The World War One National Kitchen project run by Associate Professor in History Dr Bryce Evans has been shortlisted for an award.
Professor John Tosh from the Royal Historical Society attended the Nottingham National Kitchen event to learn more and judge the initiative for the Public History Award 2017.
National Kitchens ran in in the UK between 1917 and 1919, offering simple meals at subsidised prices. A bowl of soup, a joint of meat and a portion of side vegetables cost 6d - just over £1 in today's money, while puddings, scones and cakes could be bought for as little as 1d (about 18p). The model returned in World War 2, when more than 2,000 British Restaurants opened between 1943-1947.
Dr Evans’ pop-up events have been touring the UK, after launching in Liverpool. At each event, 100 people are served a 100-year-old menu, to experience what it was like to eat at a World War 1 National Kitchen.
The aim is to help food lovers learn about how the UK ate during the war and to ask whether a similar model could work in today’s society.
For the Nottingham kitchen, Dr Evans teamed up with Pulp Friction – a Nottingham-based charity for young adults with learning disabilities. The event was held in the city’s Pakistan Centre and provided opportunities for young adults with learning disabilities to learn transferable hospitality industry skills.
The initiative sought to rediscover social eating in an area of Nottingham that has a high food bank dependency and diverse demographic.