Egg and Sausage Pie – Ration Book Recipe

Egg and Sausage Pie is a simple shortcrust pastry case filled with tasty sausages and eggs. I’ve adapted this WW2 British Ration Book Recipe for home cooks of today. It was developed to make best use of the rations available to Home Front families during World War Two. It’s an easy recipe to make with very few ingredients, and it’s delicious to eat.

Why should I cook WW2 Ration Recipes?

There are lots of good reasons to make WW2 Ration Recipes. Here are some I think are worth considering:

• Ration recipes are good value with minimum waste.
• Many ration recipes have less fat, sugar and meat because of the imposed ration. They also tend to have more vegetables which improved the nutrition of many people.
• I’ve chosen some of the best recipes and tested them with modern ingredients. So I can assure you that that every recipe is well worth making.
• And finally it’s really fun to try the recipes that tested the ingenuity of your grandparents and great-grandparents.

My parents were children during WW2 and older family members also told me stories of ‘what it was like in the war’. Today we have such an range of different food availabe that it’s difficult to remember just how limited food was during that period. Not only was food in short supply there could be long queues to get what little was available.

With most men away fighting, women were needed to join the workforce, working in factories and on the land. Those with children under fourteen years were able to stay at home. However, cooking was much more difficult with only the most basic of kitchen facilities and utensils.

Why should I make Ration Book Egg and Sausage Pie?

Egg and Sausage Pie is a dish that will seem very familiar. It is a bit like a very stripped back quiche. The pastry for the pie is very simple but it makes a good pastry shell, and sausages with eggs is a winning combination.

It’s a versatile dish that you can serve warm with potatoes and vegetables or cold with salad. It sets firm so you can wrap up a slice of pie and take it to work for lunch or on a picnic.

What ingredients do I need to make Ration Book Egg and Sausage Pie?

Most of the ingredients for this recipe are things that you probably already have in your larder or fridge. Here is what you need:

• plain (all purpose) flour
• lard or vegetable shortening
• salt
• water 
• sausages
• eggs
• milk
• salt
• pepper

Scroll to the end of this article to find the full recipe and all quantities of ingredients, with step-by-step photo instructions

What is lard?

Lard is a solid white fat that is made by rendering the fat of pigs. It is semi-solid and can be used for frying and also for baking.

Was lard rationed?

Lard was rationed and each person was entitled to 4 ounces (100 grams) each week. That is the same quantity as the margerine ration and double that given for butter.

What can I substitute for lard?

The closest substitute for animal lard is vegetable shortening which is a solidified block of vegetable oil. This is what I used to make the pastry for the Egg and Sausage Pie and it produced a nice crisp and short pastry.

What kind of sausages should I use for Ration Book Egg and Sausage Pie?

I used pork sausages for this pie as that seemed like the most authentic type of sausage for the period. However, you can use beef, chicken or vegetarian sausages and they will make a very tasty pie.

I like to cook the sausages before placing them in the pastry case to get a good colour on them.

Were sausages rationed?

Sausages and offal were rationed between 1942 and 1944. However, even when sausages were not on ration they were not easily available. Even if you could get hold of them, they weren’t always very good quality and them then they often contained a high proportion of breadcrumbs because the meat used to make them was scarce.

During WW2 meat was rationed by price rather than by weight. This meant that you could buy a tiny amount of meat such as fillet steak but for the same price you could by a larger quantity of stewing steak.

Were eggs easily available during WW2?

Eggs were one of the most missed foods. Each adult was only allocated one egg per week although children and some invalids could have three eggs and two for pregnant women. The shortage wasn’t universal though, as those who kept their own hens had access to more eggs and this increased poultry keeping across the country. My mother was a child during the war and remembered their hens with great affection.

From 1941 dried eggs were imported from the USA under the Lend Lease Act. This was a powder which was mixed with water to make an egg substitute and it was still on ration! It didn’t taste very good when cooked on its own but it was good to add to dried ingredients in baking.

Can I make Egg and Sausage Pie ahead of time?

If you want to get ahead, then I suggest you make the pastry case and cook the sausages a day before you plan to bake and eat it. Store covered in the fridge, then it’s simply a case of assembling the pie and baking it.

How should I store Ration Book Egg and Sausage Pie?

After cooking, you can cool the Egg and Sausage Pie and store it in the fridge covered with foil or inside a lidded container for up to 2 days.

Can I freeze the pie?

You can freeze the pie although the texture of the egg may not be quite as good as serving it freshly baked. If you plan to freeze it, then cool completely, wrap tightly in foil and place in a freezerproof bag. Freeze for up to 3 months.

Defrost overnight in the fridge and serve cold or reheat at 180C/350F for 15-20 minutes until piping hot.

How many people will the pie serve?

That really depends on your appetite. However, I suggest that Egg and Sausage Pie will serve four people with a quarter per person. I think it’s unlikely that a portion like this would be served to everyone during WW2. It’s more likely that a pie such of this would be divided into at least six portions with larger slices for adults and smaller for children.

Vegetarian

You can use vegetarian sausages and vegetable shortening to make the Egg and Sausage Pie.

Gluten Free

The pastry case contains wheat flour and is not suitable for a gluten free diet.

For more information regarding any dietary information provided on this website, please refer to my Nutritional Disclaimer.

How should I serve Egg and Sausage Pie?

I like to serve Egg and Sauasge Pie with new potatoes and boiled carrots. This seems like an authentic way to recreate the WW2 experience because potatoes and carrots were the most common vegetables. If you like chutney then my Slow Cooker Date and Apple Chutney goes really well with this pie.

Potatoes

Potatoes were one of the crops that people were encouraged to grow in their gardens and on their allotments. And ‘housewives’ were told to cook them in their skins to ensure that they and their family got the protein and vitamins that lie just under the skin.

Carrots

Carrots were a key vegetable and approved by the Ministry of Food. They are easy to grow and because they have a natural sweetness, they were popular with all the family. Carrots could also be used to add sweetness to baking and desserts when sugar was in short supply.

Serve it cold

Egg and Sausage Pie is also delicious served cold. Serve at room temperature with vegetables or salad as a main meal. It also makes a great pie for a picnic or to take to work for lunch. The egg sets firm around the sausages so it doesn’t fall apart.

More Ration Book Recipes

• Ration Book Porridge
• Ration Book Haricot Beans Boston Style
• WW2 Blackberry & Apple Pie and Wartime Beef Stew
• The National Loaf
• Woolton Pizza Pie