James Mackenzie has joined in with celebration of wartime food showing what could be made with limited ingredients
An East Yorkshire chef is helping to shine a light on the ingenuity of wartime cooks. James Mackenzie, of the Michelin-starred Pipe and Glass, South Dalton, has joined in with “Rations Reimagined”, one of the summer activities engaging families with history at Eden Camp.
The modern history museum, near Malton, in North Yorkshire, is showing how life could be lived on limited supplies. Running until August 17, Rations Reimagined shines a spotlight on the creativity of wartime cooking and the enduring spirit of the 1940s Home Front.
The museum has teamed up with award-winning chefs and beloved local restaurants in Yorkshire, to bring history to life through the kitchen, with recipes inspired by rationing and resourcefulness. Participating chefs, including James, have reimagined authentic wartime recipes using ration-style ingredients.
Visitors can explore these recipes with recipe cards featured on Eden Camp’s website and social media to recreate their own nostalgic and nutritious dishes. James has brought to life East Yorkshire Sugar Cakes, for the event.
A regional speciality nearly lost to time, the original recipe for East Yorkshire Sugar Cakes contained intense amounts of cloves and mace, which James has softened and adapted slightly for today’s palates. He said: “The name is deceptive, as these are more like shortbread biscuits than cakes.
“The original recipe dates back 200 years and came to light in 2007, when it fell out of an old accounts ledger in the archives department of Beverley Town Council when it was moving to its new home. I was contacted by the BBC to see what I thought of the old recipe.
“I made a batch, but found the flavour very strong for today’s tastes, using as it did large quantities of ground cloves and mace. So I adapted the original recipe, and East Yorkshire Sugar Cakes are now a signature item at Pipe and Glass.”
The recipe, which features in James’s book On The Menu, can be found below for Hull Daily Mail readers to have a go at recreating the biscuits themselves.
East Yorkshire Sugar Cakes
(James Mackenzie, Michelin star chef and owner of The Pipe and Glass Inn)
Ingredients:
- 250g melted butter
- 125g caster sugar
- 375g plain flour
- 1 tsp ground nutmeg
- 1 tsp ground mixed spice
- 4 cloves, crushed
Method:
Mix all ingredients into a dough, shape into a thick sausage, and chill for 30 minutes. Slice into 1cm rounds and bake at 170°C for 10 minutes. Cool on a wire rack.
Paula Peace, director of Eden Camp, said: “During wartime, food became a precious commodity. People struggled, but were ingenious with the ways in which they created as much as possible from a limited amount.
“With ‘Rations Reimagined’, we’re paying tribute to the sheer inventiveness of the 1940s and bringing history to life.” Another Yorkshire chef, Adam Richardson, of The Fox and Hounds Country Inn, Sinnington, has contributed two classic comfort dishes inspired by the spirit of wartime make-do cooking – corned beef hash and bread and butter pudding.
All the recipes can be viewed on the Eden Camp website. Rations Reimagined is a deep dive into how everyday people adapted to rationing, from carrot lollipops (activity workshops are taking place for children to recreate Carrots on a Stick) to making use of just one egg a week.
Rations Reimagined will be followed by Make Do and Mend, from August 18 to 31, when visitors can find out how wartime Britain embraced creativity and resilience. Learn how to sew, repair, and repurpose everyday items at the drop-in craft stations and DIY workshops.
Eden Camp is offering a free return visit this summer to those purchasing advance tickets online up until August 31. To find out more and to book tickets, visit edencamp.co.uk