Woolton Pizza Pie (WWII Recipe) (2024)

The Woolton Pizza Pie Recipe is my update on one of the most famous wartime rationing recipes, Woolton Pie. This tasty and nutritious vegetable pie was created by Francis Ladry, Chef at the Savoy Hotel in London. It is named after Lord Woolton, who helped to make the recipe popular when he became Minister of Food in 1940.

Advertisem*nt: Paid post commissioned by the Potato Council. For more information please see myPRIVACY POLICY

Celebrate VE Day with a Woolton Pizza Pie

I created this recipe to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the end of the Second World War in Europe (VE Day – 8 May 1945).

Potato Pete

Potato Pete is a fun character created by the Ministry of Agriculture & Food. He was created to inspire people to eat more potatoes and maintain their health during the Second World War.

Potato Pete is being brought back to life through wartime recipes that have been given a modern makeover. Though times have changed, potatoes remain a British favourite and are still helping the country enjoy a healthy, balanced diet.

Dig for Victory

During WW2 families were encouraged to make use of their gardens or allotments to grow vegetables through the ‘Dig for Victory’ campaign. At its peak, there were 1.4 million allotments in Britain. There has been a revival in interest in growing your own food and allotments are very popular.

Kate Cox of the Potato Council says, “Potatoes were a staple ingredient in Britain during the war and a key component of the ‘Dig for Victory’ campaign, so it seemed only fitting to celebrate VE Day by revamping wartime recipes that are still just as tasty and nutritious today!”

Healthy Wartime Diet

Dietitians argue that wartime diets were amongst the healthiest the British population has ever eaten, which in turn led to improvements in the nation’s health.

Sian Porter, dietitian says, “Food during the Second World War was all about sustainability, minimising waste and nutrition. Today we are seeing a renewed interest in where our food comes from, how it is grown, avoiding waste as well as maximising nutrition. Ingredients such as potatoes were relevant then and are relevant now.”

Potatoes are a Superfood

Potatoes are the original superfood. Research* shows children get more Vitamin C, B1, B6, Folate, Iron, Magnesium and Potassium from potatoes than from the 5 superfoods; beetroot, bananas, nuts, broccoli, and avocado combined.

Average intakes of potassium, iodine, folate and vitamin B6 are more than 10% higher in adults who regularly consume more potatoes rather than alternative carbohydrates such as pasta or rice. The average intakes of potassium, folate, vitamin A and vitamin B6 are also more than 6% higher in children who consume potatoes regularly.

How to make Woolton Pizza Pie

The Woolton Pizza Pie uses mashed potatoes to create a soft and tender pizza dough. The mashed potato also reduces the quantity of flour. Find all quantities and full instructions in the recipe card at the bottom on this page.

Make the mashed potato

Use leftover mashed potatoes for the pizza base or peel, boil until tender, and mash then leave until cool.

Make the pizza dough

Put the flour, yeast salt and sugar into a bowl, add the mashed potato and the rest of the base ingredients. Mix together and knead for 5 -10 minutes. Put into an oiled bowl, cover and leave to prove until doubled in size.

Note

Different potatoes have different water content so your dough may be slightly wetter or dryer. Use more or less flour until you have the correct consistency.

Pizza dough with no yeast

If you don’t have yeast or don’t want to wait for the dough to rise, use a scone dough base like this Scone Dough Pizza from Nicola at Something Sweet, Something Savoury.

Roast the Vegetables

Bake the Woolton Pizza Pie

Let’s get social!

Stay in touch with everything that’s going on at Farmersgirl Kitchen.

Facebook Pinterest Instagram Twitter

I’m adding this recipe to #CookBlogShare the link up for great recipes from food blogs.

* SACN identified 14 micronutrients where there is evidence of low intakes and/or low nutritional status in the UK population (SACN 2008). Potatoes contribute 10% or more of intakes of many of these micronutrients in the UK, namely vitamin B6 (19%), potassium (18%), vitamin C (15%), thiamine (13%), folate (12%) and magnesium (10%) (Henderson et al. 2002). Source: 2010 British Nutrition Foundation Nutrition Bulletin, 35, pg 326