Photo Restoration- Please and Thanks

[Britec]

Hi Bren I toned down the pears and apples because Rachel was picking on my colours hahahah Nah she was right was being lazy and should of picked right colours.
if you dont like anything just say and I will change it.

[Rachel Scand]

:D Yum
That looks more tasty ;) don't like my sprout colour now !

[Rachel Scand]

new sprouts

[ChocolateLover]

Oh you are both so funny. I hadn't noticed the brown sprouts :D

Just popped in while cooking dinner, will have a good look at the latest pics this evening.

I don't know when the pics were taken, my best guess is about 1946.
As the war had just finished I think people would be glad to have the fruit and veg whatever the colour :D

[Rachel Scand]

Oh you are both so funny. I hadn't noticed the brown sprouts :D

OH said they were onions :D

they do look more like sprouts but the black grapes ... would these have been available at that time ?

They don't quite look like bunches of grapes and I still wonder what they might be

[Chrissie Smiff]

They aren't grapes Rachel. I wondered if they were blueberries or bilberries ?

[ChocolateLover]

I was wondering about the grapes too.

I can't tell from the original pics as they are in such bad condition.
However, I've looked at my original scans and cropped the bit that says 4/6 and I think the label reads seedless grapes.

I've done a quick google for fruit available in 1946 and found a report which includes the following:

"The supplies of fruit which have been mentioned in the papers presented to this meeting, and which might be imported into Great Britain include: apples from New Zealand; apples, dried apples, and fruit pulp from Canada; fruit juices, tomato juice, and fruit cakes from Australia; grapes, deciduous fruits, citrus fruits, canned fruit and fruit juices from South Africa"

so it looks as though they were probably grapes.

Although they look too big and with no stems?

Would we have had blueberries or bilberries?

Off to google a bit more

[Britec]

They might be cherries

[Rachel Scand]

I wouldn't have thought blueberries but did wonder about damsons although they don't look large enough :( and they are sort of in bunches

surprised that there are no potatoes

[Britec]

look at the one I coloured they look like grapes there in bunches

[Rachel Scand]

Would they have had seedless grapes then ?
Can't really decipher it but could it be 'selected' ?

[Britec]

You can just see the little bit of wood that holds all the grapes on

[Britec]

No that sign says seedless grapes

[Rachel Scand]

I can only count 7 letters :(
that would rule out both seedless and selected
and the 3rd letter from the end looks like an 'O'
Think it says 4 shillings expensive or what !!!!!

[Guest]

I think it says Seasons

[Rachel Scand]

Yes a distinct possibility ... but the season where ?

They look as if they're a dark colour.
Would we be producing black grapes in 1946 ?

Haven't looked up the average wage yet ~~~

[Rachel Scand]

Found the average minimum wage for Agricultural Labourers (1946)

£4 0s 10d for a 48 hr week

[ChocolateLover]

I spoke to hubby about the grapes, he thinks they may have been brought in for Christmas.
He could be right as the rest of the veg would probably be seasonal to the area (East Anglia) and look right for that time of year.

I think the grapes came from South Africa (as my previous post). They were certainly expensive at four shillings!

Rachel, I wonder if the potatoes were still in their sacks, or under the counter, to keep them out of the light. Who knows. I may get a chance to quizz my elderly aunt in a few weeks, she may have some ideas.

Isn't it funny the odd questions and mysteries that get thrown up by our research