Herbert Axtell

Herbert Axtell

Younger brother

1923 - c1987

Insulation or Hay Box Cookery

The insulator is an improved Hay Box. This method is economical, clean, labour saving and beneficial for units on the move. Food can be served hot at any hour of the day or night.

Method
Foods are prepared and semi-cooked in container, skimmed and covered with two lids, placed in box and sealed. The food will continue to cook until the specified time. Make sure the time of entry and time of taking out, also the name of the dish is written on box to avoid mistakes.

Lindsey Axtell

Lindsey Axtell

Elder brother
1918 - 1995

Haversack Rations

When soldiers or A.T.S are away from camp for some considerable time a meal is issued in the form of a Haversack Ration. The main hot meal being issued on arriving or returning to their destination. With the daily rations issued a good Haversack Ration can be made. The following will help in the making of the Haversack Ration.

Sandwich Fillings
Ham and beef etc
Ham and beef mince
Meat roll or preserved meats
Luncheon sausage
Liver paste
Bacon and sausage
Cheese
Cheese paste
Cheese and tomato
Cheese and lettuce
Fish paste
Salmon
Jam, marmalade or syrup

Cakes and Pastries
Small Cakes
Yeast buns
Turnovers etc
N.A.A.F.I (Navy, Army and Air Force Institutes) cakes
Unit made cakes
Savoury pasties
Cornish pasties
Bacon pasties
Sausage rolls
Meat rolls
Meat pies
Pork pies

Miscellaneous
Various fruit if obtainable
Chocolate
Smiths crisps
Smiths nuts and raisins
Boiled eggs
Packet of biscuits

I.E
1 meat sandwich, 2 jam sandwiches, 1 fish sandwich, 1 sausage roll or pastry, 1 cheese sandwich, 1 cake, chocolate or fruit.

Care and Management of all Stores

Butchers Shop
This room must be well ventilated and kept clean and dry at all times. Rods supplied for hanging meat, tables and blocks for cutting and chopping, also knives, saws and choppers must be used for their right purpose. All must be cleaned after using. Meat should not be kept in store too long and must make sure that old supplies are used first. A check must be kept of all meat received and issued. In the summer meat should be covered with a muslin cloth.

Bread Store
This store should be well ventilated and have wooden racks for stacking bread (no higher than 3 layers). Keep away from wall to assure a circulation of air for keeping bread fresh. If bread is returned unfingered, cover with a damp cloth and use for the following meal. Fingered bread is kept in a separate bin (DRY) for selling purposes. Cut bread by machine for economy.

Ration Stores
This store shouldhave shelves, safes, and all must be kept clean and dry. Dried foods must be kept in separate bins. Butter and margarine kept in safes, and all other stores kept in specified places. A book must be kept for received and issued items, daily.
Note
A place for everything and everything in its place.

Vegetable Store
All green vegetables etc. must be carefully handled, and stacked on dry racks, and kept as dry as possible (bruised vegetables lose its vitamins). Potatoes must be placed on duck boards, taking special care to use old supplies first. At all times, this vegetable room and potato machine must be kept clean and tidy.

Jose Axtell 1930s

George Axtell

George Axtell

Elder Brother

1913 - 1992

Common Fault in Tea Making

1. Water not at boiling point when poured over tea.


2. Water boiling for a long period before required.


3. Buckets not heated before brewing.


4. Tea bags tied tightly, thus preventing water extracting full value of tea.


5. Tea brewed with a small quantity of water hours before required.


6. Adding sugar before tea bag is removed, as the leaves absorb some of the sweetening.

Beverages

Tea
12 oz Tea
1 lbs Sugar
4 tins or 6 1/4 pts Milk
2 gal Water

Method
Weigh out ingredients required for number of men in mess. Place dry tea in muslin bags and tie loosely. Place tea bags in warmed buckets, fill with biling water, stand near a hot stove for 8 - 10 mins. Remove tea bags, squeeze fairly dry, then add sugar and milk.
Note
Place 2 1/2 oz of tea in warmed bucket, add boiling water and allow to brew for 5 mins then strain into warmed buckets, add sugar and milk. This is sufficient for 20.

Coffee
2 lbs Ground coffee
3 lbs Sugar
4 Tins or 6 1/4 pts Fresh milk
Pinch of salt
8 gal Water

Method
Warm coffee to separate grains, place in warmed buckets or containers, slowly add the water to get out full flavour, add salt. Strain through muslin, add sugar and milk.
Note
Coffee should be made immediately before required and should never boil.

Cocoa (for small number)
2 lbs Cocoa
3 lbs Sugar
4 tins or 6 1/4 pts Milk
8 gal Water

Method
Well mix cocoa and sugar, pour on boiling water, stirring to prevent lumps, add milk before serving.

Cocoa (for large number)
2 lbs Cocoa
3 lbs Sugar
4 tins or 6 1/4 pts Milk
8 gal Water

Method
Make a paste of the cocoa, sugar and a little milk. Pour on boiling water, reboil for 3 minutes.

Jose Axtell 1920s

Sweets

Dried fruits are prunes, figs, apple rings, pears, apricots and mixed fruit sald. All these must be soaked for 12 hours.

Recipe and Method
16 lb Prunes, figs, apricots or fruit salad
2 lbs Sugar
1 oz Cinnamon
Juice and rind of two lemons if obtainable

Method
Barely cover soaked washed fruit with cold water, add sugar and other ingredients, bring to boil and simmer gently until tender.

Stewed Apple Rings
8 lb Apple rings
A few cloves
2 lbs Sugar

Method
As above. For apple pie, cover apples with 8 lbs sweet short pastry.

Steamed Apple Pudding
8 lb Apple rings
2 lbs Sugar
A few cloves
16 lb Suet paste

Method
Line basins with paste, fill with apples, add sugar and cloves and cover with paste and greaseproof paper. Steam for 1 1/2 - 2 hours.

Baked Bread Pudding
18 lbs Soaked bread
2 lbs Saltanas
2 lbs Treacle or syrup
1 1/2 oz Mixed Spice
2 lbs Currants
2 lbs Sugar
1/2 lb Mixed peel
Good pinch of salt
2 lbs Margarine or fat
Grated rind of 2 lemons

Method
Pass bread through mincer, cream the fat, sugar and syrup, thoroughly together. Wash fruit and mix all ingredients together, place on lightly greased tray. Smooth the top, sprinkle with sugar, cook in slow oven for 1 hour. Serve with custard sauce.

Baked Jam Roll
16 lbs Sweet short pastry
7 lbs Jam

Method
Roll out paste 1/4" thick and roughly 15" by 12". Spread with jam to within 1" of sides, turn end in, wet the edges and roll up. Start cooking in quick oven, when set remove to slower oven to finish cooking.

Baked Rice Pudding
4 gal Milk
4 lbs Rice
2 lbs Sugar
1/4 lbs Margarine
Grated nutmeg

Method
Boil milk and sugar. Wash and add rice slowly, simmer for 20 minutes, place in greased pie dishes. Add margarine and nutmeg, finish cooking in slow oven.

Blancmange
2 lbs Cornflower
2 1/2 gal Milk
2 lbs Sugar
Vanilla essence

Method
Boil milk and sugar, make a thin paste with cornflower, add to milk, add vanilla and boil for 10 mins. Place in moulds and allow to cool.

Chocolate Blancmange
Same as above. Leaving out vanilla essence and adding 3/4 lb chocolate powder.

Jose and Herbert

Jose and her brother Herbert

Steamed Puddings

Steamed Puddings
12lbs Flour
4 lbs Breadcrumbs
8 oz Baking Powder
2 lbs Sugar
6 lbs Suet
1 oz Salt
Water as required

Method
Sieve flour and baking powder and salt, add finely chopped suet and breadcrumbs. Mix dry ingredients together, make a bay, add sugar to centre. Mix together with water to form a light dough. Place into lightly greased basins, or damp clothes, steam for 2 hours, or can be boiled. This is the basic recipe for all puddings; add 6lb of fruit or 7 lbs jam which ever is required.

Custard Sauces
2 gal Milk
1 lb Custard Powder
1 lb Sugar

Method
Mix custard powder and sugar with cold milk to a smooth paste. Boil remainder of the milk, pour in to the paste, stirring the whole time, re-boil, serve.

Chocolate Sauce
2 gal Milk
1 lb Sugar
1 lb Cornflower
1 lb Cocoa or Chocolate

Method
As for custard sauce.

Jam Sauce
2 gal Water
2 lbs Sugar
1 lb Cornflower
3 lbs Jam

Method
Place 3 lbs jam inot 2 gal of boiling water, add sugar, bring to boil, stirring from time to time. Dilute cornflower with cold water, pour into boiling water and jam, stir until it boils again.

Sweet White Sauce
2 gal Milk
1 lb Cornflower
1 lb Sugar

Method
As for custard sauce.

E.C.T.C Training Exercise Book

The ATS Girls

Jose Axtell is sat in the middle

Soups and Broth

Soups are divided into four kinds.
1. Vegetable soups
2. Flour based soups (brown and white roux)
3. Pulse soups (dry vegetables)
4. Broths

Vegetable Soups
25 qts stock
2 lb turnips
4 lb carrots
1 large cabbage
1 bunch of leeks (3 lb)
8 oz margarine
3 lb onions
Seasoning
7 lb potatoes

Method
Melt the margarine and add the diced vegetables (except the potatoes). Cover with lid and sweat down slowly. Moisten with stock, add cubed potatoes and brindg to the boil. Skim, simmer till cooked and pass through the soup machines. Reboil, remove scum, correct the seasoning and thickness.
Note
These soups can be garnished with 2 lbs of plain boiled rice.

Tomato Soup
4lbs flour
3lbs carrots
4 tins or bottles of tomatoes
2lbs dripping
25qrts stock
3lbs onions
3lbs bacon bones
salt to season
1/2 lb sugar

Method
Chop the bacon bones, carrots and onions and fry to a golden brown. Add flour and cook on side of the stove until a golden colour (brown roux). Add tomatoes and stock and stir till the soup boils. Add seasoning and sugar and simmer for 45 minutes. Pass through the sup machines , reboil, correct the seasoning and thickness.

Leek and Potato Soup
Flour based soup - white roux
25qrts water
4lbs flour
2lbs margarine
10lbs potatoes
3lbs onions
1 large faggot
3 bunches of leeks
Salt to season

Method
Chop the onions and leeks. Sweat down in margarine , add flour and cook to sandy texture (white roux). Moisten with water, add seasoning and chopped potatoes. Bring to the boil and simmer for 45 minutes. Pass through the soup machines, reboil, remove scum and fat. Add correct seasoning and thickness.

Haricot Bean Soup
Pulse soup
10lbs haricot beans
25qrts water
2lbs whole carrots
2lbs whole onions
1 ham bone
Few peppercorns (tied in bag)
Salt to seaons
Good pinch of thyme
4 bay leaves

Method
Soak beans for atleast 18 hours. Cover with fresh water and bring to the boil. Remove scum, add whole vegetables and other ingredients and simmer till the vegetables are cooked. Remove the garnish (use vegatables for salad and stew). Pass through the soup machine, reboil and remove scum. Add correct seasoning and thickness.
Note
Substitute 10lbs peas, 10lbs butter beans, 10lbs yellow split peas or 14lb lentils.

Barley Broth
25qrts beef stock
11/2lbs carrots
11/2lbs turnips
1lb leeks
11/2lbs onions
1 cabbage
11/2lbs celery
Salt to season
11/2lbs barley

Method
Boil the strained beef stock, skim thoroughly, add washed barley and simmer for 45 minutes. Cut the vegetables in small dice or pass through large cutter of mincing machines. Simmer till vegetables are cooked. Ass the correct seasoning.
Note
Scotch broth and mutton broth are the same as barley broth using mutton stock.

Rabbit Broth
Same as barley broth, using rabbit stock.

Mulligatawney Soup
25qrts stock
2lbs dripping
8oz coconut
1lb curry powder
7lbs onions
31/2lbs flour
12oz apple rings
1lb rice as garnish
1 tin or bottle tomatoes
Few peppercorns in a bag
Salt to season
3 bay leaves

Method
Same as for flour based soup (brown), but coconut and apple rings are soaked and chopped before adding to the soup.

Vegetables

Note
All root vegetables or vegetables grown below the ground are placed into cold water. All green vegetables or vegetables above the ground are placed into boiling water. All dry vegetables (pulses) are covered with boiling water and allowed to soak for 18 hours.

Cabbage
A new method of cooking to preserve the vitamins.
50 lb cabbage

1. Obtain the cabbage as fresh as possible.
2. Use all the cabbage except thick stalks and yellow leaves.
3. Wash thoroughly in salt water.
4. Use the smallest possible amount of water.
5. Have the water boiling before adding the vegetables.
6. Add salt and a little vinegar to water before adding the vegetables.
7. Gradually add the vegetables to the water to prevent the water going off the boil.
8. Cover whilst cooking.
9. Cook vegetables only until tender.
10. Arrange cooking of vegetables to be served as soon as possible.
11. The same water can be used fo the 2nd cooking of the cabbage.
12. Use the water after straining for soups and gravies.

Brussels Sprouts
40 lb Brussels sprouts
4 oz salt

Use the same method as for cooking cabbage.

Boiled Carrots, Turnips, Swedes and Parsnips
40 lb vegetable
2 oz salt

Method
Peel and cut vegetables in neat squares or finger shape. Place in cold water, add salt, bring to the boil and cook steadily till tender. The water, when drained off, can be used for soups or gravies.
Note
The above vegetables can also be mashed and a little margarine added and served as buttered carrots, turnips, Swedes or parsnips.

Vichy Carrots
40 lb carrots
A little sugar
½ lb margarine
Salt to season

Method
Clean and cut carrots into round slices. Place in saucepan, add margarine, and sweat down. Barely cover with cold water, add sugar, salt and simmer till tender. Reduce liquid and pour over the carrots when serving.

Dry Vegetables (Pulses)
Haricot beans, butter beans, green peas.
10 lb Haricot beans or other dried vegetables.
12 oz carrots (whole)
12 oz onions (whole)
1 lb bacon trimmings
A few peppercorns tied in a bag
Salt to season
A faggot (a small bundle of herbs, parsley, stacks, thyme, bay leaves added to the dish for flavouring)

Method
Soak vegetables for 18 hours and cover with fresh cold water before bringing to the boil. Skim, add whole vegetables and other ingredients, simmer until tender, remove the garnish and then strain before serving.
Note
When cooking green vegetables (peas) add a little chopped fresh or dried mint.

Braised Cabbage
A method of using up left over cabbage.
40 lb cabbage
2 qts brown sauce
1 lb carrots
Salt and pepper to season
1 lb onions
A little melted fat/ margarine
1 lb bacon trimming
2 qts stock

Method
Place sliced vegetables and diced bacon trimmings in a baking tray. Cover with cabbage, repeat with sliced vegetables and bacon and then cover again with cabbage. Add the stock and fat, bring to the boil and cover with greaseproof. Cook in a fairly hot oven for approximately 1 hour. Strain off the stock, add the brown sauce and serve with cabbage.

Jose Axtell

Jose Axtell in her ATS uniform

Potatoes

Fondante Potatoes
65 lb potatoes, unprepared
2 oz chopped parsley
1 lb margarine
Salt to season
4 qts stock

Method
Peel and wash potatoes, place in greased baking trays, tree parts cover with stock and season. Cook in hot oven. Frequently brush with melted margarine to form a brown gloss on top. Sprinkle with chopped parsley when serving.

Sauté Potatoes
65 lb potatoes, unprepared
2 oz chopped parsley
3 lbs dripping - 1st class
Salt and pepper to taste

Method
Peel and wash the potatoes, boiled or steamed till just cooked, cool and slice in ¼ " slices, lightly brown in hot shallow fat. Strain off, well season and sprinkle with chopped parsley before serving.

Lyonnaise Potatoes
These are Sauté potatoes with 1 lb shredded cooked onions added.

Savoury Potatoes
65 lb potatoes, unprepared
2 lb grated cheese
1 lb onions
2 qts stock
2 oz chopped parsley
Salt and pepper to taste
Nutmeg

Method
Peel and wash potatoes, cut in slices, 1/8 " thickness. Peel and shred onions, mix well together and season. Place in greased baking trays, three quarts cover with stock. Sprinkle with grated cheese and cook in a hot over. Sprinkle with chopped parsley before serving.
Note. The cheese in the potatoes is not popular and can if desired be left out, if this is done, cover potatoes with greaseproof paper, till nearly cooked, the remove paper to colour potatoes.

Mashed Potatoes
65 lb potatoes, unprepared
1 lb margarine
2 qts milk
Salt, pepper and nutmeg to taste

Method
Peel and wash potatoes, place in containers, cover with cold water, add slat bring to boil, cook till tender, strain off, pass through masher or sieve, place on warm part of stove, add margarine, seasoning and boiling milk, mix thoroughly, arrange neatly in serving dish.

Baked Jacket Potatoes
65 lb potatoes

Method
Peel and wash potatoes, cut in strip ½ " square. Drain potatoes well, place in frying baskets. Carefully add to hot fat and cook till light golden colour, and remove from fat when fat is reheated. Return potatoes and finish cooking. Drain well and sprinkle with salt before serving.

Parmenter Potatoes
65 lb potatoes
3lbs dripping 1st class
2 oz chopped parsley
Salt and pepper and nutmeg to taste

Method
Peel and wash potatoes and cut into ½ inch squares. Drain well and heat the dripping in a baking tray (sufficient to cover the bottom). When hot place in potatoes and season with salt, cook for 5 minutes, then place in a moderate oven to finish cooking and colour to a light brown. Strain well before serving.

Roast Potatoes
65 lb potatoes, unprepared
3 lbs dripping
2oz salt

Method
Peel and wash potatoes. Heat the dripping, place in the potatoes and allow to colour lightly on top of stove. Place in hot oven to finish cooking to a golden brown. Baste frequently. Strain off the fat and season before serving.

Steamed potatoes
65 lb potatoes, unprepared

Method
Peel and wash potatoes, season with salt and cook in a steamer for 20 minutes.

Steamed jacket potatoes
65 lb potatoes, unprepared

Method
Scrub well and place in the steamer for 20 minutes.

Stocks White and Brown

White Stock
7lb. Small beef bones
¼ lb Celery trimmings
4 galls Water
½ lb green of leek
1 lb Onions (whole)
Salt to season
1 lb carrots (whole)
Pinch of thyme and cloves
4 bay leaves
A few peppercorns

Method
Chop bones fairly small, cover with cold water, bring to boil, remove scum, simmer gently for 2 hours, remove fat, wipe clean inside the stew pan, add a little more water, whole vegetables and other ingredients. Simmer for 2 – 4 hours the strain off through muslin. Stock is then ready for use.
Note
Use vegetables for salads or soups and clarify the fat recovered from stock.

Brown Stock
Method
Same as white stock except bones and vegetables are all browned in oven before water is added.

Brown Sauce
8 oz Dripping 2nd class
10 oz flour
8 oz onions
8 oz bacon trimmings
8 oz carrots
A few peppercorns
1 gall Brown stock
1 bottle or tin tomatoes

Method
Chop bacon bones and dice vegetables. Fry off in 2nd class dripping to a golden brown. Add flour and cook to a sandy texture (brown roux). Add tomatoes, stock and other ingredients, bring to boil, simmer for 1 hour, strain, before using. This sauce can be served with sausages, cottage pie, rissoles, croquettes, and liver or braised vegetables.

White Sauce
1 lb flour
1 Gall milk or stock
1 lb margarine
Salt to taste

Method
Melt margarine, add flour and cook to a sandy texture. App. time 7 minutes (white roux). Cool and gradually add boiling milk or stock and salt, stirring well to prevent lumps, re-boil and simmer for 45 minutes, extra, before serving.
Note

The various sauces made from this sauce are;
Anchovy sauce – add 12 tablespoons off anchovy essence.
Mustard sauce – add 4 oz mustard
Parsley sauce – add 4 oz chopped parsley
Caper sauce – add 8 ofcapers, use mutton stock
Egg sauce – add 12 chopped hard boiled eggs
Cream sauce – add tin milk
Onion sauce – use onion stock and finely chopped onions.
It can also be used as sweet white sauce, adding 1 lb sugar, and leaving out the salt.

Tomato Sauce
The same recipe and method is used as for brown sauce. Adding 1 extra bottle or tin of tomatoes and ½ lb sugar.

Principles of Cooking

Food is cooked for the following reasons –

(a) To render meat and vegetables more digestible by loosening the muscular fibres in meat and breaking starched grains in vegetables.
(b) To make it more appetizing to the sight, taste and smell. Always make dishes as attractive as possible and taste all dishes twice during cooking.


Braising
Braising is a combination of roasting and stewing. Inferior joints being used are – flank, plate and mid ribs. The heat required is the same as for stewing (170 – 180%). The time needed is 20 minutes to the lb and 20 minutes extra, according to joint being used. The estimated loss is 20 – 25%.

Stewing
Stewing is the most profitable of cooking, if properly performed; tough meat is made tender, wholesome and more nourishing. Stewing is not boiling; the temperature required is 170 – 180%. Joints used are shin, shanks, thin flank, plate, sticking piece and flat ribs. The time
required is 1 ½ to 2 hours. The estimated loss in cooking is 12 – 15%.

Frying (deep)
Fat must be smoking hot. The heat required is 350 – 400%. Further test for heat, place in a small piece of bread in the fat, which should quickly colour, if frying is performed properly there is very little loss. Cooking time varies greatly according to the article being fried. Articles usually fried are potatoes, fish, fish cakes, croquettes and fritters.

Frying (shallow)
Sufficient fat required, barely covering the bottom of the pan. Fat should be hot and the article quickly covered on both sides. Some food requires finishing in the oven. Articles used are bacon, kidneys, steaks, chops and Vienna steaks. When frying meat dish, always remove surplus fat and use residue for sauce and gravy.

Boiling
Boiling is cooking by immersing food in boiling water or other liquid. This method of cooking is one of the simplest if carried out correctly. In order to retain nutrients and flavour in food, it should be put into the liquid when it s fast boiling and kept at that temperature for approx 10 minutes, this seals the pores thus retaining the juices.

Roasting
Roasting consists of cooking in a hot oven with sufficient fat to baste the joint form time to time, to help the browning process, and also to prevent the joint becoming dry. This also seals the outside of the meat preventing the juices from escaping. This method is most suitable for the best parts of the meat. During the cooking process a fork should never be used for turning the meat, as this breaks the seal and allows the juices to escape. Roasting joints are loin, wing end, fore rib, mid rib, chuck rib, topside rump, thick flank and leg of mutton. The time needed – is 15 minutes to the lb and 15 minutes over. The average loss in cooking is 30 – 35%.

Steaming
This is a method of cooking by means of vapour. It is suitable for the cooking of vegetables and puddings. The steam pressure must be maintained during the time the food is in the steamers and the doors kept tightly closed.
Note
Steamers should be warmed for a few minutes before the article is put in. The estimated loss is 15%.

Care of Swill Bins

There should be at least 5 swill bins kept.

Wet Swill (sold as pigs swill)

Dry Swill (sold as pigs swill)
Vegetable peelings (sold as pigs swill)
Bones. Thoroughly cleaning and dried (sold to contractors)

Burnt fat and crackling (sold to contractors)

Ashes, empty tins, broken china and tealeaves, must be kept well separated from the swill bins. Bins should be emptied and cleansed daily and lids must always be kept on, and should be placed in the N.E of the cookhouse.


Note. Very little food should ever find their way into the swill bins. Empty bins are a sign that the food is well cooked and appreciated.

Introduction: W/145800. Axtell. J. M

During 1942 my Grandmother Jose Axtell (aged 21) became one 200,000 women to be conscripted into the Auxilary Training Services (ATS). The ATS was the women's branch of the British Army during the second world war. After the National Service Act of 1941, it became compulsory for unmarried women between the ages of 20 to 30 to join one of the auxilary services. This included Princess Elizabeth, our future Queen, who was trained to drive military vehicles during 1945.

Jose became a member of the ECTC or emergency catering training core. During 1942, she trained for three weeks in Honiton, Devon at the Catering Training Core facilities. After her initial training she moved to the Colchester Garrison where she cooked meals for the troups. Colchester was targetted on many occasions between 1942 and 1944.

In April 1944, Jose married Sidney Brackley of Coleshill. Their first child Gillian Mary (my mother) was born two days after VE day in May 1945. Their second child, Ernest John was born two and a half years later. However he died when he was nearly four in an unfortunate accident. Wendy Elizabeth was born during 1955 and became my mother's little sister.

This blog is based on her training notes during her six weeks in the E.C.T.C at Honiton. It includes the recipes that were cooked for the troups and notes that were important for her overall training.

Jose died in March 2007 and this is in tribute to her life, as she will always be missed my her family and friends.

Rachel Seymour