Heritage Malta is to literally give a taste of what wartime conditions were like in Malta by serving Victory Kitchen food at the War Museum on August 13.

The event will mark the arrival of the vital Santa Marija Convoy in August 1942.

Victory Kitchens were set up by the government to feed the people as food became scarce.

Operation Pedestal, better known as the Santa Marija convoy, was a determined effort to fight a convoy through to Malta. Thirteen merchant ships and the tanker Ohio, under heavy escort, entered the Mediterranean on August 10, 1942 but only five of the ships managed to survive the trip to Malta. The Ohio, with decks almost awash, was towed into Grand Harbour on August 15, 1942. Although 53,000 of the original 85,000 tons of supplies sent to Malta ended on the seabed, the remaining 32,000 tons were crucial for Malta to survive the siege.

The commemoration will be held at the National War Museum, Lower Fort St Elmo, Valletta on Thursday August 13 between 7.30 and 11 p.m. The event will consist of a guided tour of the National War Museum, a demonstration of weapons used during WWII, open air screening of a documentary about Operation Pedestal on the terrace of the museum and a meal consisting of pork stew made of pork cuttings, potato, onion shavings, water and wine.

Tickets for this event can be bought from the National War Museum or the National Museum of Fine Arts in Valletta, the Malta Maritime Museum in Vittoriosa, the Domvs Romana in Rabat or the Gozo Museum of Archaeology. Price is €20.00 for adults and €10 for children.