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'The Ministry of Food' by Jane Fearnley-Whittingstall

On Friday, 21^st January, Westonbirt School invited Jane Fearnley-Whittingstall (author of ‘The Good Granny Guide’ and proud winner of two gold medals at the Chelsea Flower Show) to present the Spring Term Lecture.

Last year Jane was commissioned by the Imperial War Museum to write a book- ‘The Ministry of Food – Thrifty Wartime Ways to Feed Your Family Today’, to accompany the Ministry of Food exhibition at the Museum. The book offers a fascinating insight into how the British public adapted to food shortages during the Second World War.

Jane’s lecture captivated the audience, with nearly 200 members of the local community and Westonbirt pupils attending the free lecture. Details of rationing, examples of Government advertising- our favourite being the promotion for carrots: “Keep you healthy, and help you to see in the Blackout”- and examples of how far food was stretched with every scrap being used provided a wonderfully informative talk, addressing the happenings in the ‘Kitchen Front’ during World War 2. The free lecture raised £362.18 for Jane’s chosen charity ‘Grandmothers United’, supporting ‘African Solutions to African Problems (ASAP)’.