Chunky Vegetable Soup (WW2 Ration Recipe)

Chunky Vegetable Soup is a simple, tasty and nutritious soup made with the most common vegetables grown in the gardens and allottments of Britain during World War 2. It’s a very easy recipe to make and has stood the test of time.

Why make Chunky Vegetable Soup?

When I started to research WW2 recipes, I expected them to be rather bland and unappetising. Don’t get me wrong, there are plenty recipes that were very unappealing, but I was actually very pleasantly surprised by this Vegetable Soup recipe.

My recipe is a combination of a few different vegetable soup recipes adapted from Vegetables for Victory by Ambrose Heath. This book belonged to my maternal grandmother who used it in the war years and after. The ingredients are remarkably simple and this soup tastes fanatastic and is wonderfully warming and filling.

What did rationing mean in WW2?

Rationing started with every person in Britain having to register for rations in November 1939. This was to ensure that everyone got a fair share of the available food and clothing no matter what income they had. Rationing got serious when ration books with weekly allowances were issued in January 1940. Every family had to register with a specific grocer, butcher and any other shopkeepers.

Dig for Victory

The government encouraged everyone to Dig for Victory. There was a despearate need for vegetables as supplies from the rest of Europe dried up and farmers switched to growing cereals for bread, potatoes and other crops for animal feed.

No plot was too small to be turned into a Victory garden. Flower gardens and lawns were dug up to grow vegetables. There was also a campaign to increase the take up of allotments in urban areas.

By the end of May 1941 Britstol had more than 15,000 allotments and by January 1942 there were almost 3,000 allotments covering an area of 150 acres in Tottenham, London. People soon discovered that if they didn’t grow it themselves, the didn’t get any vegetables!

Advice to new gardeners came through radio programmes such as “In your garden”. More detailed advice was provided by government pamphlets, talks in the village hall with free lantern slides provdied for the speakers. In towns there were also often practical demonstrations which were usually held on Saturday and Sunday evenings.

If you’d like to find out more about rationing and links to more recipes check out WW2 Ration Book Recipes.

What ingredients do I need to make Chunky Vegetable Soup?

You will recognise all the ingredients as they are classic British grown vegetables and the few other ingredients will be in your larder or fridge. Here is what you need:

• butter or margarine
• leeks
• carrots
• swede
• potato
• cabbage 
• flour
• vegetable stock
• parsley (optional)

A full list of the ingredients and the required quantities is found in the recipe card at the end of this article

Can I substitute oil for butter?

I use butter because it adds a delcious flavour to this soup. However, you can use oil or a full fat plant based spread as these can all be used to sautee the vegetables.

I don’t have any leeks, what can I subtitute?

Leeks have a mild onion flavour that works really well in soups and stews. However, you can use brown onions if you don’t have any leeks.

Use a variety of vegetables in your soup

I have given specific quantities for carrots, swede and potatoes in the recipe. However, you can alter the proportions of root vegetables to match what you have, just as they would have had to do duirng war time.

You can also use alternative vegetables such as parsnips, turnip, celery, celeriac and kohlrabi. But I would recommend that you have a good mix of vegetables to keep a balance of flavour.

Can I use pre-prepared vegetables?

Some supermarkets sell bags of prepared diced swede and carrots which would be ideal for this recipe.

Can I use frozen vegetables?

You certainly can use frozen vegetables. They can be more economical and they are definitely convenient.

Do I need to add cabbage to Chunky Vegetable Soup?

Cabbage is packed full of vitamins which are vital to support the immune system. Fresh fruit was only available in summer and often commandeered to make jam. So green vegetables like cabbage were vital to promote health all year round.

What can I substitute for cabbage?

I like to use the outside leaves of a savoy cabbage to add to my Chunky Vegetable Soup. But you can use any type of cabbage, or kale which is a perfect addition to soup. You can also shred brussels sprouts or finely chop broccoli to add some green to your soup.

What kind of stock should I use for vegetable soup?

You can use any stock that you like for this soup. If you have stock from chicken, ham or beef then any of these would add their own flavour to the soup.

During the war, people were encouraged to keep the water used to boil vegetables and use this as vegetable stock in soups and stews. However, for my modern adaptation, I made my vegetable stock with stock cubes and it was full of flavour.

Can I prepare Chunky Vegetable Soup ahead of serving time?

Soup is one of the most forgiving of dishes. You can prepare the vegetables ahead and store them in a covered container or plastic bag in the fridge for up to 2 days until you are ready to make the soup.

You can also make the soup let it cool and store it in a lidded container in the fridge. I recommend that you don’t add the cabbage until you are ready to serve the soup. This is because it will lose colour and not taste as fresh. It only needs 5 minutes simmering in the reheated soup for it to be cooked.

Can I freeze Chunky Vegetable Soup?

Yes, you can freeze the soup. Leave out the cabbage until you plan to serve the soup (see above). You can keep soup frozen for up to 6 months. Defrost overnight in the fridge, on defrost in the microwave or heat slowly in a pan on the stove.

Vegetarian

If you make the soup with a vegetable stock and it is suitable for vegetarians.

Gluten Free

I use wheat flour to slightly thicken the soup. You can leave this out or use cornflour (corn starch) or a gluten free flour. Please check any stock cubes you use to make sure they are suitable for your dietary needs.

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

How should I serve Chunky Vegetable Soup?

For the full WW2 rationing experience serve this hearty soup for lunch with a slice of The National Loaf, a war-time wholemeal bread. Chunky Vegetable Soup is also good served with crusty white bread.

If you want to serve this soup into a main meal, then you could add some dumplings which would be in keeping with war time cooking. Or you could make some cheese croutons to float on top which might not be as authentic but they are delicious additions to a simple soup.

I consulted a number of sources when researching ww2 ration book recipes these included:

• The Imperial War Museum
• Vegetables for Victory by Ambrose Heath
• We’ll Eat Again by Marguerite Patten OBE
• The Wartime Kitchen Garden by Jennifer Davies
• Spuds, Spam and Victory: Rationing in the Second World War by Katherine Knight