§ Colonel Carverasked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Food how many counties have mobile British Restaurants at work?
Major Lloyd GeorgeI am not quite clear what my hon. and gallant Friend has in mind. The provision of mobile British Restaurants from which meals would be serveden roule is not contemplated by the Ministry of Food so far as day-to-day feeding facilities are concerned. Meals served from British Restaurants are consumed on the premises or may be carried away for consumption at home. There are also arrangements under which meals are transported from kitchens to dining centres. It may be that my hon. and gallant Friend is referring to the provision of British Restaurant facilities in rural areas, where it would appear that small restaurants or "Cash and Carry "Kitchens, supplemented, where necessary, by mobile 1646W services would meet requirements in certain areas. In such cases the mobile service would merely transport the food. Certain experiments have been started in this direction. Three British Restaurants are now in operation in the Sevenoaks area. At Kemsing and Edenbridge there are "Cash and Carry" Kitchens and at Penshurst a "Cash and Carry" Kitchen with a Restaurant. A mobile service in addition is under consideration. In the Eastern Division a comprehensive and successful scheme was carried out by the Women's Voluntary Services and Women's Institute for sending out packed meals twice a week to field workers during the harvest period. In the Hatfield district a scheme whereby meals were sent out from a school canteen to a farm three miles away is being extended with the opening of a British Restaurant and a regular delivery will be instituted to all farms in the neighbourhood which wish to participate.