Description
Object description
British civilian home economist worked as food advisor with Ministry of Food in GB, 1942-1947
Content description
REEL 1 Background in Bath and Barnet, GB, 1915-1941: family; background to obtaining employment with Eastern Electricity Board, 1936; lack of domestic appliances in homes; work giving demonstrations on using electrical appliances; leaving job to take up acting career; obtaining employment as home economist with Frigidaire Appiance Coy; decision to give up acting; end of employment with Frigidaire Appiance Coy. Aspects of period as civilian in GB, 1939-1942: memories of outbreak of Second World War, 3/9/1939; work in Air Raid Precautions canteen; move to Lincoln to work for electricity company; giving cookery demonstrations. Recollections of period as food advisor with Ministry of Food in GB, 1942-1947: obtaining employment with Ministry of Food, 1942.
REEL 2 Continues: role of Ministry of Food's Food Advice Centres; duties as senior home economist; giving cookery demonstrations; marriage to Charles 'Bob' Pattern of Bomber Command, RAF, 1942; impact of service on Royal Air Force aircrew and wives; promoting correct way to cook vegetables; return to family home in Barnet to give birth; arranging childcare in order to return to work; story of giving cookery demonstration on Isle of Dogs; obtaining post in Food Advice Bureau in Harrods Department Store, 1943; food rationing system; cooking with dried eggs; food situation in restaurants and canteens; unrationed foods.
REEL 3 Continues: description of points system; how brother serving with Merchant Navy collected tinned fruit from overseas for her wedding, 1942; boosting morale through cookery demonstrations; lessons learnt from wartime food rationing; attitude towards being part of the 'Kitchen Front'; public attitude towards rationing after end of Second World War; rationing of clothes and other goods; problems experienced by well off, undomesticated women; story of how she helped the Princess Royal; contributing to 'Kitchen Front' broadcasts; importance of radio broadcasts to public morale; creating new recipes; difficulties using soyaghetti and salt cod; success of her eggless cakes; public attitude towards whale meat and snoek; question of fairness of rationing system; lack of awareness of black market.
REEL 4 Continues: jam making campaign; 'Potato Pete' campaign; various other food campaigns; role of dieticians; opinion of rationing system; influx of new electrical appliances in late 1940s; speaking on Women's Hour radio broadcasts; impact of war on situation of women; becoming first television cook, 1947; return of bananas; media success from 1947; attitude towards war years; standard of cooking in GB; role of Ministry of Food during Second World War and how a similar approach might be useful in 1996; public interest in her wartime work, 1996.
REEL 5 Continues: giving wartime cookery demonstration at Imperial War Museum, 1995; launch of her 'Victory Cookbook', 1995; memories of Victory celebrations, 1945; attitude towards German V weapons raids; appearance of Harrods Food Hall during Second World War; attitude towards her wartime experience.
