We can use these snippets to see through the wormhole and into the past, and catch a glimpse of the sort of woman who might make Carnival Queen\u2026or, as I have always thought of it, Weetabix Trifle. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Just look at it, will you? Resplendent in the \u2018best\u2019 glass bowl, with the \u2018fancy\u2019 china ready, layered in bright colours with glace cherries and angelica carefully placed in regal fashion. Mrs. Crisp is glorious in her best frock, hair done, and you know she made that crown herself, for she, too, is the Carnival Queen. It\u2019s a real period classic, from December 1950, and with rationing still in place for many of the ingredients that would normally create such a dessert, the recipe tells us so much more than how to make a pudding. <\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n Greengage Jelly is not one of the classic jelly flavours that we all know these days, but a quick google search shows us it is still a popular flavour in South Africa. Greengage feels like a very British flavour, made with fruit from home, and overflowing with a Dig for Victory style patriotism. Then there is the Weetabix \u2013 Oh my. Well, I suppose if cake is a rarity then you\u2019re not going to be using it for a trifle, but really? The rationing period adverts are rife with these \u2018interesting\u2019 ways to use everyday products. The horrors of Woolton pie and potato fudge must have made these seem palatable, but I struggle to imagine viewing them as a treat. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Although some sweetness will have come from the custard, jelly and jam, two spoonfuls of sugar is all that we see in the pudding. Was that sweet enough to please, or just sweet enough not to create a savoury monster crouching in the corner of your party, awaiting the unwary? One of those spoons goes into the dangerously artificial sounding \u2018Mock Cream\u2019. Long lasting dairy products such as powdered and evaporated milk were ubiquitous during rationing, so directions on how to make this creative substance are provided. It says much that it is not suggested as an alternative if you cannot get fresh cream, but as the only possible topping. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The advert states \u201cThis recipe serves 8-10 people\u201d. That\u2019s not a great deal of \u2018Carnival Queen\u2019 per serving, although I wonder if that was a blessing. We certainly expect larger servings these unrationed days. Another statement that our modern eyes find a bit off is \u2018EXTRA SUGAR AND SALT\u2019. The packet of Weetabix in my cupboard boasts that it is low in sugar and salt, quite the reverse of this proud pronouncement of extra taste in a much blander world. <\/p>\n\n\n\n This recipe has fascinated me since I first saw it in the pages of a gigantic volume of\u202fWoman\u2019s Own<\/em>; a whole six months of the weekly publication kept together for students and researchers to peruse in a library filled with academic promise. I have always wanted to try it out and the exciting discovery of the continued existence of Greengage Jelly has inspired me once again, although I might wait for the end of lockdown so that instead of inflicting it on my family, I can force my colleagues to eat what might be my worst culinary disaster since the horror that was Snickers Salad. Did the women who bought the single, brightly coloured little magazine carefully create this treat and present it proudly to their families? I really hope so; with a paper crown, in their best glass bowl, of course! <\/p>\n\n\n\n To see the full catalogue for our\u202fWoman\u2019s Own<\/em>\u202fcollection, go to\u202fhttps:\/\/www.thekeep.info\/collections\/getrecord\/GB181_SxMs154<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" By Rose Lock Women\u2019s magazines. Trivial, eh? Just a collection of inconsequential articles on how to keep your man happy, patterns for knitted shorts, vile make-do-type recipes, and adverts for lipsticks and washing powder. Well, yes, all of these things…<\/span><\/p>\n![\"Back](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.sussex.ac.uk\/librarycollections\/files\/2024\/02\/SxMs154-Womans-Own-December-1950.-Credit-The-Keep.jpg?resize=550%2C577&ssl=1\")
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