Economical wartime recipe Woolton Pie

Modern version of this pie

World War Two had been going for two years and rations were tight in 1941. This led to many UK householders growing what vegetables they could. Small gardens were utilised, large ornamental flower gardens were given over to vegetables and many people began to grow produce on council allotments.

To this day many people still grow an assortment of flowers and vegetables on allotments in the UK. They are harder to come by these days but still available.

Housewives in the UK needed every bit of cooking ingenuity to create tasty, healthy meals out of the meager rations allowed in war-time. What is it they say about necessity being the Mother of Invention? It proved just that. New recipes were created and more than 60 years later some are being used once again.Finances are tight again and value for money is paramount. Forget expensive frozen ready meals an cook for good health and wealth instead. choose homemade meals for value and taste.

​How to make a war time classic - Woolton Pie

Ingredients

• 1lb of potatoes-King Edwards
• 2lbs of carrots
• 1/2lb mushrooms
• 1 small leek
• 2ounce of margarine or chicken fat
• 2 spring onions
• To season salt, pepper, nutmeg and parsley
• Bunch of herbs made from small bay leaf, 1 small sprig of thyme, parsley and celery

Method
The recipe then says wash and peel the potatoes and carrots cutting them into slices the thickness of a penny. This is an old penny though which has not been in circulation for many years. I would say slim slices are what they mean.

Dry the washed sliced vegetables in a clean tea towel. Heat a little chicken fat in a frying pan and add the vegetable slices.

Next treat the mushrooms as above. Finely chop the onion and leek. Add all of this to the frying pan. Mix together and add the seasoning above or your own choices if preferred. Make sure you only lightly fry the vegetables.

​Lightly grease a pie dish and add the whole mixture to it. Place the bundle of herbs in the middle of the pie. Moisten with a little giblet stock. Most of us would never use the giblets of a chicken for stock these days and many purchased chickens have them already removed. You could use a store bought vegetable or chicken stock though. Allow the mixture to cool.

Pastry Ingredients

• Flour
• Beef suet or chicken fat
• Margarine

Cover the Wolton Pie mixture with a pastry crust made from half beef suet, or chicken fat, and margarine.

Bake in the oven for 11/2 hours. Check your oven guide for the best cooking times, for a vegetable bake of this kind.

Eat and enjoy!

​http://www.carrotmuseum.co.uk/woolton.html