Army Cooking

Staffordshire Record Office holds an appealing document that provides an insight into the diet of the soldiers stationed on Cannock Chase and in the trenches. This is the army cookery instruction exercise book (D3777/1) of Private S Lycett, who was training to become an army field cook in Sheffield in 1917.

Although Private Lycett may not have worked on Cannock Chase, the standard receipes and ingredients would have been very familiar to the men stationed at Rugeley and Brocton. Both camps had army bakeries and canteens.

Amongst the culinery delights that awaited the hungry soldier were ‘Sea Pie in a Mess Tin’, ‘Golden Pudding with Marmalade’ and ‘Fish Cake Breakfast Dish’. Each man was entitled to a daily ration that included 14oz bread, 2oz bacon, 2oz sugar and 1/4oz salt.