This film is part of Free

Mrs. T. And Her Cabbage Patch

Poetic tribute to Mrs Turner's vegetable growing prowess, plus the delights of "wartime steaks"

Public Information Filler 1941 12 mins

Overview

A poetic tribute to Mrs Turner's vegetable growing prowess opens this public information filler. Much of Mrs T's surplus produce is put to good use in the kitchen of the local community restaurant – which makes use of the latest electrical labour-saving appliances. The wartime menu is less than ringingly endorsed by Mrs T - "If you're hungry enough it makes your mouth water." Still, the fresh vegetables are nutritious and used in some ingenious recipes, such as "wartime steaks" comprising minced beef, carrot, herbs, onions and breadcrumbs.

This film's director, Mary Field, was a pioneering educational and natural history filmmaker in the 1920s. She was a prolific producer as well as director, and went on to head the Children's Film Foundation. The Electrical Association for Women, one of the sponsors of this film, was established in 1924 to "popularise the domestic use of electricity" and remained in existence until 1986. This government film is a public record, preserved and presented by the BFI National Archive on behalf of The National Archives, home to more than 1,000 years of British history.