OCTOBER 3, 1952

For the first time in 12 years, Britons could have a cuppa without a second thought.

For October 3 1952, finally saw the end of tea rationing.

The Minister of Food, Major Gwilym Lloyd-george announced that rationing and price controls of tea would be lifted.

Lloyd-george said the Ministry was taking advantage of a steady improvement in the supplies of tea since the end of the Second World War.

The lifting of tea rationing followed the UK’S re-entry into the international tea-trading arena with the resumption of public tea auctions in London.

At that time nearly a third of all tea produced in the world was consumed in the UK and Ireland.

Rationing had been introduced in January, 1940, but a rush to stock up on tea wasn’t expected as the weekly ration had been increased to three ounces per head – the pre-war consumption level – some time previously.

A year later, many other items such as sweets, eggs, butter and sugar were made feely available.

The rationing of foodstuffs was finally ended in 1954 when meat was the last thing to be taken off the ration books.