A Rationed Christmas Dinner
Some Hints and Recipes
By Mrs Pember Reeves

The Christmas dinner this year will be eaten under entirely new conditions. Never in the memory of any living person has Christmas fallen while this country was under a regime of rationing. But, even so, that does not put a ban on a Christmas like Christmas dinner. The plum pudding, holly decorated, and the familiar dish of mince pies may be there. Stock of different kind is generally available, and wit this as a foundation delicious soups can still be made. An excellent Christmas soup is Brussels sprouts puree, which is seasonable, palatable, and, from the aesthetic point of view, an addition to any meal. Another suggestion is carrot puree, or French rice soup.

Few will be able to afford the old-time turkey, but the more modest chicken – either stuffed and roasted, or cooked en casserole – is a delicious substitute. For those to whom the price of a chicken is prohibitive, a small piece of beef can, if treated as described below, be made into an excellent and quite imposing dish.

The full Gazette article is dated 17 December 1918