed heavily and people were not free to buy whatever they desired. A typical weekly food allowance for 1 adult during the war was:
- 100 grams of bacon and ham
- 2 small chops of other meat
- 50 grams of butter
- 50 grams of cheese
- 100 grams of margarine
- 100 grams of cooking fat
- 1.5 litres of milk
- 250 grams of sugar
- 50 grams of tea
- 1 egg
- 100 grams of sweets
Additionally:
- 1 packet of dried milk per month
- 450 grams of jam every 2 months
- 1 packet of dried egg per month
A child would be allowed half of these ration amounts.
Potato Scone Recipe
A recipe you could try to make in celebration of VE Day 75 would Potato Scones. These would have been a treat for people to make out of their rations, and would have been eaten in the 1945 VE Day celebrations, as rationing carried on until 1954.
Recipe: Makes 8 scones
Ingredients:
- 170g plain flour
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1tsp baking powder
- 110g mashed potato
- 60g butter
- 30g of caster sugar (if you would like sweet scones)
- 4-5 tbsp. milk
Method:
- Heat the oven to 180 degrees and line a baking tray with parchment paper.
- Mix plain flour with salt and baking powder.
- Add the mashed potato to the dry ingredients.
- Mix in butter until well combined (use of hands may be necessary). Add caster sugar if you are making sweet scones.
- Add 4 – 5 tablespoons of milk and mix to form a soft dough.
- Roll the dough out to about 1cm thick.
- Cut the dough into circles or triangular wedges and brush the tops with milk or egg.
- Bake them at 180 degrees for around 15 minutes.
Happy baking!
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