Molly at the Kitchen Front
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| For a week in 1942, a
Swansea housewife became the centre of media attraction in wartime Britain. Morfydd
(Molly) Jeffreys from Dunvant was one of 24 women selected from all over the country to
share her knowledge and experience of cooking with the rest of the nation. At the age of
33 Molly was taken to London, her first visit to the city, to advise the experts at the
Ministry of Food in how to get the best from the stringent food rationing that was in
place at the time. This was no mere publicity
stunt. The Ministry was acutely aware that it was experiencing problems in getting across
the message of how to cope with food rationing. Throughout the War considerable effort was
made to educate people in sensible cooking and careful use of their food rations. Such
education was an essential cornerstone of the food rationing system. If it was to work
correctly, people had to have confidence in rationing. Officials in the Ministry were
clever enough to realise that women like Molly held the key to getting the message across
because of the way in which they coped with restrictions and rationing on a daily basis
whilst still feeding their families. |
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| British wartime food
rationing started on 8 January 1940 although preparations had been made before the War had
begun. Both British and German governments quickly realised that the quickest way to
defeat Britain was to attack British food imports as they came across the Atlantic. 1940
saw the start of a bitter trade war in the North Atlantic as German U-boats attacked
merchant convoys bringing food and vital supplies from America. Although not all foods were rationed there was sufficient restriction
to make food preparation difficult without careful thought and planning. The practical
skills of women such as Molly had been developed over many years of coping with lean times
in the depression (particularly in South Wales) so they were particularly well placed to
cope with rationing when it was imposed. The Ministry of Food realised that such skill and
knowledge was a vital asset in what would be called the ‘Kitchen Front’. |
| Central to the drive and
energy of the Ministry of Food was its chief, Lord Woolton. Frederick Marquis had become
Lord Woolton in 1939, in April 1940 he became head of the Ministry of Food and responsible
for the feeding of over 40m British citizens. Woolton was a powerful administrator and he
quickly surrounded himself with an able and effective team. The country was divided into
nineteen areas of control with further layers of administration which mirrored the
existing local government areas. However Woolton was a sufficient visionary to realise
that his administrative machine would be worthless without the active support and goodwill
of housewives such as Molly. (Continued) Below: Lord Woolton with Molly at a British Restaurant
(specialised canteen) in October 1942. |
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