Foods associated with rationing during the Second World War are seeing a resurgence in time for the 80th anniversary of VE Day. Corned beef and spam are seemingly back on the menu for more Britons, with Waitrose reporting a significant increase in sales.
According to The Times, purchases of corned beef and Spam boomed last week by 64% and 48%, respectively, compared to the same period last year. The meat products were an important part of the British diet during the conflict. Spam, which first arrived in Britain in 1941 from America, was once described by Margaret Thatcher as a “wartime delicacy.”
It wasn’t just people at home who got to enjoy Spam - more than 100 million pounds of the tinned pork was shipped abroad to feed allied troops during the war.
Other classics from the wartime era seem to be on the rise, too.
Searches for bread and butter pudding, root vegetable casserole and carrot cake were up 733%, 120% and 402% last week on Waitrose’s website.
Imogen Livesley, an archivist at Waitrose, told the newspaper: “As the 80th VE Day anniversary approaches, we’re seeing customers connect with the past by turning to the comforting familiarity of foods popular in wartime Britain.
“It seems the taste of history is proving a popular ingredient in commemorating the 80th anniversary, with classics like fish and chips, Spam and bread and butter pudding underscoring the emotional connection to this era [and] food acting as a powerful vehicle for remembrance and commemoration.”
Four days of events are set to celebrate the 80th anniversary of World War 2's end in Europe, with street parties expected to be held up and down the country.
The commemorations will kick off on Early May Bank Holiday (May 5) when 1,300 members of the Armed Forces will march as part of a procession through central London from Parliament Square to Buckingham Palace.
Members of the public are being encouraged to line The Mall to watch the procession, which will include a military flypast, including the Red Arrows and historic aircraft from the WW2 era.
