Swedes with Cheese

From Vegetables for Victory, by Ambrose Heath, 1944

Boil some swedes, drain them and mash them well with a little margarine, salt and black pepper. Mix these with some thick white sauce which you have flavoured with cheese, made mustard, a pinch of sugar and, if you like, a few drops of onion flavouring. Put into a greased pie-dish, sprinkle with grated cheese, cheese and breadcrumbs, or breadcrumbs mixed with a little melted margarine, and bake in a moderate oven for half an hour, when it should be nicely browned.

We went on eating swedes (rutabagas) after the war, and you can still buy them, and they're still watery and tasteless. Onions were "in short supply" during World War II. Vegetables for Victory was written for vegetarians, who were also in short supply. People were still deeply suspicious of vegetarians in the 70s.