The Ministry of Food Exhibition

Seventy years after food rationing was introduced, the Imperial War Museum's exhibition: The Ministry of Food, focuses on the way the British people adapted to food shortages during and immediately after the war.

The show tells the story of food on the 'Kitchen Front' from planting to plating up. There are iconic posters bearing slogans such as: 'Dig for Victory' and 'Clear Plate Means a Clear Conscience'.

While ration coupons and queues linger as images of wartime restraint, learning to be frugal with food encouraged a certain creativity and ingenuity in the kitchen.

It seems the 1940s emphasis on understanding ingredients, growing your own food, eating seasonal vegetables and recycling, is just as relevant today.

Watch the Dig for Victory video for 1940s tips for growing your own vegetables.