they were making.
âLadies,â she began, âIâm sure youâll agree that sandwiches are the mainstay of a workerâs lunch. Luckily for us all, bread is not on ration just yet. But letâs be fair, it isnât easy to make that two ounces of cheese per person go far when youâve got sandwiches to make. This especially applies when thereâs more than one of you in the house working every hour in the day. So here are a few simple suggestions â¦â
âNumber one,â she said, her voice resonant as she counted the first one on her finger. âTry adding chopped onion to dripping before spreading it on bread.
âNumber two: use a spoonful of chutney â home-made or otherwise â instead of butter.
âNumber three: always grate cheese and, again, add a little chopped onion for your sandwich filling. Youâll find it goes a lot further.
âNumber four: carrot tops can be used as you would lettuce; just chop it up and sprinkle on whatever filling youâre using.
âMy only warning is not to use onion in the sandwiches you make for yourself if youâve got a date that night, eh girls? Even the most hardened army veteran draws the line at kissing a mouth that tastes of onion!â
It pleased her to hear a smattering of laughter. Sheâd learned pretty quickly that it paid to be amusing.
âGrated white cabbage and carrot make good sandwich fillers especially when mixed with cold meat. And mince the meat to make it go further. Youâll find it goes further still if you mince it the night before then press it between two plates and place a weight on top of it; that way it flattens, goes further and is easier to place between two slices of bread.â
As she spoke, her gaze swept over her audience, settling for a moment on Corporal Smith. He was sitting with his arms folded, his eyes fixed on his boots, a quirky grin on his face. His expression was like that of a boy about to get up to mischief.
âNow for the best part,â she cried, loud enough to ensure that everyone was wide awake. âWe come to the subject of pastry and cakes. We all know how difficult it is getting enough fat, sugar and basic ingredients for making a pie, a tart or a cake. But, with a little ingenuity you will find you can produce something to tickle even the most sceptical of taste buds. I use the word âscepticalâ because jam isnât always real jam, cream isnât always real cream and the ingredients of mock duck pie have nothing to do with duck whatsoever!â
Once a murmur of approval ran through her audience, she knew they were really listening.
âAs you may or may not have noticed, my name is Miss Sweet. There are two of us: Iâm Ruby and then thereâs my sister Mary. You may have heard her on the BBC
Kitchen Front
programme. You may also have noted that we both advocate that every main meal should be followed by something sweet, a little luxury to keep our spirits up. To that end we have gathered together some baking recipes you may like. Sweet-tasting recipes produced by the Sweet sisters!â
Even to her own ears, Ruby thought again how very apt and wonderful it sounded. Sweet things produced by the Sweet sisters!
At the end of the talk when sheâd handed out recipe leaflets, the atmosphere literally buzzed with enthusiastic conversation.
âCakes and pastries courtesy of the Sweet sisters,â declared the factory foreman. âGive her a hand, girls. Sweets from the Sweets!â
Titters of laughter accompanied the clapping, and then it was all over. Another talk and baking demonstration had come to an end.
Corporal Smith followed her out, the wicker hamper swinging from one hand. He was looking down at the ground and shaking his head. She wasnât fooled: he was smiling to himself. Or smirking. Either way something had amused him.
âSo what were you grinning about?â she said once they
âLadies,â she began, âIâm sure youâll agree that sandwiches are the mainstay of a workerâs lunch. Luckily for us all, bread is not on ration just yet. But letâs be fair, it isnât easy to make that two ounces of cheese per person go far when youâve got sandwiches to make. This especially applies when thereâs more than one of you in the house working every hour in the day. So here are a few simple suggestions â¦â
âNumber one,â she said, her voice resonant as she counted the first one on her finger. âTry adding chopped onion to dripping before spreading it on bread.
âNumber two: use a spoonful of chutney â home-made or otherwise â instead of butter.
âNumber three: always grate cheese and, again, add a little chopped onion for your sandwich filling. Youâll find it goes a lot further.
âNumber four: carrot tops can be used as you would lettuce; just chop it up and sprinkle on whatever filling youâre using.
âMy only warning is not to use onion in the sandwiches you make for yourself if youâve got a date that night, eh girls? Even the most hardened army veteran draws the line at kissing a mouth that tastes of onion!â
It pleased her to hear a smattering of laughter. Sheâd learned pretty quickly that it paid to be amusing.
âGrated white cabbage and carrot make good sandwich fillers especially when mixed with cold meat. And mince the meat to make it go further. Youâll find it goes further still if you mince it the night before then press it between two plates and place a weight on top of it; that way it flattens, goes further and is easier to place between two slices of bread.â
As she spoke, her gaze swept over her audience, settling for a moment on Corporal Smith. He was sitting with his arms folded, his eyes fixed on his boots, a quirky grin on his face. His expression was like that of a boy about to get up to mischief.
âNow for the best part,â she cried, loud enough to ensure that everyone was wide awake. âWe come to the subject of pastry and cakes. We all know how difficult it is getting enough fat, sugar and basic ingredients for making a pie, a tart or a cake. But, with a little ingenuity you will find you can produce something to tickle even the most sceptical of taste buds. I use the word âscepticalâ because jam isnât always real jam, cream isnât always real cream and the ingredients of mock duck pie have nothing to do with duck whatsoever!â
Once a murmur of approval ran through her audience, she knew they were really listening.
âAs you may or may not have noticed, my name is Miss Sweet. There are two of us: Iâm Ruby and then thereâs my sister Mary. You may have heard her on the BBC
Kitchen Front
programme. You may also have noted that we both advocate that every main meal should be followed by something sweet, a little luxury to keep our spirits up. To that end we have gathered together some baking recipes you may like. Sweet-tasting recipes produced by the Sweet sisters!â
Even to her own ears, Ruby thought again how very apt and wonderful it sounded. Sweet things produced by the Sweet sisters!
At the end of the talk when sheâd handed out recipe leaflets, the atmosphere literally buzzed with enthusiastic conversation.
âCakes and pastries courtesy of the Sweet sisters,â declared the factory foreman. âGive her a hand, girls. Sweets from the Sweets!â
Titters of laughter accompanied the clapping, and then it was all over. Another talk and baking demonstration had come to an end.
Corporal Smith followed her out, the wicker hamper swinging from one hand. He was looking down at the ground and shaking his head. She wasnât fooled: he was smiling to himself. Or smirking. Either way something had amused him.
âSo what were you grinning about?â she said once they
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