By 1918, the British were sending over 67 million lbs (30 million kg) of meat to the Western Front each month. Daily rations were meant to include fresh or frozen meat, but many meals would have consisted of tinned food, like ‘Maconochie’ beef and vegetable stew. Named after the company that made it, it was a familiar aspect of the British soldier’s diet.
But one account from the time described it as “a tinned ration consisting of sliced vegetables chiefly turnips and carrots in a deal of thin soup or gravy”.
“Warmed in the tin, Maconochie’s was edible. Cold it was a man-killer,” the account is said to have claimed.
Artist’s Response
The name of my art project is ‘Maconochie Stew Rations’ and it is about a stew that soldiers used to consume during WW1. The stew was extremely horrendous and was described by many as a “man-killer” which caused “flatulence of a particularly offensive nature,” according to the BBC. It was loathed greatly because of the fatty, unrecognisable meats.
I chose this project because I felt it would be creative to reproduce the original WW1 poster to show the negative side of the so-called “economical food” which apparently was a lie. The message is conveyed by a man who seems to have taken a spoonful of the regrettable Maconochies. The ‘Recipe for Disaster’ shows what made this stew and, not to forget, made war such a bitter thing in history. Screen printing was the process of printing I used to convey my artwork. In the end, I printed the bottom of a can rim for effect. If I were to redo this, I would probably try different mediums of art, like linocut.
Mentors, Callum and Louis, from Robert Gordon University helped me greatly in brainstorming ideas and coming up with the medium for successfully producing the artwork. Also a special thank you to Ms Rea and Mr McCracken for the endless motivation and support.
Trisha Shenoy
The International School Aberdeen (ISA)
Trisha is 15 years old and originally from India, but has lived in Norway and Korea previously. The International School of Aberdeen has been a homelike place for the past two years and it feels it a shame that this is her final year being part of such a wonderful community. The school offers numerous opportunities to bring out interests and creativity in Trisha’s hobbies, which has allowed her to develop passions in art and music.
