Looking back to when rationing began in Norfolk

A couple of ounces of butter, eight ounces of sugar and four ounces of bacon, it doesn't seem like much, but for thousands of Britains 69 years ago today, suddenly it was all they had to last the week.

Rationing in Britain started on January 8, 1940, just four months into the Second World War, it would last for the next 14 years and changed the eating habits of a generation.

A means of ensuring the fair distribution of food and commodities for the nation while such items were scarce, rationing started with bacon, butter and sugar but by 1942 many other items including meat, milk, cheese and cooking fat were also on the ration.

Here, we look at how food and store cupboard staples were advertised in the Eastern Daily Press when rationing first came into effect an later on cooking a meal became a tricky task of making the best of a bad situation taste appealing. Amongst the brands are some recognisable names such as Colman's mustard and Jacobs crackers as well as handy pointers on how to make potatoes go further and the different types of fish to buy.

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