成人快手

How much food was there during World War One?

A government poster from World War One encouraging people to eat less bread

Fresh fruit, vegetables, meat and bread were hard to find.

  • There were long queues outside shops.
  • Lots of food was sent away to feed soldiers fighting in the war.
  • There was less food arriving, as ships carrying supplies were attacked by German submarines.
  • In 1918 the Government brought in rationing.
A government poster from World War One encouraging people to eat less bread
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Watch: What was rationing?

Watch our video to find out more about rationing during World War One.

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Which foods were rationed?

Image gallerySkip image gallerySlide 1 of 6, A collection of World War One ration books, Ration cards could only be used at certain shops Families had to say which butcher, baker and grocer they would buy their food from.
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What did shop owners sell?

Image gallerySkip image gallerySlide 1 of 6, A photograph of two grocers outside their shop front in World War One, The grocer sold shoppers many of the everyday things they needed Their packed window displays were a common sight. Among the things they sold are a few brands we still have today.
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What were school dinners like?

Children eating school dinner in a classroom during World War One
Image caption,
Children ate their midday school dinner, back in the classroom, under supervision of their teachers.

From 1906, many pupils got a school meal such as:

  • Bean soup and bread, followed by treacle pudding.
  • Toad-in-the-hole (sausages in batter) and potatoes.
  • Mutton stew and suet pudding.
  • Fish and potato pie, then baked raisin pudding.

In the war, schools also had food shortages and had to cut back.

Some families ate only one meal a day. They got by on tea, bread and jam. They may have had only one meal a week with meat, usually on a Sunday.

Children eating school dinner in a classroom during World War One
Image caption,
Children ate their midday school dinner, back in the classroom, under supervision of their teachers.
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What were sweet shops like?

A shopkeeper serving sweets to two children in the early 1900s

Sweetshops in the early 1900s sold hard-boiled sweets such as:

  • humbugs
  • peppermints
  • pear drops

Sweets were kept in big glass jars. The shopkeeper would weigh them out and hand them to customers in a paper bag.

A shopkeeper serving sweets to two children in the early 1900s
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Activities

Activity 1: What shops were on the high street?

During World War One shops looked very different from today.

There were no supermarkets or shopping centres. Shops were smaller and many were named after the families who owned them.

Explore our interactive high street and click on different people to find out more about them.

There are ten different people to find. You can use the question mark button to highlight them all.

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Activity 2: Quiz 鈥 Rationing during World War One

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Activity 3: History Explorer game

Play this game to test your knowledge and learn even more facts about World War One.

History Explorer: Secrets through time

History Explorer: Secrets through time: KS2 History

History Explorer: Secrets through time
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Bitesize Primary games. game

Play fun and educational primary games in science, maths, English, history, geography, art, computing and modern languages.

Bitesize Primary games
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More on World War One

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