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1940's Wedding Buffet

dwilly

master brummie
My sister-in-law works in a workingmen's club in Gloucester and supplies food etc for various functions. She has recently been asked to supply a buffet for a couple celebrating 70 years of marriage and has been asked to produce a 1940's themed buffet. What food would typically have been seen on a buffet around this time, if buffets were around at weddings in them days! With rationing would have been quiet a struggle but would be interesting to hear what people had to eat at their weddings as I'm sure people pooled things to ensure the best was on offer at these occasions.

 
I mentioned on a different thread that Mum & Dad married in 1941, and only had a tiny cake with a cardboard cover. There wasn't much food available.

I would have thought after 70 years of marriage, this couple deserve a nice spread!!!!
 
I tried to add to the last post, think I made a mistake! The thread is called "rationing".
rosie.
 
When my eldest sister married in 1946 we had a sit down reception in the school hall. I was only 8 years old (and a bridesmaid) but I seem to remember my mother getting a tongue and cooking it and then pressing it, also boiling beetroot (terrible smell I remember), I suppose it was tongue salad etc. I do know mom made trifles, such a rare treat, and they did have a proper 3 tier wedding cake, made of rich fruit cake and iced. I expect mom and other relatives saved, and scrounged round for the ingredients for months.
 
Not a buffett but you may be able to make something of it I posted this on another thread my Mom's wedding list from 1940.

While sorting through some old papers I came across a little book which contains details of my mother's bottom drawer which is dated 1937 and a price list of her wedding needs and a list of wedding presents and who brought them. I found it facinating as my parents married in 1940 when the war was on so the items would have to be brought with coupons. Here is the price list.
Mom’s wedding price list 1940
Coat £ 5. 00.0
Shoes £ 0.18.0
Gloves £ 0.10.0
Bag £ 0.10.0
Dress £ 1. 00.0
Hat £ 1. 01.0
Perm £1. 01.0
Cake £2.00.0
Costume £3.18.0
Hat £0.18.0
Shoes £0.17.0
 
I've had a look at the old family wedding photos but both Mum and Auntie had the cake on a table with flowers but no food in sight. It must have all been eaten by cake-cutting time!
rosie.
 
Yes thats a thought maybe a themed buffet with perhaps something like bread pudding most people like that. Some flags in bottles on the table. Not sure if many would enjoy spam sandwiches and dried egg now!

Found this on the net:

Food in the 1940s was all about making do due to war rationing. Although fresh meat was a rationed item, canned sardines, or any fare from the sea, was cheap in the 1940s. When the rations were lifted in 1947, sugar was the number one ingredient used in every recipe; sweet sauces and candied fruit and vegetables, such as yams, were on every table. To capture the mood of the '40s, stuff sweet pastries with sardines, crabmeat or caviar, then serve lobster canapés decorated with a sugary glaze as hot appetizers. Add a cold platter of honey-glazed ham, turkey and roast beef with a variety of cheeses and sweet fruit-nut breads to represent the end of rationing. For a Big Band-era cake, request that it be shaped as a trumpet and arrange flutes of champagne around the table.

Read more: Food Suggestions for a Vintage Wedding | eHow.co.uk https://www.ehow.co.uk/info_7907885_food-suggestions-vintage-wedding.html#ixzz1TLM7iSJO
 
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Thanks for info, not exactly sure when "the do" is but will pass the info on. Like most thinks it all comes down to price so although they may want a 1940's buffet the price might not match there expectations, "stuff sweet pastries with sardines, crabmeat or caviar, then serve lobster canapés " I expect will become sausage rolls and chicken drumsticks!
 
Aunty Ivy had Spam on sandwiches and as acold cut with some - precious - potato.
Her cake was a spoge made with dried egg and decorated with rice paper.
Sue
 
Hi there
Its a pitty my mother was not around or any family relatives as i could have got the information from them
As my fore fathers was in the bussiness of all that wedding functions of supplying foods and etc for all he high society weddng through outbrum
they supplied all the high class food and te equipments of he table ware along with waitress,s dressed in uniform with head hats
along with cut glass drinking vessells [ glasses ] silver knifes and forks and spoons and all the food and all foods was served to the attending guess
at the wedding or the functions it was ever to be made along with the wins and tea and cofee
there was about 12 waitress ;given at any one time functions and food was laid on silver latters as wendy as said
it was full of alsorts of food you could ever think of fresh salmon tonge ; best hams triffles pork pies you name it they had it all laid out and servd to them;
this was long before the wa yeas started and right through the war years and through till the early fifties
after all the jelfs started to die one by one ;
my mother being the only member of the jelfs to ernest jelf ; often recall all her memories to me about all these memoreis of the yester years
of the family bussiness which included billy cotton ; [ band leader and wee georgi wood ] thearter stage people of yester years ]
and how she wished her mother never died so young as she was a main player to the bussiness as she was involved with the thearter world of stage
and well known with in that world of stages as was my mother being brougt up with it as wel;
but any way years later after telling the story of my grand parents to a certain lady by the name of mrs butts whom was a big news agency bussiness
confirmed to me one day many years ago ; she said yes ;
in those days if you was some body in brum or ad afew shilling what was her expression ; if you got married the Jelfs family was the people of the time
to have your wedding or functions of the yester days years done bye jelfs catureings parlk lane aston ;and number 1 NEW CANNAL STREET
DIGBETH AND THEE CHAIN OF SHOPS AND out lets som time before that they had a resturant in the burlington arcade
before or during the war and on snow hill which they bought from pattison and hughes the food supplyes of brum many years ago ;
i beleive pattison and hughes are still aound today supplying foods to out lets ;
ernest jelf was my grand father of 235-237 and the rear of these shops which he owned was where there -or his ware house was the other war houseat tyburn rd was sold poff many years ago ;but kept park lane right up until 1969 and 70 when he died
and still kept the name of the jelfs going ; but not the catureing side of foods only trade at the age of seventy but traded as a crocery hire
and he had all his siver plattters and bygones of yester years cutlery and things
he was elderly and he tracked another elderly member of his brothers whom lived in Alum rock rd SO they got together and traded as A.E JELFS
THE REAR OF 235 PARK LANE ASTON CROCKERY HIRE ; but as soon as he was involved there was a break in and all was lost ;
and that brought is death quicker than one thought 1970- best wishes Astonian;;
j
 
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