Food for soldiers in the trenches during World War One was at times considered a luxury. Getting decent hot food from the field kitchens to the front line trenches could be impossible when a battle was either imminent or in full flow. When soldiers were at stand-down, food was easier to acquire and both British and German troops could expect certain food to be available with a degree of frequency.
The theoretical daily rations for a British soldier were:
| 20 ounces of bread | 1/10 gill lime if vegetables not issued |
| 16 ounces of flour instead of above | ½ gill of rum |
| 3 ounces of cheese | maximum of 20 ounces of tobacco |
| 5/8 ounces of tea | 1/3 chocolate – optional |
| 4 ounces of jam | 4 ounces of oatmeal instead of bread |
| ½ ounce of salt | 1 pint of porter instead of rum |
| 1/36 ounce of pepper | 4 ounces of dried fruit instead of jam |
| 1/20 ounce of mustard | 4 ounces of butter/margarine |
| 8 ounces of fresh vegetables or | 2 ounces of dried vegetables |
The theoretical daily rations for a German soldier were:
| 26 ½ ounces of bread or | |
| 17 ½ of field biscuits or | |
| 14 ounces of egg biscuit | |
| 53 ounces of potatoes | |
| 4 ½ ounces vegetables | |
| 2 ounces dried vegetables |
