Digging up memories of war food

VALENTINE LOW

THE clock has been turned back in St James's Park - to the days of rationing and air raid shelters.

A 500-square-metre corner of the park has been used to recreate a Second World War allotment for an exhibition about the Dig For Victory campaign, when millions of households were encouraged to grow their own vegetables. The plot has cabbages and carrots, an Anderson shelter and a Dig For Victory scarecrow.

During the war thousands of acres of open ground - from parks to rubbish tips - were turned into allotments. At the peak in 1942 and 1943, almost a million tons of vegetables were grown. Because of the emphasis on vegetables and shortage of meat, nutritionists now believe that wartime diets were healthier than today.

Sarah Clarke, exhibitions officer with the Churchill Museum and Cabinet War Rooms, creators of the exhibition, said: "We are trying to teach children about healthy eating and sustainability against the background of the Second World War."

The Dig For Victory plot created by the Royal Parks will be open from tomorrow until 30 September.