WE take for granted that the shops will be full of food and that we have kitchens to cook it in but that was not the case for thousands of Barrovians 75 years ago.

The aerial attacks of the Barrow Blitz in mid-April and in the early days of May in 1941 left hundreds of homes wrecked or damaged beyond repair and families struggling to get by.

Part of the official response was to set up Civic Restaurants - later called British Restaurants - to provide good, cheap food in communal dining rooms where you did not need ration coupons.

They proved to be very popular with several restaurants eventually being set up in Barrow and others at places such as Dalton and Millom.

The Barrow News on May 24 in 1941 described the opening of the Barrow Civic Restaurant in the Public Hall, facing Cornwallis Street.

It noted: "Organised on the cafeteria system, the diner purchases his tickets for the dishes he desires at a paybox in the vestibule of the hall, where the menu and prices are plainly shown, and then collecting a tray receives the required dishes direct from the kitchen which has been established inside the hall, before selecting his table."

The food on offer included soup, joint, potatoes, carrots or turnip, semolina or ginger pudding, tea or coffee - for a maximum price of 10d (4p)