大象传媒

Food in varying forms is the main theme that runs through my memories of the second World War.

Living on a farm meant there was always plenty of fruit and vegetables, and my father dug up the lawn and planted potatoes. I remember helping him do so. We were also allowed to kill a certain number of pigs.

My father Bernard Righton of Town Farm, Ebrington in Gloucestershire, being a former part-time soldier in the Warwickshire Yeomanry was a natural choice as Sergeant when the local Home Guard was formed. The troop met in our farm-yard and went on various exercises, sometimes the}' had to be fed, this was meant to be in siege conditions so all food had to be found and no convenient cooking methods used.

The men would cut up wood and my Mother had to cook on an old open range in the farmhouse (I only remember this being used for Home guard meals). Food had to be obtainable from the fields around, so there were rabbits, pigeons and hares caught and plenty of fresh veg in fields and gardens, this was all put into huge pots and boiled together, we children enjoyed helping in the chores and clearing up any leftovers which were really good. The novelty of having it all ladled into one bowl added to the enjoyment.

Harvest time meant extra rations for the farm workers, my mother ordered all the provisions from the local grocer, who delivered it; we then had to divide it into individual portions for each person involved in the seasonal work, cutting up cheese and measuring other commodities was certainly not done according to present day EEC ruling, with little hands wanting to help.

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