How to celebrate VE Day indoors - including Prue Leith recipe for flapjacks

Lockdown means there will not be any outside street parties to commemorate VE Day.

But, as the nation prepares to mark 75th anniversary of Victory in Europe on Friday May 8, here are ideas for what you can put on the menu for indoor ‘bit of a do’.

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On VE Day, 75 years ago,this is what would have been on the menu ...SandwichesThe main order of the day during the VE Day street party celebrations, as was beer ... until it ran out early in the pubs, well before 10.30pm curfew!

Lord Woolton PieFirst created at The Savoy Hotel in London, this was one of the most widely cooked dishes during the war, consisting of diced potatoes and vegetables with a potato or pastry topping.

Corned beef hashDue to meat shortages, corned beef was also on the menu, as was Spam ... cue Monty Python song!

Eggless fruit cakeEggs were rationed so people had to learn how to bake without them.Anything with also rationed sugar was saved for a very special day.We look at modern takes on some of these dishes, including a dessert from Great British Bake Off’s Prue Leith.

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A wartime recipe that used a plentiful supply of homegrown vegetables was the Woolton Pie.It was a filling and nutritious pie of root vegetables with a potato and wheatmeal crust.Now ingredients are more plentiful, even in lockdown.Try a pimped version ...

Wartime Woolton Pie with a modern twist - serves 4-5Ingredients:1 tbsp olive oil2 garlic cloves, crushed25g butter1 tbsp Marmitetbsp fresh thyme400g potatoes, peeled & diced (I use Vales Sovereign variety, which are firm and smooth and hold together well in a pie)250g swede, peeled & diced250g carrots, peeled & diced300g cauliflower300ml white wine150ml double cream (for a healthier dish, substitute with half fat creme fraiche)black pepper1 egg, beatenPastry:250g plain flourpinch of salt2 tsp fresh thyme150g cream cheese150g cold butter, diced

Method:Heat the olive oil in a large pan over a low heat.Add the garlic and fry for 1 minute.Add the butter, marmite & thyme and stir until the butter has melted.Add the potatoes, swede & carrots and fry for two minutes while stirring.Add the cauliflower and white wine.Stir everything together and place the lid on.Simmer for approx 15 minutes until the vegetables are tender.Make the pastry by combining everything in a food mixer until it just comes together.Roll the pastry out to just larger than your pie dish.Remove vegetables from the heat and stir in double cream.Season with black pepper to taste.Add the vegetables to pie dish and cover with the pastry.I don’t bother trimming to size, instead just tucking the edges in!Brush generously with beaten egg. Bake in a preheated 200C oven for 30 minutes, until golden brown.

Every party needs a delicious dessert to mark the occasion.

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This is why we have teamed up with Great British Bake Off Judge Prue Leith to help you bake a treat while you stay home, save lives and celebrate Friday’s VE Day 75th anniversary.

Prue LeithPrue Leith
Prue Leith

Muscovado flapjacksIngredients:75g of brown sugar75g of muscovado sugar150g of butter275g of porridge oats1 heaped teaspoon of ground cinnamon1/2 teaspoon of table salt

How to make the Muscovado flapjacksPre-heat the oven to 180 degrees.

Method:Line a small baking tray with a piece of non-stick baking sheet.(Prue uses an oven liner).Slowly melt the sugar and butter together in a medium sized saucepan.Once this has turned into a liquid, stir in the oats, cinnamon, and salt.Spoon into the baking tray and press down flat with back of a spoon.Once flat, score through to make 12 flapjacks.Bake for 20 minutes until golden and set.Take out of the oven and leave until warm.Separate between the already scored edges.

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