Smoked fish pie and bread pudding

Something would usually, of course, be found, even in the hardest times. But I expect you can make your own bread and dripping, bread and milk, or spuds with spuds without the help of the Commie Chef.

Extensive research revealed that the following two-part meal would have been affordable to most people who were in work, at least a couple of times a week. Smoked fish was popular because it kept well and fish in general was relatively cheap.

Cheap puddings sent everyone away from the table full and happy.

Neither course would pass a modern test of healthy eating, but in 1930 most working people had to expend much more energy in earning their living, keeping their homes clean and looking after their kids, so they needed robust food.

Even when I was a child in the 1950s and '60s, the main labour-saving device in our house was our mum.

What we're witnessing now, of course, is a sustained assault on everything which has been gained since those days. So get some of this down your neck and you'll be ready for another year of struggle!

The pie

This is a very plain pudding indeed. Nevertheless, as a child I loved it and would have forced down that fish just for the reward. Actually, bread-and-butter pudding (not to be confused) was my favourite, but that will have to wait for another week.

Ingredients
440g/1lb smoked haddock or other smoked white fish, lightly steamed or grilled
30g/1oz butter or margarine
1 leek, sliced
30g/1oz plain white flour
300ml/half pint milk
660g/1.5lb potatoes, peeled, chopped, boiled or steamed, and mashed with a very little butter or margarine , plus a drop of milk
Salt and white pepper

Preheat oven to 200°C/400°F/Gas mark 6

Melt the butter in a large saucepan and cook the leeks until soft, which shouldn't take longer than three minutes. Then stir in the flour and cook for a further two minutes.

Remove from the heat and gradually stir in the milk. Return to a low heat and cook, stirring until the sauce has thickened.

Simmer very gently for five minutes, then add the pre-cooked fish. Season, but go easy on the salt as smoked fish is already quite salty. (I wouldn't add any, but my gran would!)

Remove from the pan to an oven-proof dish. Top with mashed potato, then moisten the top with a little milk so that it browns. Nice swirling patterns made with a fork give it an attractive appearance and a nice crunchy texture.

Bake until golden brown, which should take at least half an hour but no more than 40 minutes.

The pud

Ingredients
220g/8oz stale bread
300ml/half pint milk
80g/3oz mixed dried fruit
80g/3oz sugar
Good pinch mixed spice
110g/4oz butter/margarine
1 egg

Cut the bread into large pieces and soak for an hour in the milk. During this time preheat the oven to 350°F/180°C/Gas mark 4. (If you're serving these two courses together, the fish pie will happily stand for five minutes while the oven cools, and you can cook the pudding while you're eating the fish).

Squeeze out the excess milk, then break up any lumps. Add all the other ingredients and mix thoroughly. If it seems rather dry (it should drop slowly from the back of a spoon) put some of the milk back and mix.

Put the mixture into a greased baking dish and bake for an hour, by which time it should be golden. Serve with custard, which you can make with that excess milk.