Food rationing defeated with a Jaffle

FOR EVERY MEAL: the Jaffle pressure toaster solves that problem caused by lack of variety. Easy-to-get foods ... Fish, rabbit, vegetables and fruits of all kinds are all given new TASTE-APPEAL when cooked in a JAFFLE. Jaffles are the most delicious way to please a hungry family. So quick - so easy to prepare.

FOR YOUR MAN'S WORK LUNCH: what better way to keep him happy on work-days than with a JAFFLE lunch?


And so it goes on. Text from my mother's Jaffle iron instruction leaflet. Tanya and I have been exchanging vintage recipes.

I took the Jaffle iron, which we called a stone-age bra, to university in 1983. After that, I lost track of it, a fact I now regret. I think I'll get a modern version called a Diablo, to make those stovetop toasties with a deep, sealed crust. Wonder if the GF bread will stand up to the experience?

The reason for this historical food-related topic is to ponder on the abundance that now surrounds some members of society. On Mondays, I work at one of the places to which fresh food is donated by supermarkets, as it's beginning to approach its sell-by date.

Today's offerings included aubergines, Brussels sprouts, mangoes, passion fruit, sprigs of fresh rosemary, and lettuce. Imagine a 1940s housewife being presented with such largesse!

However, I am struggling to envision making an aubergine and lettuce toastie, or even slipping a mango, passion fruit and rosemary Jaffle in my man's lunch bag...