A word from Jess about Potato Piglets

This recipe was taken from “Wartime Cookbook” which was written in order to educate young children in rationing and the lifestyle during World War 2.

To date, this is the most delicious dish we have recreated and also the most simple; what the recipe doesn’t explain is just how tasty the potato is after the fat of the sausage cooking inside it has been absorbed! The substitution of potato for pastry was extremely successful.

Method wise, we didn’t have an apple corer to hand which was perhaps the safer method to removing the centre of the potato. Furthermore the recipe didn’t give any further suggestions as to what to do with the left over potato, anti- waste was an extremely large campaign with posters declaring “a clear plate means a clear conscience”

or even “don’t ask for bread unless you really want it” so it may not be as authentic as recipes produced during the war period.



In terms of promoting certain foods characters such as Potato Pete were used;




He also came with a song;

Potato Pete, Potato Pete,

See him coming down the street,

Shouting his good things to eat,

‘Get your hot potatoes

From Potato Pete’.


The using of songs was common as a tool for informing and interesting the British public. Light hearted songs such as Potato Pete can help to alleviate the tensions perhaps felt by those having to live through rationing. One can also see it as a form of marketing on behalf of the Ministry of Food or even as propaganda as it seeks to influence the attitude of the British public. A further example of influencing the public to use potatoes but also not to waste them can be seen in another song by the Ministry;

Dearly beloved brethren,

is it not a sin,

To peel potatoes and to throw away the skin.

The skin feeds the pigs

And the pigs feed us.

Dearly beloved brethren is that not enough?

Use of "dearly beloved" and "a sin" could be interpreted as conjuring imagery of a church service and if read as such could be seen as something to adhere to, similar to that of the Bible.





This recipe can be seen as a great example of good food created from a substitution.