The Food of 100 Years Ago

Catherine Lawson

Between farming and fishing, the Ayrshire coast has always been a rich source of sustenance, providing communities with fish, shellfish, meat, dairy, vegetables and grains in abundance. In the years which followed the First World War, however, not everyone had access to the fresh foods harvested from land and sea. Although wartime rationing was over, the struggle for food remained during the 1920s with the majority of families in Ayrshire relying on staples alone. As with many locations across Scotland the region was divided by those living in real poverty and those who enjoyed a more affluent lifestyle thanks to the growth of commerce and tourism in the area.

For the majority there was no opportunity to eat to excess or over-indulge in the 1920s. Food was planned, not picked on a whim, and portions were carefully managed so families could get the most out of their often meagre provisions. If they were lucky enough to be able to enjoy three meals a day, they were meals built on the basics.

Breakfast was typically porridge, made with a pinch of salt and served with fresh milk. Sometimes griddle cooked Bannocks or thick homemade oatcakes were served but there were seldom any sugary toppings or fresh fruits to go with these staples – at best, finances allowing, there may have been some local honey on the table, or foraged brambles when they were in season.

Lunch was often the main meal of the day and was typically a homemade broth made with cheap cuts of mutton or beef bones and locally grown produce like carrots, leeks, turnips and barley. The pot would have been topped up with water as the week went on to get the most out of it; there was no such thing as food waste back then. Occasionally cheaper cuts of meat or fresh fish (most likely salted cod, smoked haddock or herring in oatmeal) were served with some Ayrshire potatoes or bread, and it was not uncommon for rabbit stew to appear on the table – a cheap source of protein for anyone who was fast enough to catch one.

Evening meals were more frugal and often involved leftovers from lunch, or sometimes just bread and butter. With so many dairy farmers in the southwest, Ayrshire cheese (specifically crowdie, often enjoyed with oatcakes) was a common household staple and though Ayrshire bacon was easily accessible, it wasn’t something that was regularly affordable for the average family.

Many of the basics we take for granted today, like eggs and sugar, were harder to come by, so sweet treats such as shortbread, sponges and clootie dumpling were mostly sweetened with honey and made without eggs. The arrival of Italian immigrants in the 1920s, however, meant that locals (even those living in relative poverty) and tourists had an exciting new treat to explore: ice-cream. Italian families (including the Renaldos and the Mancinis) brought traditional gelato to the masses for a couple of farthings a scoop, meaning everyone could enjoy the occasional cone.

It has often been argued that the way our ancestors ate during the years of rationing, and in the post-war years, was far healthier than the way we eat today, providing of course that they had enough. It’s a diet which was unrefined, wholesome, seasonal and often foraged, with treats being few and far between: a kind of Scottish version of the Mediterranean diet. It begs the question – have our eating habits improved over time, or was the restrictive diet of those living 100 years ago better after all?