From ‘Field to Fork’ in World War II

In this special podcast for Heritage Open Days 2021 festival recorded by Hampshire Cultural Trust we explore Edible England in World War II - from 'field to fork'.

Join us to hear how ‘Digging for Victory’ worked in World War Two. Together with Nick Suffolk, Head of Cultural Experience for Hampshire Cultural Trust, we’ll hear how we grew more, made our food go further, and how the allotments that were at the heart of it all have changed (or not!) today.

Coaxing the plots of 1940s Britain into producing over 1.3 million tonnes for food annually was no easy process. But along the way, more and more of the country discovered the joy of seasonal produce, tried its hand at home-made preserves and even experienced a boom in membership of pig-keeping clubs! So it’s no surprise that allotments continue to thrive today - give or take a few changes with what we do with our produce, starting with the mashed potato sandwiches that Nick tries on this week’s episode..!

You can still enjoy many of our other Heritage Open Days events including our Edible England Exhibition and some of the festival films, interviews and tour. Click here to visit our YouTube channel.

Hampshire Cultural Trust (HCT)

Established as an independent charity in 2014, HCT promote Hampshire as a county that offers outstanding cultural experiences to both its residents and visitors. From museums to galleries to arts centres, we manage and support 26 venues across the county.

Field to Fork - Nick Suffolkimage001.png

Nick Suffolk

Nick Suffolk is Head of Cultural Experience for Hampshire Cultural Trust.

He is based at Milestones Museum in Basingstoke, a large living history museum telling the stories of Victorian, Edwardian and World War II Hampshire.

Nick has worked in museums for over 25 years, creating exhibitions and experiences related to all kinds of aspects of the past, from Ancient Greeks to steam engines, and from the Roman Empire to the Second World War.

His most recent projects have been creating Milestones Pier and the new Mr Simpson’s Teddy Bear Museum at Milestones.

Further Information and Additional Links

To find out more about Hampshire Cultural Trust, visit their website. And if you wish to read some of Nick’s work along with other articles, check out HCT’s magazine platform, here.

You can find out more about HCT on their social media pages:

You can see some of Nick’s recent projects at the Milestones Living History Museum in Basingstoke and follow them on social media:

If you enjoyed any of the festival episodes or events and want more, share what we are doing on social media or with your friends so we can continue to grow and offer you more episodes and events in the future.