By Luke Stevenson
If you’re seeking culinary inspiration for your Big Picnic for Hope, why not try this veggie wartime classic? Named after the head of the Ministry of Food during WWII, Lord Woolton’s Pie made perfect use of home-grown root vegetables in a time of limited food supplies. Here’s the recipe, as published in The Times in 1941:
Take 1Ib each of diced potatoes, cauliflower, swedes and carrots
Three or four spring onions
One teaspoonful of vegetable extract
One teaspoonful of oatmeal
Cook all together for ten minutes with just enough water to cover. Stir occasionally to prevent the mixture from sticking. Allow to cool; put into a pie dish, sprinkle with chopped parsley and cover with a crust of potatoes or wholemeal pastry.
Bake in a moderate oven until the pastry is nicely brown and serve hot with brown gravy.