Potato piglets are a “fun, creative take on the traditionally British meat and two veg”, writes Eleanor Barnett
Wearing a green hat and chewing a piece of straw, the anthropomorphised potato character, Potato Pete, proudly jaunts across the front of his self-titled recipe book, published by Britain’s Ministry of Food during the Second World War. “The more you serve me the better I can serve you,” he tells a smiling housewife on the first page. “Follow me madam I’ll show you a thing or two…”
Sharing information on the benefits of potato eating, and recipes for potato-based breakfasts, dinners, teas, snacks and desserts, Potato Pete’s Recipe Book aimed to educate those on the home front on the benefits of potato-eating. Potatoes could be easily grown at home or bought cheaply, providing a rich source of carbohydrates and nutrients like vitamin C. Compared to potatoes, the equivalent size crop of wheat produces less protein and fewer calories. When rationing was introduced in January 1940, the amount of butter, bacon and sugar you could buy was limited, and by August 1942 almost all foods other than home-grown vegetables, fruits and game, were in some way restricted. According to Potato Pete’s Recipe Book, “potatoes help to save both fat and flour in pastries, puddings, scones and cakes”. Potato could replace a portion of wheat to make potato bread, and with a little available sugar the housewife could make potato scones.