Most people these days would just nip to the shops if they needed a few ingredients or groceries for dinner, and they can pick up as many as they please.
But, during the Second World War, Edinburgh residents were limited to just a few of everything.
A picture of rationing portions during the Second World War has surfaced that shows what Edinburgh locals were limited to in terms of food.
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The picture, shared in Lost Edinburgh, was an example of UK rations, although they were similar across the nation, including Edinburgh.
Basic foods that we take for granted and can pick up for next to nothing these days such as cheese and bacon, were limited immensely during one of the toughest period for people in the UK.
To make things more more complicated, they were allocated in measurements of pounds and ounces.
Even the most minimal of items such as sugar and jam were limited.
The huge whiteboard in the photo includes what each person was limited to a week.
Tea was reduced to just two ounces, as was jam and lard.
Sugar was capped to just eight ounces for every person, with butter and margarine being more precious than lard, both being limited to four ounces.
As most of us including myself, feel the need to make meals with cheese as stringy as possible, it's probably for the best that rationing no longer exists as only one single ounce of cheese was permitted.
For guidance, a little diagram showing how much an ounce of cheese is in terms of size, was drawn on the board.
Turning to meat, and things improve a little. Four ounces of bacon, which also equates to three slices of ham, were allowed at the time. For those that enjoyed a bacon roll in the morning, that would have soon stopped.
If you were baking a cake today, you may need three or four eggs. Most families in the UK probably use up to 12 every week.
Not during the Second World War, anyway. just one single egg was rationed for a whole fortnight.
With what already sounds like the plot of I'm a celebrity! get me out of here, things don't improve much when it came to other meats and vegetables.
Only one onion every three weeks were given to people, as growing vegetables became almost impossible. Lamb and beef were also given out at nine and 11 pence per pound.
On the positive side of things, tinned meat such as spam and corned beef were a little easier to come by.
After the post was shared on Facebook, Edinburgh locals were quick to chime in with their recollection of having food rationed and tales from their grand parents.
One reminisced: "My grandmother had a heart condition and got extra rations of cream, butter and eggs each week to keep her strong."
Another added: "I remember my mum being a good cook with what we were allowed. I think people need to learn how to cook now."
One woman shared an old fashioned life hack for getting more food, saying: "My Nanna was fortunate to rent a house with a garden so she kept geese during the war. Lots of huge eggs! She traded them with neighbours who grew vegetables, No bathroom or hot water and outside loo but she did manage to feed the family."
Various other people remembered the gruelling rationing of sweets. One added: "Remember when sweets came off the ration, was a Sunday and I waited ages in my local sweetie shop and got a terrible row from my Grandad for not going to Sunday school."
