Bread and Butter Girl

The years following the Second World War were simple times. There was food and clothes rationing so we didn't get much in the way of cakes, candies or jam. We, as children, didn't miss it much--we got everything we needed and we were given the best of what was available. It was the parents who put their needs on hold for us and it was the mothers who had to make sure the meat, sugar and butter rations were managed well enough so that the family could eat and be nourished.

A birthday or Christmas party was truly rare though, sometimes, a hotel or a business would put on a special do at Christmas. As a child, I don't remember worrying about it; I enjoyed what I had and didn't miss what I didn't have. Everybody was in the same position as everyone else.

I didn't have older sisters but I did have girl cousins and was the recipient of hand-me-downs in the clothes department. My mother used to make my clothes but, with the rationing new material for new clothes was in short supply.

The rain water barrel was a good source of soft water. The water that came out of our taps was hard and it was not easy to get a lather for good washing of clothes, hair or body. The rain water was soft and great for washing; we took good care of it and loved the silky feel it gave to our hair when we used it for shampoo night.

We didn't have much in those days but we didn't feel deprived. We enjoyed the special treats we had and enjoyed everyday living as it came.

South Wales

In South Wales, where I was born, Welsh Cakes were known as South Wales cakes. In many homes they were made any time there was a large family gathering or for any special occasion.
At the time of WW2, when the first of the short stories in Welsh Cakes took place, there wasn't much baking because of war rationing.
The title of the first story is, "Keeper of the Biscuit Tin", and there is a paragraph in that story that says, "Gwen and her grandmother were given the honor of being keepers of the biscuit tin. The biscuits were baked with butter and sugar saved out of the family rations for just such an occasion as this, and kept hidden from Gwen's sweet-toothed father who would eat cake for breakfast if he could get it."
Stay tuned for more background on the stories.