Keeping British kids fighting fit during World War II!
I feel like September has always been a really rough month for the blog. I'm usually in the middle of moving, starting a new job, finishing grad school, or recovering from planning a wedding. 2019 had been especially unkind motivation wise, so this post is one of three that probably should have gone up way sooner, and will end up being backdated. Whoops.
Anyway, one thing I've also been trying to do this September is eat better. As I've discussed before, historical recipes and eating "better" by modern standards often aren't really compatible. What was considered healthy for a pioneer family in 1854 is vastly different for an office worker in 2019, because I'm not getting up at the crack of dawn every day to do backbreaking labor like every member of the Larson family would have been. One period that does have surprisingly healthy - and often surprisingly not that bad, if not good - recipes to offer is World War II, especially when looking into British dishes, where rationing was a lot more intense than it was in the United States. Read on to see an experimental meal that helped British school kids stay healthy in spite of food shortages!
Anyway, one thing I've also been trying to do this September is eat better. As I've discussed before, historical recipes and eating "better" by modern standards often aren't really compatible. What was considered healthy for a pioneer family in 1854 is vastly different for an office worker in 2019, because I'm not getting up at the crack of dawn every day to do backbreaking labor like every member of the Larson family would have been. One period that does have surprisingly healthy - and often surprisingly not that bad, if not good - recipes to offer is World War II, especially when looking into British dishes, where rationing was a lot more intense than it was in the United States. Read on to see an experimental meal that helped British school kids stay healthy in spite of food shortages!
The Oslo Meal was pioneered in the 1930's as a way to make sure school kids were receiving nutritionally beneficial meals at school. During World War II, many schools in the United Kingdom decided to try out these very easy to prepare meals as a way to ensure their students were getting healthy food.
The concept of the Oslo Meal is very simple: load up a plate with lots of vegetables for a salad, and provide a small block of cheese, a glass of milk, and two slices of bread, which can be buttered (or margarined, as the case may be in war time.)
Vegetables weren't rationed in Britain during the war, meaning schools could use whatever was available to fill kid's plates. As they were so veggie heavy, they're filling as well as pretty nutritionally decent for growing kids. Housewives also took to the concept for an easy to prepare cold dinner. These lunches remained popular in the United Kingdom and other parts of the world until they were swapped out for hot lunches in the post-war period.
I'm a very lazy meal prepper, so they only thing I don't like about this is chopping the vegetables and making sure you have it packed up to take to work. But that's a me thing, not an Oslo Meal thing. If you're looking for a veggie heavy packable lunch that's historically inspired, you could definitely do worse than this!
What are some of your favorite lunches to take to work or school?
The concept of the Oslo Meal is very simple: load up a plate with lots of vegetables for a salad, and provide a small block of cheese, a glass of milk, and two slices of bread, which can be buttered (or margarined, as the case may be in war time.)
Vegetables weren't rationed in Britain during the war, meaning schools could use whatever was available to fill kid's plates. As they were so veggie heavy, they're filling as well as pretty nutritionally decent for growing kids. Housewives also took to the concept for an easy to prepare cold dinner. These lunches remained popular in the United Kingdom and other parts of the world until they were swapped out for hot lunches in the post-war period.
I'm a very lazy meal prepper, so they only thing I don't like about this is chopping the vegetables and making sure you have it packed up to take to work. But that's a me thing, not an Oslo Meal thing. If you're looking for a veggie heavy packable lunch that's historically inspired, you could definitely do worse than this!
What are some of your favorite lunches to take to work or school?
Time to eat!
I have a really hard time eating enough vegetables, so I might give this a try sometime.
ReplyDeleteI am fascinated by recipes from British WWII rationing. You needed so much creativity!
ReplyDelete