WWII British Military Ration Scones

British Military Ration Scones with jam served with tea made from fannings and condensed milk, and WWII British Corned Beef Stew

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City/Region: British Army

Time Period: 1945

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The mainstays of rations for British troops in World War II were fairly similar to those of World War I: bully beef and biscuits, or hard tack (clack clack). While military biscuits from World War II aren’t quite as bad as the hard tack of eras gone by, they’re a far cry from delicious. While American Civil War soldiers made their hard tack into dishes like Hell Fired Stew, British WWII soldiers had the option to transform their ration biscuits into scones.

These scones aren’t like the kind you’ll find in a nice bakery or have with afternoon tea, but they are an excellent way to use ration biscuits. They’re flat and dense, but have a wonderful, slightly sweet flavor that reminds me of graham crackers. The recipe says to serve them with jam, so I used some from Wilkin and Sons, who made jam for the British troops’ ration packs during WWII.

“Scones
Crushed biscuit . . 16 lb.
Dripping . . . . 4 lb.
Sugar . . . . 4 lb.
Milk . . . . 2 tins
Method
Add the sugar to the biscuit.
Rub in the dripping and mix well.
Add sufficient reconstituted milk to make a pliable paste and break into 2-lb. pieces.
Roll out, cut into 4-oz. round scones and place on greased trays.
Bake in a moderate oven for 20 minutes and serve with jam.”

— Manual of Army Catering Services, 1945

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Ingredients:

• 1/2 lb (225 g) plain, hard military style biscuits
• Heaping 1/2 cup (115 g) sugar
• 1/2 cup (115 g) fat*, I used butter
• 1/4 cup (60 ml) evaporated milk

*This would have varied depending on what was available. They would have had access to meat drippings, butter, margarine, Crisco, and lard. I used butter.

Instructions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C).
2. Break the biscuits into small pieces, then grind them into a fine powder. A blender or food processor is helpful for this, but you can also do it by placing the biscuits in a bowl or zip top bag and crushing them with a rolling pin.
3. Place the biscuit crumbs in a large bowl, then whisk in the sugar.
4. Rub the fat into the biscuit crumb mixture until it becomes a sandy texture. Since we’re using biscuit crumbs instead of flour, it won’t behave exactly the same as a regular scone or pie dough, but it should eventually become sandy.
5. Add about half of the evaporated milk and mix it in. Add more milk little by little until you get a dough that you can roll out.
6. On a lightly floured surface (they wouldn’t have always had flour, but it’ll make this process much easier), roll the dough out about 1/2 inch (1.5 cm) thick, then cut out scones in 3 inch (8 cm) rounds.
7. Place the scones on a lined baking sheet and bake for 20 minutes, or until they’re lightly browned.
8. Let the scones cool, then serve them forth with jam, Wilkin and Sons brand for extra authenticity. For a full WWII British military ration meal, have these scones after a bowl of WWII British Corned Beef Stew.

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