0:00:03 > 0:00:04Meet the Ellis family.
0:00:08 > 0:00:10Lesley, John,
0:00:10 > 0:00:12Caitlin, Freya,
0:00:12 > 0:00:15and Harvey.
0:00:15 > 0:00:17This Bradford family of five are about
0:00:17 > 0:00:20to embark on a time-travelling adventure...
0:00:20 > 0:00:22It's 1925!
0:00:22 > 0:00:27..to discover how changing food eaten in the north of England...
0:00:27 > 0:00:31- That is Scouse. - ..can reveal what life was like...
0:00:31 > 0:00:33SHE COUGHS
0:00:33 > 0:00:36I think perhaps I do need to work on my frying technique!
0:00:36 > 0:00:39..for working-class families over the past century.
0:00:39 > 0:00:42- I think it's just potato pie. - I think so.
0:00:42 > 0:00:45Chicken feet! Urgh!
0:00:45 > 0:00:48- From regional classics... - Pan Haggerty for tea.
0:00:50 > 0:00:54- We'll have two chip naans.- ..to dishes that expanded our horizons.
0:00:54 > 0:00:58I'm so happy! Honestly, this is, like, amazing!
0:00:58 > 0:01:01The Ellises' own home is their time machine,
0:01:01 > 0:01:06- transporting them through a different era each week.- It's 1985!
0:01:06 > 0:01:11They'll experience the ups and downs...
0:01:11 > 0:01:14What the heck is tripe?!
0:01:14 > 0:01:16..of work...
0:01:16 > 0:01:17This is so hard!
0:01:17 > 0:01:21..rest... GUNSHOT
0:01:21 > 0:01:22..and play...
0:01:22 > 0:01:24LAUGHTER
0:01:26 > 0:01:30..as they fast forward through 100 years of northern history.
0:01:34 > 0:01:36And still get back in time for tea.
0:01:54 > 0:01:56It's 1945.
0:01:59 > 0:02:00World War II is over
0:02:00 > 0:02:03and families are gradually returning to ordinary life.
0:02:06 > 0:02:09Inside the Ellises' home, their functional 1920s front room
0:02:11 > 0:02:14has become a typical post-war lounge.
0:02:16 > 0:02:18After six years of conflict,
0:02:18 > 0:02:21materials for new furniture are in short supply.
0:02:22 > 0:02:26So the comfortable rug and sofa are second-hand.
0:02:28 > 0:02:32The kitchen is still basic, but has one noticeable mod con.
0:02:37 > 0:02:40I'm joined by social historian Polly Russell,
0:02:40 > 0:02:44to set the stage for the Ellises' adventures in post-war Britain.
0:02:47 > 0:02:51- Ooh, Polly!- What do you think? - It's cosy! It's nice!
0:02:51 > 0:02:54Yeah, it is a million miles away from 1918, isn't it?
0:02:54 > 0:02:58What is exciting, Polly, the ducks.
0:02:58 > 0:03:03I love these! Quite a random decoration to have, aren't they?
0:03:03 > 0:03:07This idea of bringing the rural into your home, particularly
0:03:07 > 0:03:10if you live in a sort of urban or suburban setting.
0:03:12 > 0:03:13Ah!
0:03:13 > 0:03:15Lighter and brighter.
0:03:15 > 0:03:17And basically, this - I grew up with
0:03:17 > 0:03:20me Nana having a cooker exactly like this.
0:03:20 > 0:03:25- And the beast has gone.- Yeah, that coal-fired range has disappeared.
0:03:25 > 0:03:28This is, you know, the modern world coming in to the home.
0:03:28 > 0:03:32It must have been so exciting to get a cooker like this.
0:03:32 > 0:03:36So, gas, instant heat, you don't have to warm it up, you don't
0:03:36 > 0:03:40- have to be shovelling coal around. - So she's got this piece of mod con,
0:03:40 > 0:03:45but I see that she still only has got a cold tap.
0:03:45 > 0:03:47And they really struggled with that, didn't they?
0:03:47 > 0:03:50I'm hoping that the family - especially Lesley, cos she's the one
0:03:50 > 0:03:53who's going to be most involved with this - is going to see
0:03:53 > 0:03:57this and be so blinded by joy at this lovely mod con that,
0:03:57 > 0:04:02yeah, they won't notice the one cold, dripping, sorry tap.
0:04:02 > 0:04:05So, before, all the food was kind of all piled up there.
0:04:05 > 0:04:06Where's all the food gone?
0:04:06 > 0:04:10Well, we've still got a meat safe and there is still no fridge.
0:04:10 > 0:04:12So what we've got instead is a larder.
0:04:12 > 0:04:15Is it a larder, or is it a pantry? Cos, Polly, I got a pantry.
0:04:15 > 0:04:17But you are very posh now.
0:04:17 > 0:04:20You're right, I am posh. I'm making a note of the date and time -
0:04:20 > 0:04:23that's the first time I've ever been called posh.
0:04:24 > 0:04:26I mean, there's food in there. That's a start.
0:04:26 > 0:04:29- But there's not loads, is there? - No, it's not sumptuous.
0:04:29 > 0:04:32So, there's some brands and there's Torox, which is
0:04:32 > 0:04:34a sort of northern Oxo.
0:04:34 > 0:04:37We've got some Fray Bentos corned beef.
0:04:37 > 0:04:40- Yeah.- Mwah!- Be-Ro, self-raising flour, another northern brand.- Nice.
0:04:40 > 0:04:42You can kind of get tricked into thinking,
0:04:42 > 0:04:44"Oh, great, the war's ended.
0:04:44 > 0:04:48"Now there's just going to be plentiful food of all different types."
0:04:48 > 0:04:52- But actually, did it take a while for the sort of food to get back to normal?- It took a long time.
0:04:52 > 0:04:57The idea that the war is over does not mean that things change
0:04:57 > 0:05:01rapidly in the home at all. We're still under rationing.
0:05:01 > 0:05:04I mean, I'm a bit concerned that the family are going to be
0:05:04 > 0:05:06a little bit sort of, um...
0:05:06 > 0:05:09- Downcast?- Yeah, deflated by this pantry.
0:05:14 > 0:05:18The strict food controls of wartime continued after 1945,
0:05:18 > 0:05:21as the economy battled to rebuild itself.
0:05:23 > 0:05:26The best way you can help is by rationing yourself.
0:05:26 > 0:05:30I'm sure that all of you will buy your fair share and no more.
0:05:32 > 0:05:35But there were rewards among the hardships of post-war Britain.
0:05:36 > 0:05:39The government nationalised the coal,
0:05:39 > 0:05:43iron and rail industries in an attempt to protect British jobs.
0:05:44 > 0:05:47And there was cross-party commitment to better education,
0:05:47 > 0:05:49housing and healthcare.
0:05:51 > 0:05:55For working-class families, the insecurity of the '30s was
0:05:55 > 0:05:58being replaced by the promise of a fairer society.
0:06:00 > 0:06:03And nowhere was this reflected more clearly than by what
0:06:03 > 0:06:05was on our plates.
0:06:05 > 0:06:07Polly, you're doing your excited face!
0:06:07 > 0:06:09What's here? What is it?
0:06:09 > 0:06:12This is a pile of statistics.
0:06:12 > 0:06:14You love a stat! Is it a survey?
0:06:14 > 0:06:18It is a survey. It's a survey and it brings history alive.
0:06:18 > 0:06:20It was commissioned by the government.
0:06:20 > 0:06:23It tells us exactly what people were eating
0:06:23 > 0:06:27every day of the week, in working-class households.
0:06:27 > 0:06:29CLIPPED: Ministry of Food Wartime Survey.
0:06:29 > 0:06:32- That's right.- Kind of have to do it in that wartime voice! 1945.
0:06:32 > 0:06:35So this is a whole survey from one family - a housewife,
0:06:35 > 0:06:37a husband and two sons.
0:06:37 > 0:06:41There's still rationing. She's having to manage the house.
0:06:41 > 0:06:45And we also know that this is a survey of a house in the north.
0:06:45 > 0:06:46First of all, there's a clue,
0:06:46 > 0:06:51- the husband works underground in the mines.- OK.
0:06:51 > 0:06:54Then the sort of almost better clue really is right here,
0:06:54 > 0:06:57because this is a description of what she buys...
0:06:57 > 0:07:00Barm cakes! I love a floury barm cake!
0:07:00 > 0:07:02Chip barm! Pasty barm!
0:07:02 > 0:07:04The possibilities are endless with a barm cake!
0:07:04 > 0:07:08But you can see, there is enough food. These people aren't hungry.
0:07:08 > 0:07:12It's just maybe a bit monotonous and things are tight.
0:07:12 > 0:07:16The project of rationing was incredibly effective and what
0:07:16 > 0:07:20it did was it equalised out the diet between the wealthy and the poor
0:07:20 > 0:07:21in this period.
0:07:21 > 0:07:26So, where in 1918 and throughout the First World War, wealthy
0:07:26 > 0:07:31people tended to hoard food and did OK, poor people really suffered.
0:07:31 > 0:07:34And rationing sort of put a stop to that.
0:07:34 > 0:07:38You can see that in the evidence of some more statistics that I love.
0:07:38 > 0:07:42Because it tells you in the 1930s, middle-class
0:07:42 > 0:07:46people are having around 3,200 calories a day,
0:07:46 > 0:07:48working-class people are having 2,800.
0:07:48 > 0:07:52So, around 500 less for working-class people.
0:07:52 > 0:07:57If you whizz down to 1945, it's almost the same.
0:07:57 > 0:08:00In fact, there's only 25 calories' difference.
0:08:00 > 0:08:02Yeah, I reckon around 2,500 calories each.
0:08:02 > 0:08:05Yeah, so it really equalised out those diets
0:08:05 > 0:08:08and that's pretty exciting because it means the whole
0:08:08 > 0:08:11health of the nation has improved as a result of rationing.
0:08:12 > 0:08:14Everything the Ellises eat
0:08:14 > 0:08:17over this period will be guided by these surveys.
0:08:20 > 0:08:23But what will they make of the changes from the 1930s
0:08:23 > 0:08:26to the post-war years?
0:08:26 > 0:08:30As strange as it may seem, I grew to love that last era kitchen.
0:08:30 > 0:08:34It became like the beating heart of the home
0:08:34 > 0:08:38and I'm hoping that it's not too dramatically different.
0:08:40 > 0:08:43I hope we might have moved on from coal ovens, that would be good.
0:08:48 > 0:08:50Ah!
0:08:50 > 0:08:51This is lovely!
0:08:51 > 0:08:54We've got a couch.
0:08:54 > 0:08:56We've got carpet!
0:08:56 > 0:09:00- Oh, that's comfy. It's so much lighter.- I love it.
0:09:00 > 0:09:03- Feels like a home, doesn't it? - It does.
0:09:05 > 0:09:09- Ah!- It's so bright. - Oh, my goodness!
0:09:09 > 0:09:11It IS bright, yeah.
0:09:11 > 0:09:13It's chilly.
0:09:13 > 0:09:15Look, we've only got one tap again!
0:09:15 > 0:09:18Even as late as 1961,
0:09:18 > 0:09:21a fifth of houses in Manchester were without a hot-water tap.
0:09:21 > 0:09:23Fridges and electric cookers were still
0:09:23 > 0:09:25the preserve of the upper crust.
0:09:26 > 0:09:30What are we running off? Electric? Gas or what?
0:09:30 > 0:09:32- Gas.- Aha!
0:09:32 > 0:09:34Let there be light!
0:09:34 > 0:09:37- Oh, look, we've got a pantry! - Or a larder.
0:09:37 > 0:09:39Apples!
0:09:39 > 0:09:41Is that the meat safe?
0:09:41 > 0:09:44- We've still got a meat safe. - There is some meat in there.
0:09:44 > 0:09:46Oh, God, I'm starving!
0:09:48 > 0:09:51I'm back to give the Ellises a heads up on what's in store for them.
0:09:53 > 0:09:55- Hello.- Hello.
0:09:55 > 0:09:59- Hi.- What do you think of your lovely house?
0:09:59 > 0:10:02- It's so much better. - I love it.- Yeah, I like it.
0:10:02 > 0:10:05- Brighter, isn't it? - Yeah, it's a lot brighter.
0:10:05 > 0:10:08So, this is your manual, this is your Bible, this is your book,
0:10:08 > 0:10:11this is everything, all life is here.
0:10:11 > 0:10:14- Freya, young lady, you can hold that.- Thank you.
0:10:14 > 0:10:18And, I won't be a moment, I've got a lovely surprise for you.
0:10:18 > 0:10:21- I'm just going to go and get it, OK? - OK.
0:10:21 > 0:10:24- I'm glad she said "lovely". - I hope it's food, I'm hungry.
0:10:27 > 0:10:29GASPS
0:10:29 > 0:10:31Yay!
0:10:31 > 0:10:33Do you love it, Harvey? I thought you'd love this, Harvey.
0:10:33 > 0:10:36- Can I give it a stroke? - Yeah, come over here.
0:10:36 > 0:10:38- Please say it's a pet. - What do we call it?
0:10:38 > 0:10:42Well, call it what you like. There's actually two of them. There's another one outside.
0:10:42 > 0:10:45We don't have to kill it, please tell me we don't have to kill it.
0:10:45 > 0:10:47For now, she's going to give you lovely eggs,
0:10:47 > 0:10:51her and her mate are going to give you some lovely eggs.
0:10:51 > 0:10:53- You are beautiful! - Chickens from the...
0:10:53 > 0:10:55Book on how to look after them.
0:10:55 > 0:10:57Oh! This is amazing!
0:10:57 > 0:11:00Out the back is somewhere for them to live but it needs a bit of
0:11:00 > 0:11:03fixing up, so you lads can do that while you ladies get the tea on.
0:11:03 > 0:11:06So, listen, get hold of her nice and firm, where my hands are,
0:11:06 > 0:11:09so you can keep her wings together. There you go.
0:11:09 > 0:11:11You're naturals!
0:11:11 > 0:11:15Right, enjoy, with your new family member, and I'll see you soon.
0:11:15 > 0:11:18- The best present ever!- Chuffed!
0:11:18 > 0:11:21- See you later, bye.- Bye! - The feet scare me, though.
0:11:21 > 0:11:24- Wait, wait, wait, so what are we calling it?- Do you know...?
0:11:24 > 0:11:26- It's either Miranda or... - I think they should be...
0:11:26 > 0:11:28- Polly.- ..Sara and Polly.
0:11:31 > 0:11:34For a working-class family like the Ellises, chickens weren't
0:11:34 > 0:11:37the only way they could supplement their post-war rations.
0:11:39 > 0:11:43- Oh, we've got...- We've actually got..- Yay! We've got plants!
0:11:43 > 0:11:44Carrots!
0:11:44 > 0:11:47- Carrots!- Washing line.- Yeah.
0:11:47 > 0:11:51You may not be lucky enough to own an ideal kitchen garden like this,
0:11:51 > 0:11:55there may be room for vegetables on top of your Anderson shelter.
0:11:55 > 0:11:58Or in the backyard. Or even on that flat bit of roof.
0:11:59 > 0:12:03- So, what's your plan? - My plan is to attack.
0:12:03 > 0:12:06With women's liberation still decades away,
0:12:06 > 0:12:09John and Harvey are making a home for the chickens,
0:12:09 > 0:12:12while the Ellis women get the tea on.
0:12:12 > 0:12:16- Yes, I'm starving. - Let's get cooking!
0:12:16 > 0:12:18- Cow heel pie?!- No, no, no.
0:12:18 > 0:12:21- Why is there a cow heel in it? - Because...
0:12:21 > 0:12:24I'm now willing to sacrifice the chicken.
0:12:24 > 0:12:26LAUGHTER
0:12:26 > 0:12:30Can you go get me a cow heel?
0:12:30 > 0:12:33Why are you making me? I'm the one who doesn't like meat!
0:12:34 > 0:12:37Cow heel pie originated in Lancashire
0:12:37 > 0:12:39and traditionally used beef steak for the filling,
0:12:39 > 0:12:44but this ration-friendly version is using a cheaper cut of mutton.
0:12:44 > 0:12:46Do you think it's edible?
0:12:46 > 0:12:48It'll have to be, won't it?
0:12:48 > 0:12:51We can't be fussy. We're on rations.
0:12:51 > 0:12:53The cow heel itself is boiled
0:12:53 > 0:12:56to make a gelatine to thicken the gravy.
0:12:56 > 0:12:59- Urgh! That's horrible! - Do you know what?
0:12:59 > 0:13:04I hope you're not hungry, cos I have to stew this cow heel for an hour.
0:13:08 > 0:13:11This was an ideal recipe for post-war housewives needing
0:13:11 > 0:13:15to feed a family of five on the sparest cuts of meat.
0:13:16 > 0:13:19Will you get me an onion, please?
0:13:19 > 0:13:21- Catch the onion! - LAUGHTER
0:13:25 > 0:13:27Ooh! Yorkshire pudding!
0:13:27 > 0:13:30Oh, but look - it's made with an egg substitute.
0:13:30 > 0:13:31Dried eggs.
0:13:31 > 0:13:33Urgh!
0:13:35 > 0:13:39They meet reek, but with rations set at one fresh egg per person a week,
0:13:39 > 0:13:43post-war families couldn't afford to be sniffy about dried eggs.
0:13:44 > 0:13:47- This smells really bad. - Yeah, you're right. It does.
0:13:47 > 0:13:50I am not entirely convinced these Yorkshire
0:13:50 > 0:13:53- puddings are going to come out. - Give it some!
0:13:53 > 0:13:55What do you think I'm doing?!
0:13:55 > 0:13:58These chickens ain't getting out of this tonight!
0:13:58 > 0:14:01HARVEY LAUGHS
0:14:04 > 0:14:08If nothing else works, we've got cabbage and carrots for tea.
0:14:10 > 0:14:12I really hope it's cooked.
0:14:14 > 0:14:18Lesley has used a third of the family's precious weekly lard
0:14:18 > 0:14:22ration, supplemented with grated potato, to make a cheap
0:14:22 > 0:14:23but filling pastry.
0:14:24 > 0:14:27Bwuck-bwuck-bwuck!
0:14:27 > 0:14:29Hey, Harvey. Hats off to you, mate.
0:14:29 > 0:14:32- I didn't do it. - What a great job, eh?
0:14:32 > 0:14:33Look at that!
0:14:33 > 0:14:36Pretty cool, that, innit?
0:14:36 > 0:14:39- Well done. Good night, chickens! - Bwuck-bwuck-bwuck.
0:14:39 > 0:14:42See you later, Sara and Polly! See you in the morning.
0:14:42 > 0:14:44We're going in for us tea now.
0:14:44 > 0:14:47How were the chickens? Are the chickens all right?
0:14:47 > 0:14:49Yeah, we've said good night to them.
0:14:50 > 0:14:55- What's that?- Yorkshire pudding. - LAUGHTER
0:14:55 > 0:14:59- It's Yorkshire pancake!- Looks like a pancake to me, yeah. What is it?
0:15:00 > 0:15:05- Cow heel pie. - It's got cow heel in it?
0:15:05 > 0:15:08It doesn't... It isn't actually cow heel that's in it.
0:15:08 > 0:15:10That's not the meat.
0:15:10 > 0:15:11It's like a gelatine.
0:15:13 > 0:15:15Doesn't even look like Yorkshire, does it?
0:15:15 > 0:15:18- It tastes exactly like one, though. - Does it? That's OK, then.
0:15:18 > 0:15:21I didn't know what the pie was going to turn out like.
0:15:21 > 0:15:23I've never actually cooked mutton before.
0:15:23 > 0:15:25I like it.
0:15:25 > 0:15:26I really like it.
0:15:26 > 0:15:30I honestly think this is one of the nicest meals that we've had.
0:15:30 > 0:15:35Like, pastry tastes amazing. All crunchy in me mouth.
0:15:35 > 0:15:38I love pie, I love pastry.
0:15:38 > 0:15:41I love that gravy. I like it!
0:15:41 > 0:15:45It's a bit of a change, really, not to have very bland food.
0:15:48 > 0:15:51We had a great tea tonight.
0:15:51 > 0:15:54We had cow heel and mutton pie.
0:15:56 > 0:15:58It went down a storm.
0:15:59 > 0:16:02I think a good indicator about how good the food is,
0:16:02 > 0:16:05- is look at all the plates. - Look at the plates.
0:16:09 > 0:16:15# There'll be bluebirds over
0:16:15 > 0:16:19# The white cliffs of Dover. #
0:16:19 > 0:16:23Unfortunately, the chickens have yet to contribute to the larder,
0:16:23 > 0:16:25so austerity rules the roost at the breakfast table.
0:16:28 > 0:16:30It's 1946!
0:16:32 > 0:16:36- I can smell it burning, Lesley. - Johnny, it is not burning!
0:16:36 > 0:16:38- Ooh!- I did that.
0:16:38 > 0:16:41It's because it's got a safety device on it.
0:16:41 > 0:16:42You pulled it straight out.
0:16:42 > 0:16:45Will you just stick your safety device...
0:16:45 > 0:16:47- Where the sun don't shine!- Yeah!
0:16:48 > 0:16:51No 1940s family would dream of throwing away cooking fat
0:16:51 > 0:16:54when it could be used for dripping on toast.
0:16:54 > 0:16:56It doesn't taste of anything.
0:16:56 > 0:16:59It just takes that dryness away, does that dripping.
0:16:59 > 0:17:02It's a bit like butter, really.
0:17:02 > 0:17:05It's like the old-fashioned version of marmite on toast.
0:17:05 > 0:17:08- I like dripping.- I know you do.
0:17:12 > 0:17:15The Ellises have a busy day ahead.
0:17:15 > 0:17:18- Are you ready, Caitlin? - Yeah, I'm coming.
0:17:18 > 0:17:20Harvey has left for school and John
0:17:20 > 0:17:22and 18-year-old Caitlin are off to work.
0:17:22 > 0:17:25# We all must do our share. #
0:17:27 > 0:17:31They're heading to the Braime's metal-pressing factory in Leeds,
0:17:31 > 0:17:35which has been operating from its current premises since 1911.
0:17:41 > 0:17:44After the war, the British economy was on its knees.
0:17:44 > 0:17:47The government looked to the manufacturing sector to
0:17:47 > 0:17:49double British exports,
0:17:49 > 0:17:52helping to pay off the country's huge wartime debt.
0:17:52 > 0:17:57By the late '40s, a third of all British workers were employed in booming factories,
0:17:57 > 0:18:02enticed by a decent wage packet and delicious subsidised dinners,
0:18:02 > 0:18:04which didn't come off your ration allowance.
0:18:04 > 0:18:07Something tells me it must be lunchtime.
0:18:07 > 0:18:11The factory canteen caters for hungry appetites and the serving hatches do a roaring trade.
0:18:11 > 0:18:14Over the tables, they can't hear themselves talk for chatter.
0:18:14 > 0:18:17But they'll go back refreshed and ready for deeds, not words.
0:18:18 > 0:18:22- Hi. What have we got?- Tomato soup.
0:18:22 > 0:18:27- Roast beef, roast potatoes, jam roly poly, apple pasty.- Your favourite.
0:18:27 > 0:18:30- Milk puddings. - And this is a typical lunch?- Yeah.
0:18:30 > 0:18:34I tell you what, it's good incentive to show up, isn't it?
0:18:34 > 0:18:37- You wouldn't be throwing a sickie, would you?- I'd get a job here, me!
0:18:39 > 0:18:40During World War II,
0:18:40 > 0:18:44the number of subsidised workplace canteens had doubled.
0:18:44 > 0:18:46Outside of factories,
0:18:46 > 0:18:49they were introduced into most mines across the north
0:18:49 > 0:18:53and there were 144 canteens in the nation's docks alone.
0:18:53 > 0:18:56John is eating with his modern-day colleagues,
0:18:56 > 0:18:59who are much more used to grabbing their dinner on the hoof.
0:18:59 > 0:19:02If we were having a meeting, we'd maybe have some sandwiches and
0:19:02 > 0:19:06- things, but we certainly wouldn't eat anything like this, would we? - Not during the day.- No.
0:19:06 > 0:19:10- Well, you know what to expect now! - Seems like a big treat to me.
0:19:12 > 0:19:15A full meal with a pudding like this one would add up
0:19:15 > 0:19:17to around 900 calories per person.
0:19:17 > 0:19:20WHISTLE BLASTS
0:19:22 > 0:19:25- Is that back to work, is it?- Yeah. - Shift change.- Yeah, that's it.
0:19:25 > 0:19:26Finished.
0:19:34 > 0:19:36I think we've got somebody else's outdated
0:19:36 > 0:19:38crumbs in the bottom of here.
0:19:38 > 0:19:42Back at home, Lesley and Freya are discovering the joys
0:19:42 > 0:19:46of housework, with no washing machine, hoover, or even a hot tap.
0:19:50 > 0:19:53In coal-heated homes close to smoky factories,
0:19:53 > 0:19:57keeping the house clean was a constant challenge.
0:19:57 > 0:20:02Women in the '40s clocked up an average 15 hours a day cooking,
0:20:02 > 0:20:03cleaning, shopping and washing.
0:20:08 > 0:20:13This is physically a really...
0:20:13 > 0:20:16..challenging job
0:20:16 > 0:20:20because I'm on my haunches, my knees are bent, it hurts my back.
0:20:20 > 0:20:24And I would say I'm reasonably fit, compared to a lot of people.
0:20:24 > 0:20:28I do yoga. I've just done a triathlon.
0:20:28 > 0:20:32But, yeah, I'm still finding this hard work.
0:20:32 > 0:20:37Because of all the positions and the bending over that I'm in and,
0:20:37 > 0:20:39you know, I do wonder
0:20:39 > 0:20:44if people - if women - just suffered with perpetual bad backs because
0:20:44 > 0:20:49mine is actually killing me, just from being bent over for this long.
0:20:49 > 0:20:50And scrubbing.
0:20:54 > 0:20:55Lesley's cleaning the step,
0:20:55 > 0:20:59using a brand of scourer called a Donkey Stone.
0:20:59 > 0:21:02First used to stop the steps of northern mills becoming
0:21:02 > 0:21:05slippery, local housewives soon discovered the stones could
0:21:05 > 0:21:07make their own steps gleam.
0:21:07 > 0:21:12Do you think Johnny's going to come home from work and go, "Oh, my word!
0:21:12 > 0:21:16"That looks amazing, that top step! Well done, darling!"?
0:21:18 > 0:21:20With Britain trying to get back on its feet,
0:21:20 > 0:21:24many production lines rolled around the clock.
0:21:24 > 0:21:27Evening shifts meant housewives could earn some extra cash,
0:21:27 > 0:21:30so after a day of housework, Lesley is off to the mill.
0:21:34 > 0:21:37Leaving the rest of the family to sort their own tea out.
0:21:37 > 0:21:40Look at the steps!
0:21:40 > 0:21:42They're all clean, aren't they?
0:21:42 > 0:21:45Look at them. Someone's been busy.
0:21:45 > 0:21:47I don't think they've ever looked this clean, ever.
0:21:50 > 0:21:51Well done, Polly.
0:21:53 > 0:21:55Mum's left a note.
0:21:56 > 0:22:00"Dear Johnny, hope you had a lovely day at work.
0:22:00 > 0:22:05"For tea, there is boiled eggs and toast, cake and jam."
0:22:05 > 0:22:08Oh, yeah. Dad, look! Look what we've got!
0:22:08 > 0:22:13- "You'll need to check the chickens have laid."- They have.
0:22:13 > 0:22:15They laid. Polly laid them.
0:22:15 > 0:22:17- Both?- Yeah.
0:22:20 > 0:22:22Dad, do you know...? Do you know what you're doing?
0:22:26 > 0:22:28- Whoa!- Just been scalped.
0:22:30 > 0:22:331940s men might not have been used to life in the kitchen,
0:22:33 > 0:22:36and it seems modern dad John isn't that different.
0:22:36 > 0:22:39- Wait, we only have two eggs.- Yeah.
0:22:39 > 0:22:42Me and Caitlin's not having any. We've had a three-course meal today.
0:22:42 > 0:22:46Dad, I thought you did it till it were boiling,
0:22:46 > 0:22:49then turned it down, then left it for three minutes.
0:22:49 > 0:22:51Do you?
0:22:51 > 0:22:55- Do you not know? - No, I don't boil eggs, do I?
0:22:55 > 0:22:58He doesn't cook at all!
0:22:58 > 0:23:01How can you not know how to boil eggs?!
0:23:01 > 0:23:03Is that on its side?
0:23:03 > 0:23:04Ooh!
0:23:07 > 0:23:10- Dad, you can't make an egg. - Just wait, wait, wait.
0:23:10 > 0:23:13Dad, it's over. It's boiled. It's hard.
0:23:16 > 0:23:19- What do you reckon, guys? - It's not runny!- It's not runny.
0:23:19 > 0:23:21- Have faith.- It's not runny!
0:23:22 > 0:23:26LAUGHTER
0:23:28 > 0:23:30What a beauty!
0:23:30 > 0:23:33Harvey, just keep digging, mate.
0:23:33 > 0:23:36- It's not runny! - I'm going to be digging forever.
0:23:37 > 0:23:40There's no dippy egg and, as bread went on ration for the first
0:23:40 > 0:23:45time in 1946, the family are saving what's left of the loaf for mum.
0:23:49 > 0:23:51Me and my dad had a three-course meal at work today.
0:23:51 > 0:23:53And it was amazing.
0:23:53 > 0:23:56And it's really cool cos it wasn't rationed, whereas food at home is.
0:23:56 > 0:23:59And I sort of feel a bit bad on the rest of the family that they
0:23:59 > 0:24:01couldn't have any.
0:24:02 > 0:24:06Also, my dad cannot cook eggs!
0:24:15 > 0:24:171947!
0:24:18 > 0:24:22Far from improving, food shortages got worse, as Britain sent
0:24:22 > 0:24:27supplies to the starving populations of mainland Europe.
0:24:27 > 0:24:32Potatoes joined bread on the ration and the meat allowance was reduced.
0:24:32 > 0:24:36'40s housewives were forced to come up with new and inventive ways
0:24:36 > 0:24:38to feed their families.
0:24:38 > 0:24:42The case of Mrs Taylor - what can I give my boy for breakfast?
0:24:42 > 0:24:44For inspiration,
0:24:44 > 0:24:48Lesley's consulting a problem page letter sent to the Yorkshire Post.
0:24:48 > 0:24:50"It's a nightmare to me
0:24:50 > 0:24:53"sometimes to know what to give my boy for breakfast.
0:24:53 > 0:24:56"He could eat the week's bacon ration in one go.
0:24:56 > 0:25:00"I do wish you'd suggest something for breakfast not using bacon
0:25:00 > 0:25:01"or cereals."
0:25:01 > 0:25:03Yum.
0:25:03 > 0:25:06- Mock roes on toast. - What's that?
0:25:06 > 0:25:08One can of pilchards,
0:25:08 > 0:25:10four tablespoons of semolina.
0:25:10 > 0:25:13A quarter of a teaspoon of ground mace,
0:25:13 > 0:25:16half a teaspoon of vinegar, one level teaspoon of salt.
0:25:16 > 0:25:19A quarter of a teaspoon of pepper and four slices of toast.
0:25:19 > 0:25:23Them first four ingredients I'm never bloody heard of.
0:25:23 > 0:25:25You've never heard of pilchards?!
0:25:25 > 0:25:27- No.- Are they fish?- Fish.
0:25:27 > 0:25:28I'll have jam on toast.
0:25:28 > 0:25:30There's no jam.
0:25:30 > 0:25:32I don't want fish on toast.
0:25:32 > 0:25:35One's in tomato sauce, do you think we might be better with that?
0:25:35 > 0:25:39It will take away some of the fishy edge for Freya.
0:25:39 > 0:25:42Ugh! Fish in tomato sauce!
0:25:44 > 0:25:47I think we are going to go for the tomato-sauce one.
0:25:48 > 0:25:51I wonder how many the people went to hospital doing this.
0:25:51 > 0:25:53I've just seen some eyeballs.
0:25:53 > 0:25:54Ugh!
0:25:54 > 0:25:56He hasn't, take no notice of him.
0:25:59 > 0:26:01Ugh!
0:26:01 > 0:26:03And you eat tuna!
0:26:03 > 0:26:05Tinned fish was off ration
0:26:05 > 0:26:08and offered a protein-rich start to the day.
0:26:08 > 0:26:11But I'm not too sure how popular this '40s superfood will be
0:26:11 > 0:26:14with our 21st-century teenagers.
0:26:14 > 0:26:17Blend semolina with liquid.
0:26:17 > 0:26:18How much semolina?
0:26:18 > 0:26:20Four tablespoons.
0:26:20 > 0:26:23You cook that for ten minutes.
0:26:23 > 0:26:25And then you add in the flaked fish.
0:26:30 > 0:26:31There we go.
0:26:33 > 0:26:36- Ugh!- You're joking, aren't you?
0:26:36 > 0:26:37Look at that!
0:26:42 > 0:26:44- JON:- Nice.
0:26:44 > 0:26:46I think it's all right.
0:26:46 > 0:26:49It's got a quite nice taste to it.
0:26:49 > 0:26:51To be honest, it's all right, really, isn't it?
0:26:53 > 0:26:55Pilchards may have been one way for housewives to
0:26:55 > 0:26:58get round rationing but children near Pontefract,
0:26:58 > 0:27:01in West Yorkshire, had another trick up their sleeve.
0:27:02 > 0:27:05I'm here to find out how one plant became so popular with
0:27:05 > 0:27:09kids like Harvey, when all his usual sweets were strictly rationed.
0:27:12 > 0:27:15I meeting Yorkshire farmer Heather Copley.
0:27:16 > 0:27:19- Heather.- Hi.- How are you?
0:27:19 > 0:27:21- I'm all right, how are you?- Yeah.
0:27:21 > 0:27:23I'll just get out of the hole.
0:27:23 > 0:27:25Who has offended you, the locals?
0:27:25 > 0:27:28It's just the right size for my father-in-law.
0:27:28 > 0:27:32- So this is liquorice, then? - Yes, these plants here.
0:27:32 > 0:27:36Liquorice was sold in the '40s as a cure-all for medicinal purposes.
0:27:37 > 0:27:41But kids soon found out it was a great substitute for sweets.
0:27:43 > 0:27:46So the bit I sort of remember, the liquorice sort of sticks,
0:27:46 > 0:27:50- the woody bits, that's the root? - That will be these little bit here.
0:27:50 > 0:27:52So this was really popular with kids
0:27:52 > 0:27:54when all the usual sweets were rationed.
0:27:54 > 0:27:56Where did they get it from?
0:27:56 > 0:27:59I think, to be honest with you, they just took it out of the fields.
0:27:59 > 0:28:01Maybe by night, I don't know.
0:28:01 > 0:28:04While they were harvesting it, they were able to just, you know,
0:28:04 > 0:28:09- jump in and take a bit.- I want to taste some.- OK, shall we have a dig?
0:28:09 > 0:28:11- Do I have to be polite if I don't like it, Heather?- No.
0:28:14 > 0:28:16There we go. You should get a taste quite soon.
0:28:19 > 0:28:20Oh, gosh, you really do.
0:28:20 > 0:28:22- It's really liquorice.- It is.
0:28:22 > 0:28:23The first time I had it,
0:28:23 > 0:28:26I actually then got what everybody has been telling me for all
0:28:26 > 0:28:30these years about how wonderful it was when they were children.
0:28:30 > 0:28:34I mean, it's delicious, isn't it? It's liquorice but, like, mega.
0:28:34 > 0:28:36Like mega liquorice.
0:28:38 > 0:28:40You know, I totally get that if you were a kid
0:28:40 > 0:28:45and if your diet was mainly spuds and bread, that this
0:28:45 > 0:28:48would just like absolutely set your taste buds on fire, wouldn't it?
0:28:48 > 0:28:51It's just such a strong, intense flavour, isn't it?
0:28:55 > 0:28:591940s children from the north weren't just finding their own snacks.
0:28:59 > 0:29:02In a world without TV, they were making their own entertainment, too.
0:29:05 > 0:29:08- Harvey.- John. - Good to meet you.- You too.
0:29:08 > 0:29:11Yorkshireman John Craven is introducing Harvey
0:29:11 > 0:29:14to his favourite childhood hobby from the decade.
0:29:14 > 0:29:17Have you ever seen a steam engine?
0:29:17 > 0:29:21I've see one in Orlando in Florida but it was a long time ago.
0:29:21 > 0:29:24- I can't remember it. - That was in a theme park?- Yeah.
0:29:24 > 0:29:26Well, you are in for a real treat now
0:29:26 > 0:29:29because you're going to see a real steam engine.
0:29:29 > 0:29:33In the old days, you know, in the '40s, we used to go to
0:29:33 > 0:29:37- a station like Leeds station, get a platform ticket.- Yeah.
0:29:37 > 0:29:40And sit on the platform with a bottle of pop, or something,
0:29:40 > 0:29:42and some sandwiches
0:29:42 > 0:29:48and we used to get a book which had all the engine numbers listed in it.
0:29:48 > 0:29:52Each page has the number of different steam engines.
0:29:52 > 0:29:55So you would sit with your book, on the platform,
0:29:55 > 0:29:59and you'd wait until the trains came in and then you would see
0:29:59 > 0:30:01if that number on the front of the train was in your book.
0:30:01 > 0:30:04If it was, you'd tick it off. That was train spotting.
0:30:05 > 0:30:07What do you think of that?
0:30:07 > 0:30:11- It seems a bit boring but I can't judge anything until we see it.- No.
0:30:11 > 0:30:13I will give you a go. It wasn't boring.
0:30:13 > 0:30:16Mind you, in those days, we didn't have a lot more to do.
0:30:16 > 0:30:18JOHN CHUCKLES
0:30:20 > 0:30:22- NEWSREEL:- Locos spotting, as they call it,
0:30:22 > 0:30:25has become the number one hobby for schoolboys in recent years.
0:30:25 > 0:30:27The world's first train spotter is thought to have been
0:30:27 > 0:30:30a 14-year-old lad from County Durham,
0:30:30 > 0:30:33who noted down the details of the Stockton to Darlington steam
0:30:33 > 0:30:35engine in 1825.
0:30:42 > 0:30:44Here they come.
0:30:44 > 0:30:46The hobby reached its peak of popularity in the '40s
0:30:46 > 0:30:50and '50s, as young boys competed to record the details of great
0:30:50 > 0:30:53steam engines that would not survive the next decade.
0:30:56 > 0:30:59I can hear a steam train coming, look.
0:30:59 > 0:31:01How about that?
0:31:01 > 0:31:05Have you got your book? Have you got your spotting book?
0:31:05 > 0:31:09The number is on the very front of the boiler there.
0:31:09 > 0:31:1190733.
0:31:14 > 0:31:18So you write that down, and it's on the side, as well - 90733.
0:31:22 > 0:31:26- What have you got in here? - I don't know. I haven't opened it.
0:31:26 > 0:31:32This came in the morning from our good friend Sara Cox.
0:31:34 > 0:31:35Wow!
0:31:35 > 0:31:39You know, liquorice was all grown in Yorkshire, around Pontefract.
0:31:39 > 0:31:42- Don't you like it?- No, I don't.
0:31:45 > 0:31:47On a day like today I'd normally be playing on my PS4,
0:31:47 > 0:31:51or with my friends, or I would be out on my bike.
0:31:51 > 0:31:54I would never do this.
0:31:54 > 0:31:55I would not think to do it.
0:32:09 > 0:32:11To 1948!
0:32:11 > 0:32:12Yay!
0:32:16 > 0:32:20In 1948, Manchester's Park Hill Hospital, now known
0:32:20 > 0:32:25as Trafford General, became the first NHS hospital in the country.
0:32:27 > 0:32:30Working-class people no longer had to worry about private
0:32:30 > 0:32:32doctors bills.
0:32:32 > 0:32:36Under the NHS, every person was entitled to free care.
0:32:38 > 0:32:42A national recruitment drive was launched to fill 48,000 NHS
0:32:42 > 0:32:44nursing and midwifery posts,
0:32:44 > 0:32:48offering girls like Freya and Caitlin an alternative
0:32:48 > 0:32:50to life on the factory floor.
0:32:51 > 0:32:54- NEWSREEL:- One day off a week. Four weeks paid holiday a year.
0:32:55 > 0:32:58The most satisfying job of all - healing.
0:33:00 > 0:33:04I believe they were looking to employ nurses from age 14.
0:33:04 > 0:33:06So you are well within the age range.
0:33:06 > 0:33:10I am not being a nurse. Ever.
0:33:10 > 0:33:13- Like you'd ever be good enough to be a nurse.- Exactly!
0:33:13 > 0:33:16They would be deader than they are when they came in!
0:33:16 > 0:33:20Beggars can't be choosers and you currently don't have a job.
0:33:20 > 0:33:23Convinced they won't make natural nurses, Caitlin and Freya have a
0:33:23 > 0:33:27visitor to give them an insight into what the training might entail.
0:33:29 > 0:33:31Hello. I'm Bobby.
0:33:31 > 0:33:32Hi, Bobby, I'm Caitlin.
0:33:32 > 0:33:34Caitlin, nice to meet you.
0:33:34 > 0:33:36- Nice to meet you, too. - Who are you, dear?- Freya.
0:33:36 > 0:33:39As a young woman, Bobby trained as a nurse in Sheffield
0:33:39 > 0:33:42and was one of the first to be employed by the NHS.
0:33:44 > 0:33:48Across the north, this new service created career possibilities
0:33:48 > 0:33:51and by 1951 11% of nurses
0:33:51 > 0:33:55and midwives nationwide came from Lancashire alone.
0:33:55 > 0:33:57That's me at 17.
0:33:57 > 0:34:01I was still an assistant then, not at a big hospital.
0:34:01 > 0:34:04That's when I passed my finals.
0:34:04 > 0:34:09When I went to Sheffield there was 15 of us started at the same time.
0:34:09 > 0:34:12You learn how to bed-bath patients and how to make beds properly
0:34:12 > 0:34:15and how to make beds for someone coming back from theatre.
0:34:15 > 0:34:20Of course, the bandaging. One of the worst bandages was for the head.
0:34:21 > 0:34:23The skull bandage. That wasn't easy.
0:34:23 > 0:34:26Was it just girls that were nurses, then?
0:34:26 > 0:34:29In our crowd of 15 there was one - one man.
0:34:31 > 0:34:34- NEWSREEL:- A hospital depends on this
0:34:34 > 0:34:36as much as on this.
0:34:36 > 0:34:40Back in 1948, nursing wasn't just about caring for patients.
0:34:40 > 0:34:42It was feeding them, too.
0:34:42 > 0:34:45You could even gain a certificate in invalid
0:34:45 > 0:34:47cookery as part of your training.
0:34:49 > 0:34:51Steamed whiting and parsley sauce.
0:34:52 > 0:34:56Caitlin and Freya have been given the task of making a sick-room dinner,
0:34:56 > 0:34:58copied out of a nursing manual.
0:35:00 > 0:35:02Ugh!
0:35:02 > 0:35:05- What are you cutting against? - I don't know.
0:35:05 > 0:35:07I feel like its head is never going to come off.
0:35:07 > 0:35:12During the war, the threat of U-boats saw commercial fishing virtually abandoned.
0:35:12 > 0:35:16But by 1948, fresh fish was back on the menu.
0:35:16 > 0:35:19Whiting, available in the sea around the north-east of England
0:35:19 > 0:35:23all year round, was a popular choice.
0:35:23 > 0:35:25THEY LAUGH
0:35:25 > 0:35:27There's a lot of bone in this.
0:35:27 > 0:35:30- Do you not need to debone it? - I'll try my best.
0:35:30 > 0:35:32Do you need to chop the tail off, as well?
0:35:40 > 0:35:42- JON:- Smells good.
0:35:45 > 0:35:47I just felt a bone.
0:35:48 > 0:35:53The recipe actually came out of... the nursing book.
0:35:53 > 0:35:56Can you imagine going to the nurses now and saying, "Right,
0:35:56 > 0:36:02- "can you go cook these patients' dinner?"- Yeah.
0:36:02 > 0:36:05Fish and parsley sauce is quite common in hospital
0:36:05 > 0:36:08- but it doesn't taste like this because this is delicious.- Is it?
0:36:08 > 0:36:10It's really nice, yes.
0:36:10 > 0:36:13Well, girls, it looks like you have got another job.
0:36:21 > 0:36:26It's a new day and a New Year for the Ellises.
0:36:26 > 0:36:30It's 1951. Woo!
0:36:30 > 0:36:35UPBEAT MUSIC PLAYS It was only after World War II that a five-day working week
0:36:35 > 0:36:39became the norm.
0:36:39 > 0:36:42So the Ellises are taking advantage of their Saturday
0:36:42 > 0:36:44and heading out to the Peak District.
0:36:48 > 0:36:50This is well nice!
0:36:58 > 0:37:00Oh, look at it! It's just beautiful.
0:37:02 > 0:37:05Can't believe that's on our doorstep, can you?
0:37:05 > 0:37:07Might need to push it up here, love.
0:37:07 > 0:37:09Think we're going to make it?
0:37:11 > 0:37:13In the past, many working-class people had been
0:37:13 > 0:37:17excluded from parts of the countryside by wealthy landowners.
0:37:18 > 0:37:22But in 1951, the Peak District became the country's first
0:37:22 > 0:37:26National Park, offering a welcome escape from sooty cities.
0:37:29 > 0:37:34- So, these are...- Tomato sandwiches. - Just tomato?- Yeah. - LAUGHTER
0:37:34 > 0:37:36- What the heck?- Why just... just tomato?
0:37:36 > 0:37:38Do you not think that's weird?
0:37:39 > 0:37:42I kind of do but, do you know what?
0:37:42 > 0:37:45- It's sort of quite nice.- Is it?
0:37:45 > 0:37:47I like these.
0:37:47 > 0:37:50Because I like the way that the tomatoes soften the bread.
0:37:51 > 0:37:54- Tizer?- Appletiser. - Like what we used to have?
0:37:54 > 0:37:57- No, what... App..- Appetizer.
0:37:58 > 0:38:01During the war, the Government had restricted fizzy drink
0:38:01 > 0:38:04manufacturers to making just six flavours.
0:38:04 > 0:38:06It was only now that old northern favourites,
0:38:06 > 0:38:10such as Manchester-brewed Tizer, were available again.
0:38:10 > 0:38:14Oh, my word! I haven't drank this for years.
0:38:14 > 0:38:17It's so good to have something that's not tea or water.
0:38:17 > 0:38:19- Fizzy pop?- It is so good.
0:38:19 > 0:38:22LAUGHTER
0:38:23 > 0:38:26- Dad, wait. - LAUGHTER
0:38:27 > 0:38:29- Come on. - LAUGHTER AND PLAYFUL YELLING
0:38:29 > 0:38:35- Let me do it.- Today we went on a family trip to the Peak District,
0:38:35 > 0:38:36and it was really fun.
0:38:36 > 0:38:42We played games and drank some pop,
0:38:42 > 0:38:46which was so nice to have fizzy pop.
0:38:46 > 0:38:48It was called Tizer,
0:38:48 > 0:38:50and it was real good.
0:38:50 > 0:38:52PLAYFUL CHATTER
0:38:52 > 0:38:54You bend down now.
0:38:54 > 0:38:57It was a really, really, really good family day out,
0:38:57 > 0:39:02and we had a really great time.
0:39:02 > 0:39:04- Oh, flipping hell! - LAUGHTER
0:39:04 > 0:39:07LIVELY MUSIC PLAYS
0:39:12 > 0:39:14UPBEAT JAZZ MUSIC PLAYS
0:39:18 > 0:39:21It's 1953!
0:39:24 > 0:39:27"Dear Ellises, great news.
0:39:27 > 0:39:30- "Eggs are off ration."- Yay!
0:39:30 > 0:39:32"Unfortunately, Polly and Sarah have flown the coop,
0:39:32 > 0:39:35"but they've left you a present to remember them by.
0:39:35 > 0:39:40"Thanks for taking such good care of them. Love, Sarah."
0:39:40 > 0:39:43- Aww!- Aww, they've gone! - We've lost the chickens?!
0:39:43 > 0:39:46- We were going to keep them! - Mum, are you going to cry?
0:39:46 > 0:39:50- Yeah.- Are you actually crying cos they got rid of the chickens?
0:39:50 > 0:39:51Yeah.
0:39:51 > 0:39:53RADIO NOISE
0:39:53 > 0:39:58This is the BBC calling the world from London.
0:39:58 > 0:40:00Long live the Queen.
0:40:01 > 0:40:04In 1953, the coronation of a beautiful young queen
0:40:04 > 0:40:06inspired us to move on from the war
0:40:06 > 0:40:09and look towards a new age of prosperity.
0:40:09 > 0:40:12- ALL:- Long live the Queen!
0:40:12 > 0:40:14Long live the Queen!
0:40:14 > 0:40:15Long live the Queen!
0:40:18 > 0:40:21Coronation fever took over northern towns,
0:40:21 > 0:40:24from Burnley to Keighley, and here in Sheffield.
0:40:32 > 0:40:35The Ellises are preparing for their local celebrations,
0:40:35 > 0:40:38which are inspired by the plans of the Yorkshire village
0:40:38 > 0:40:40of Grewelthorpe.
0:40:40 > 0:40:42Where are the egg whites?
0:40:42 > 0:40:44In the eggs.
0:40:45 > 0:40:47- So I need to crack the eggs? - Yeah.- How many?
0:40:47 > 0:40:52Lesley's making a coronation cake using luxurious dried fruits,
0:40:52 > 0:40:54while the girls attempt a coronation jelly.
0:40:56 > 0:40:58"Whisk up the egg whites and pour into the bowl.
0:41:00 > 0:41:02"The eggs will settle at the bottom of the dish
0:41:02 > 0:41:04"and form a meringue."
0:41:04 > 0:41:06Is there not a better whisk than this?
0:41:06 > 0:41:08That's the best whisk.
0:41:08 > 0:41:10- Takes hours, it takes a long time. - Freya, just keep going!
0:41:10 > 0:41:13- You've just got to go, go, go. It's hard, it's effort.- My God.
0:41:17 > 0:41:21Grewelthorpe made meticulous plans for their coronation celebrations
0:41:21 > 0:41:23with a special committee meeting almost weekly,
0:41:23 > 0:41:27from February 1953 until the big day on June the 2nd.
0:41:28 > 0:41:31That's actually really good egg white.
0:41:31 > 0:41:35The villagers pooled their rations, collecting 9lbs of fat
0:41:35 > 0:41:39and 12lbs of sugar to make cakes and pastries for their street party.
0:41:41 > 0:41:43So the Ellises are doing their bit to contribute.
0:41:45 > 0:41:46Are you eating it?
0:41:47 > 0:41:50SHE LAUGHS
0:41:55 > 0:41:57LAUGHTER
0:41:59 > 0:42:00Where shall I put them?
0:42:00 > 0:42:03- Wherever there's space. - Anywhere, anywhere.
0:42:03 > 0:42:05Grewelthorpe's final coronation feast included
0:42:05 > 0:42:10tongue and ham sandwiches, made from 60 loaves of white bread,
0:42:10 > 0:42:1112 homemade cakes...
0:42:13 > 0:42:16..not to mention 120 ice creams.
0:42:17 > 0:42:19More sandwiches down there?
0:42:21 > 0:42:25Spreads such as this had rarely been seen by working-class families,
0:42:25 > 0:42:26even before the war.
0:42:33 > 0:42:37I enjoyed the food so much because it was different from what
0:42:37 > 0:42:39we normally eat and all the different flavours
0:42:39 > 0:42:44with the cherries and stuff in it, and my pork pie was amazing, so...
0:42:46 > 0:42:47I was over t'moon.
0:42:48 > 0:42:51- CHEERING - Yeah!- He's out!
0:42:51 > 0:42:55After a feast fit for a queen, villagers would entertain themselves
0:42:55 > 0:42:57with cricket matches...
0:42:57 > 0:42:59That's where you get your catching from!
0:43:01 > 0:43:04..fancy dress parades... LAUGHTER
0:43:07 > 0:43:09..and party games.
0:43:09 > 0:43:11One word.
0:43:11 > 0:43:13Two syllables, second syllable...
0:43:13 > 0:43:15It's been lovely, I've loved it.
0:43:15 > 0:43:18I think the Queen should get crowned every day.
0:43:20 > 0:43:22Yeah, it's been fun.
0:43:22 > 0:43:27- ALL:- # God save our gracious Queen
0:43:27 > 0:43:32# Long live our noble Queen
0:43:32 > 0:43:35# God save the Queen
0:43:35 > 0:43:37# Bom, bom, bom, bom... #
0:43:37 > 0:43:42MUSIC: Hound Dog by Elvis Presley
0:43:43 > 0:43:47- 1956!- Yay!
0:43:47 > 0:43:50With rationing now finally over, the larder has
0:43:50 > 0:43:52a few welcome surprises in store.
0:43:53 > 0:43:55- Frosties!- Look at that!
0:43:55 > 0:43:58Heinz Tomato Ketchup!
0:43:58 > 0:44:01I feel like it's been so long since I've had cereal.
0:44:02 > 0:44:05They actually taste really good.
0:44:05 > 0:44:07Yeah, it's so nice to have something that isn't bread.
0:44:09 > 0:44:12And the breakfast table's not the only place things are looking up.
0:44:17 > 0:44:20Since the end of the war, the average weekly wage
0:44:20 > 0:44:22for a manual position had nearly doubled.
0:44:22 > 0:44:25Finally, factory workers could afford some of the goods
0:44:25 > 0:44:28they'd been producing, even if it was on hire purchase.
0:44:30 > 0:44:33- NEWSREEL:- After the war, there were controls and restrictions.
0:44:33 > 0:44:35HP had sobered up.
0:44:35 > 0:44:37But in 1954, the restrictions relaxed.
0:44:37 > 0:44:39There was another boom,
0:44:39 > 0:44:42and this time the customers were making whoopee, as well.
0:44:44 > 0:44:48Come in, the Ellis family, to the showroom of your dreams.
0:44:50 > 0:44:51Come gather round.
0:44:51 > 0:44:53In Europe, washing machines and fridges
0:44:53 > 0:44:56were the first big investment for 1950s families.
0:44:58 > 0:45:03But in Britain, it was the TV, as we plumped for fun over function.
0:45:03 > 0:45:07So 1956, you've got a bit more disposable income
0:45:07 > 0:45:10to play around with. Lots of people getting these appliances
0:45:10 > 0:45:13on hire purchase, on the HP.
0:45:13 > 0:45:16The telly is the most expensive one, OK?
0:45:16 > 0:45:20So your initial down payment will be £19, but it is 14 inch.
0:45:20 > 0:45:2114 inch.
0:45:21 > 0:45:23It is a luxury, Jon.
0:45:24 > 0:45:26Tellies were being made very close to home.
0:45:26 > 0:45:29The biggest factory in Europe was Bairds, in Bradford.
0:45:30 > 0:45:34I'm thinking that if you were the first people on your street
0:45:34 > 0:45:38- to get a TV, that would be pretty cool.- Yeah.
0:45:38 > 0:45:41All your neighbours would be impressed, wouldn't they?
0:45:41 > 0:45:44It must be just a matter of seconds before the northern region
0:45:44 > 0:45:46airs itself to the Independent Television Network.
0:45:48 > 0:45:53In May of 1956, Granada Television was launched.
0:45:53 > 0:45:56The mission of the Manchester-based station was to show
0:45:56 > 0:45:57the north to the north.
0:45:59 > 0:46:01It was an instant hit.
0:46:01 > 0:46:04By 1957, Granada had taken over the BBC
0:46:04 > 0:46:07as the most popular channel in the region.
0:46:08 > 0:46:11They were the first to broadcast ads in the UK,
0:46:11 > 0:46:14or, as they called them, "a trusty guide to wise spending".
0:46:16 > 0:46:21- ADVERT:- No guest is ever really happy without the right kind of tea.
0:46:23 > 0:46:24Caitlin's on telly!
0:46:27 > 0:46:31Adverts opened up consumers' eyes to new possibilities,
0:46:31 > 0:46:34from household goods to recipes.
0:46:34 > 0:46:37Delicious Heinz baked beans to make this week's Heinz hint...
0:46:42 > 0:46:43Eggs...
0:46:43 > 0:46:48Inspired, Lesley is using sausage meat, baked beans and tinned salad
0:46:48 > 0:46:49for today's tea.
0:46:50 > 0:46:53Just kind of brush it with egg on the inside, which I assume is
0:46:53 > 0:46:55to make it stick.
0:46:56 > 0:46:58Baked beans in.
0:46:59 > 0:47:00Kind of...
0:47:03 > 0:47:05I cannot imagine salad in a tin.
0:47:11 > 0:47:14Heinz, full of great inventions.
0:47:14 > 0:47:15Such as...
0:47:15 > 0:47:16LESLEY LAUGHS
0:47:16 > 0:47:18..tomato ketchup.
0:47:18 > 0:47:21# Serve it generously with love... #
0:47:24 > 0:47:27Mmm. This is nice.
0:47:27 > 0:47:29Tastes a bit chicken Kiev-y.
0:47:29 > 0:47:31You rustled that up quite quick, didn't you, really?
0:47:33 > 0:47:35It's kind of like 1950s fast food.
0:47:37 > 0:47:40The food might be fast, but with no piped hot water,
0:47:40 > 0:47:44tackling the washing up is still a mammoth task.
0:47:44 > 0:47:46Come on, Lesley. You're going to miss this film.
0:47:46 > 0:47:47Yeah, I know, I'll be a minute.
0:47:52 > 0:47:55- You sitting down?- Yeah.- Cosying up?
0:47:55 > 0:47:56Yeah!
0:47:58 > 0:48:00- Cheers!- Cheers.- New telly.
0:48:17 > 0:48:191957!
0:48:21 > 0:48:25Caitlin and Freya are getting their glad rags on.
0:48:25 > 0:48:26I can do my own lipstick, you know.
0:48:29 > 0:48:31I don't think you can.
0:48:31 > 0:48:34Gone are the days when parents relied on their offspring's income
0:48:34 > 0:48:36to help put bread on the table.
0:48:37 > 0:48:41- NEWSREEL:- Teenagers, guys and dolls, go in eight or ten times a week.
0:48:41 > 0:48:45The shops know it, so every town has a store with teenage departments.
0:48:45 > 0:48:50By the end of the '50s, young people were spending £830 million a year,
0:48:50 > 0:48:55much of it on clothes, cosmetics, cigarettes and a good night out.
0:48:55 > 0:48:59Teenagers grab life with both hands and do their best to live it 100%
0:48:59 > 0:49:0024 hours a day.
0:49:00 > 0:49:02Life lies before them.
0:49:02 > 0:49:05They've got vitality, hip, and they're certainly with it.
0:49:06 > 0:49:07And the best of luck.
0:49:09 > 0:49:12- Hi!- Hi.- Hello. How are you?
0:49:12 > 0:49:14We're good.
0:49:14 > 0:49:17The girls are meeting Bradford-born singer Kiki Dee
0:49:17 > 0:49:19at a local dancehall.
0:49:19 > 0:49:22- Are you excited?- Yeah. - Yeah, really intrigued.
0:49:22 > 0:49:26Yeah, I'm looking forward to showing you an amazing ballroom space
0:49:26 > 0:49:29- from the '50s. So shall we go and a have look?- Yeah.- Yeah.- OK, come on.
0:49:29 > 0:49:32Kiki is most famous for her Elton John duet
0:49:32 > 0:49:34Don't Go Breaking My Heart.
0:49:34 > 0:49:36But her career started in the clubs and dancehalls
0:49:36 > 0:49:38of the north.
0:49:38 > 0:49:41# We're gonna rock around the clock tonight
0:49:41 > 0:49:44# Put your glad rags on, join me, hon
0:49:44 > 0:49:46# We'll have some fun when the clock strikes one
0:49:46 > 0:49:49# We're gonna rock around the clock tonight
0:49:49 > 0:49:51# We're gonna rock, rock, rock till broad daylight... #
0:49:51 > 0:49:55- What do you think? - It's amazing, I love it.
0:49:55 > 0:49:57Yeah, it's so nice.
0:49:57 > 0:49:59- You've never seen this kind of look before?- No, I don't think I've
0:49:59 > 0:50:01- ever really seen this kind of look. - No.
0:50:01 > 0:50:04This isn't a planned routine, is it? They're just making it up?
0:50:04 > 0:50:07I think they're just kind of going into their groove.
0:50:12 > 0:50:15I love the outfits. Like, I feel like the skirts really complement
0:50:15 > 0:50:17the dancing when they're all spinning round.
0:50:17 > 0:50:20- That's right. It sort of works, doesn't it?- Yeah.
0:50:20 > 0:50:23Have you noticed how everything's geared around the waist
0:50:23 > 0:50:26- for the women, it's...- Yeah.- It's interesting, isn't it?- See, I really
0:50:26 > 0:50:29- like that, I like the shaping of it. - Do you know what they used to do
0:50:29 > 0:50:32- with the underskirts that they're wearing?- Yeah?
0:50:32 > 0:50:34They used to soak them in sugar.
0:50:34 > 0:50:37- Right.- To make them stiff, so that they...- Really?
0:50:37 > 0:50:41- ..would go out quite a bit. Yeah.- Oh, that's so good.
0:50:41 > 0:50:44The 1950s was a golden age for dancing.
0:50:44 > 0:50:48The country boasted 500 permanent dance halls.
0:50:48 > 0:50:53They were 18 in Manchester, and even my hometown of Bolton had five.
0:50:53 > 0:50:55So, do you fancy having a go, then?
0:50:55 > 0:50:59- Definitely.- It's been many years since I did the jive.
0:50:59 > 0:51:01So you're going to take the hand nice and high,
0:51:01 > 0:51:03through under the arm.
0:51:03 > 0:51:05# Rock around the clock again
0:51:05 > 0:51:07# We're gonna rock around the clock tonight
0:51:07 > 0:51:10# We're gonna rock, rock, rock till broad daylight
0:51:10 > 0:51:12# We're gonna rock We're gonna rock
0:51:12 > 0:51:14# Around the clock tonight
0:51:14 > 0:51:16# One, two, three o'clock Four o'clock rock. #
0:51:18 > 0:51:21MUSIC: Singing The Blues by Tommy Steele
0:51:25 > 0:51:28- It's 1958.- Hello!
0:51:28 > 0:51:32- Hi.- And Lesley's mum Christine is popping over to help her make
0:51:32 > 0:51:34the most of a new business opportunity.
0:51:37 > 0:51:39Lesley's hosting a catalogue party
0:51:39 > 0:51:43and is hoping that a good spread might lead to send the big spending.
0:51:43 > 0:51:45What you making?
0:51:45 > 0:51:48I'm making corned beef pinwheels...
0:51:48 > 0:51:50What?!
0:51:50 > 0:51:53It's like... They're like pastry rolls.
0:51:55 > 0:51:58No longer constrained by rationing,
0:51:58 > 0:52:01Lesley and Christine are making a full-fat buffet
0:52:01 > 0:52:03with plenty of pastry...
0:52:03 > 0:52:05Seems to have gone a bit soggy.
0:52:05 > 0:52:07..cream and glace cherries.
0:52:07 > 0:52:11This is the first time in 40 years I've had chocolate.
0:52:11 > 0:52:13Things are definitely looking up.
0:52:17 > 0:52:19Surprise.
0:52:19 > 0:52:24- Hello.- Hello!- Hiya. Lovely to see you.- Hi.- Hello.
0:52:24 > 0:52:26SHE CHUCKLES
0:52:26 > 0:52:28Over the '50s, catalogue orders tripled
0:52:28 > 0:52:31as weekly payment plans made previously unaffordable
0:52:31 > 0:52:34products available to all.
0:52:34 > 0:52:36Grattan was founded in Yorkshire
0:52:36 > 0:52:40and became one of the leading catalogue companies in the UK.
0:52:40 > 0:52:45By 1958, they were processing 100,000 parcels a week.
0:52:45 > 0:52:47It wasn't just shoppers that were benefiting.
0:52:47 > 0:52:49By acting as sales agents,
0:52:49 > 0:52:52northern housewives could earn a share of the profits.
0:52:52 > 0:52:55So I were reading that if I became an agent
0:52:55 > 0:53:01of a catalogue, I would receive a free catalogue and a free gift
0:53:01 > 0:53:04and one of those gifts would possibly be a cuckoo clock.
0:53:04 > 0:53:06- THEY LAUGH - Ooh!- Wonderful.
0:53:06 > 0:53:09- Do you remember that?- Yeah, that's it.- Oh, I had one of those.
0:53:09 > 0:53:11I know, you used to make me sit under it!
0:53:11 > 0:53:14- THEY LAUGH - So we've got just a very small
0:53:14 > 0:53:17underwear section there, look.
0:53:17 > 0:53:21- Oh, there we go!- Look at that.
0:53:21 > 0:53:26- Well, I used wear them like that when I were only 14.- Why?
0:53:26 > 0:53:30Because that's what I were given to wear to hold me stockings up.
0:53:30 > 0:53:33No wonder I ended up with a big belly.
0:53:33 > 0:53:35- Because your muscles didn't have to work hard enough.- Exactly.
0:53:35 > 0:53:37Yeah, exactly.
0:53:41 > 0:53:44MUSIC: Never Mind by Cliff Richard
0:53:47 > 0:53:49It's 1959!
0:53:49 > 0:53:52Wayhay!
0:53:52 > 0:53:56To see the era off in style, Lesley is putting on a spread.
0:53:56 > 0:53:59She's making a selection of canapes.
0:53:59 > 0:54:01There we've got anchovy paste.
0:54:01 > 0:54:06We've got cream cheese, capers, boiled eggs,
0:54:06 > 0:54:09and we've got pate. These ingredients are very
0:54:09 > 0:54:12sophisticated compared to what
0:54:12 > 0:54:15I was doing at the end of the last era.
0:54:15 > 0:54:19- It is exotic. - Next up is angel food cake,
0:54:19 > 0:54:21and help is on hand.
0:54:21 > 0:54:23- SHE GASPS - Wow!
0:54:23 > 0:54:26SHE LAUGHS
0:54:26 > 0:54:28I've got an electric mixer.
0:54:28 > 0:54:31Look at that! That's amazing.
0:54:32 > 0:54:36The Ellises really have gone from famine to feast.
0:54:37 > 0:54:41No longer worried about where their next meal is coming from,
0:54:41 > 0:54:47Lesley has the time to craft a purple icing using plum jam.
0:54:47 > 0:54:49This would have been nearly impossible, I think,
0:54:49 > 0:54:54without an electric whisk because...
0:54:54 > 0:54:59I'm sure that the plum jam would have affected how it whipped.
0:55:01 > 0:55:05MUSIC: Magic Moments by Perry Como
0:55:05 > 0:55:07The family have invited their nearest
0:55:07 > 0:55:11and dearest round to mark the end of the era.
0:55:11 > 0:55:13- Hi, Auntie Barbara.- Hello, love.
0:55:13 > 0:55:15Aw!
0:55:15 > 0:55:18It's the perfect opportunity for Jon to show off their new toy.
0:55:18 > 0:55:20But we got it on HP.
0:55:20 > 0:55:23I think it's forever. You know, we're going to just pay it forever.
0:55:23 > 0:55:25But it is a flatscreen, innit?
0:55:26 > 0:55:32I'm joining our intrepid time travellers' celebration.
0:55:32 > 0:55:37- Hello. Hello, sweetheart. - Nice to see you again. All right?
0:55:37 > 0:55:40- Can I start?- Yeah, yeah. By all means.
0:55:40 > 0:55:44I want to find out if they've enjoyed their post-war years.
0:55:47 > 0:55:49Have you felt quite a change, then? Because obviously at the start
0:55:49 > 0:55:53of the 15 years, there was still rationing, things were pretty tough.
0:55:53 > 0:55:57Has it felt like it's been sort of 15 years of plenty?
0:55:57 > 0:56:00It's been like a stark contrast, I think,
0:56:00 > 0:56:05especially from the beginning of the era, 1945, up until 1959 today.
0:56:05 > 0:56:10It does feel like people kind of got over rationing by almost going into
0:56:10 > 0:56:14excess. It were their way of thinking, "Right, that's it now."
0:56:14 > 0:56:16How have you felt about the march of technology?
0:56:16 > 0:56:18Because it is beginning, it is happening now, isn't it?
0:56:18 > 0:56:22- Cos you've got your electric whisk and you've got telly.- TV, yeah.
0:56:22 > 0:56:27I do feel, stood in 1959, that we know what's coming.
0:56:27 > 0:56:30So is it almost like you're bracing yourself for this whole new
0:56:30 > 0:56:33- world that's going to start?- Yeah, kind of holding it back if we can...
0:56:33 > 0:56:36- Yeah.- ..as long as we can, really.- Yeah.
0:56:36 > 0:56:39I think what has changed in this era is
0:56:39 > 0:56:42sort of beginning of consumerism.
0:56:42 > 0:56:45In the last era, it just did not exist.
0:56:45 > 0:56:52We lived a basic life and it was about community and family
0:56:52 > 0:56:56and work, and there's something raw and honest about that.
0:57:01 > 0:57:02So, then, how's it been?
0:57:02 > 0:57:05How have you enjoyed the last era?
0:57:05 > 0:57:06Harvey, what you thinking?
0:57:06 > 0:57:08We've just had a lot of time together, so it's been great.
0:57:08 > 0:57:11How has it been with food and with drink?
0:57:11 > 0:57:15I mean, you know, has it been nice having more brands and fizzy pop?
0:57:15 > 0:57:18- What's the fizzy pop like? - I love it.
0:57:18 > 0:57:20Like, I absolutely love having pop and sweets
0:57:20 > 0:57:22cos I've got a sweet tooth as it is, so...
0:57:24 > 0:57:27You can really see that there's been more prosperity
0:57:27 > 0:57:29in the later '50s.
0:57:29 > 0:57:31At the start of the '40s,
0:57:31 > 0:57:34there wasn't enough money to go out and do your own thing.
0:57:34 > 0:57:36You were sort of confined to your home.
0:57:38 > 0:57:42I think all of us have had a new sense of freedom.
0:57:44 > 0:57:47All the way through the '40s and '50s,
0:57:47 > 0:57:51it's reminded me about myself and my family that...
0:57:51 > 0:57:52Cheers.
0:57:52 > 0:57:55..we've never talked as much, we've never had as much fun and games.
0:57:57 > 0:57:59You know, in present times we should do a lot more of it
0:57:59 > 0:58:04and just put the phones to one side and have that traditional fun.
0:58:12 > 0:58:14Next time...
0:58:14 > 0:58:16- Coco Pops!- Spaghetti!
0:58:16 > 0:58:19..the Ellis family enter the swinging '60s.
0:58:19 > 0:58:21This is like some next-level gourmet stuff.
0:58:24 > 0:58:26I'm a bit...eugh.
0:58:26 > 0:58:27When I used to hear that rattle,
0:58:27 > 0:58:30I used to think it were tea-time then.
0:58:30 > 0:58:33WOLF WHISTLING
0:58:33 > 0:58:35# Sweets for my sweet
0:58:35 > 0:58:37# Sugar for my honey
0:58:37 > 0:58:41# I'll never, ever let you go
0:58:41 > 0:58:45# Ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh
0:58:45 > 0:58:48# Ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh
0:58:48 > 0:58:52# Ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh
0:58:52 > 0:58:56# Ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh. #