Foreigner tries Bovril for the first time (+ other crazy UK drinks)

[@AdventuresAndNaps]

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[@SteveGouldinSpain]

Please try Camp Coffee if it's still on sale over there. God that haunted my childhood - don't know what my parents were thinking of!

[@KenFullman]

When I was a kid (back in the 1960s) there was an olympic sized swimming pool (complete with a full set of high diving boards) that had just been built in my neighbourhood. For one shilling I could pay to get in, spend the day swimming and using the diving boards, then had just enough left over to visit the cafe for a cup of Bovril and a bag of cheesy puffs. I suppose it's what you get used to but, I'm really craving a bovril and pack of cheesy puffs now. (haven't had Bovril in over 50 years).

[@JohnSmith-ki2eq]

I don't drink any kind of caffeine for the first 90 minutes after waking up, so hot squash is my go to.

[@whattiler5102]

My oldest friend drinks loads of hot squash, and he always has done.

[@whattiler5102]

It's normal to mix the horlicks with a little liquid and stir well to make a smooth paste before adding the hot milk.

[@nigelgreen1811]

I'll blow your mind with the Oxo cube packets, the silver wrapping that each cube comes in is actually heat sealed so that you can crush the cube up while it's still in the silver wrapper and the wrapper unfolds to form a sachet, so you don't have to drop it everywhere. Thank me later

[@martinjackman2943]

I didn't know that.. ! Oxo is a design classic as well as a beverage.. feeling for the groove in the cube to press and split the foil is a joy (I don't get out much😆)

[@stewedfishproductions7959]

I'm 65 and have been using OXO Cubes all my life and I only learnt the secret of then cube in the last few years... As you say, if you open them out, it turns into a flat packed so you can then crumble the cube inside. Once that's done, you simply rip it open and pour the powder done. Easy! The 'hack' went viral for short time and I do pass it on, as SO MANY people don't know and struggle to open the 'cubes' which I did for years! LOL 😋

[@stephenjeffrey3815]

I have been using OxO all my life, and I didn't know that

[@georgerobartes2008]

A couple of cubes formed part of a squaddies survival tin for decades .

[@Helliconia54]

i STILL mix it with hot water

[@janiceturton7756]

As a retired nurse Horlicks and Ovaltine was the standard bedtime drink for our patients in NHS. We mixed the horlicks in to a paste with a little milk then add the hot milk from the jug off the trolley and Bob s your Uncle

[@peterfhere9461]

With the modern Horlicks there's no longer any need to mix it to a paste - it disolves readily in hot milk. And it is delicious....

[@laratheplanespotter]

Those help me sleep!

[@janiceturton7756]

@@peterfhere9461 yes i guess its a few years since i did ward work x

[@hughtube5154]

I used to be a ward host and some of the elderly patients would ask for a Horlicks or Ovaltine, which was annoying as most wards didn't have any in stock, and the kitchens stopped ordering it even though, technically, it's supposed to be on the menu.

[@adrianmcgrath1984]

I used to do the same, working in a Cheshire home. I always quite liked Horlicks. I suspect that such drinks became popular as it was an easy way to have some calories to burn in an unheated house at night, although Horlicks, sold as a 'sleep aid' in the UK was simultaneously marketed in Africa as an energy drink.

[@KathyBarnett-mv5vg]

My family had to call a Doctor out to me once as I could not stop being sick. He told them that once I could keep sips of water down to give me beef tea, believe me after two days of not eating that beef tea was like nectar.

[@paulgeorge6353]

Anyone else here old enough to remember The Railway Children? Beef Tea was recommended by the Doctor when their Mother was ill.

[@robg3545]

Ribena blackcurrant with hot water...lovely.

[@hydywirralterrier]

I put Bovril on toast (with butter) instead of Marmite. It's delicious. Last time I bought a jar of Bovril I dropped it in the supermarket, it went off like a bomb 💣, glass everywhere. They weren't impressed with me. 👍

[@CurrentAffairs341]

Bovil on toast with butter - the king of foods.

[@derekclear3913]

Grew up with Bovril sarnies

[@rebekahtaylor6142]

Bovril on toast in the winter - yum

[@andybaker2456]

Not sure I've ever even had a mug of hot Bovril, but Bovril on toast...YUM!! 😊

[@Thurgosh_OG]

Bovril is the one for those of us who can't stand Marmite.

[@grahamtravers4522]

A mug of hot OXO used to be the obligatory drink after a swim in the baths, when I was young. 😋 (Since you mentioned it, coffee or tea would not be served to children.) As for hot squash, try lemon with honey for a cold or sore throat, blackcurrant and sherry (or rum) for a winter warmer. P.S. You confused Napoleon I (an inveterate enemy of Britain) with Napoleon III. In 1871, Napoleon III was fighting the Franco-Prussian War. When he lost, he actually came to live in Britain as a "refugee" from his own French compatriots, who weren't too pleased with him. His son died with the British army in the Zulu War of 1879.

[@vtbn53]

Nice bit of info that, thanks.

[@daviniarobbins9298]

Thanks for clearing that up. I was confused thinking wikipedia is wrong.

[@Duchess_of_Cadishead]

For me it was Horlicks. Sitting at the baths cafe with a hot Horlicks is still a fond memory.

[@philroberts7238]

The Napoleon referred to was not Napoleon Bonaparte, but his nephew, who became Napoleon III in what was known as the Second Empire in the middle of the 19thC. He came to power in the second French Revolution, then proclaimed himself Emperor, and was eventually overthrown in yet another revolution ("Can you hear the people sing?" - they were doing a lot of singing during those times!) and took refuge in the UK. I think Queen Vic, or her government at least, gave him quite a nice, though modest, house to live in.

[@philroberts7238]

.... in which residence, no doubt, his domestic staff would have drunk Bovril. (Well, probably not the French born ones, I don't suppose!)

[@stephenbates7955]

I toast 3 crumpets, when hot spread butter then bovril, oh so nice, lovely.

[@atnorthabc]

A lot of people forget we are a island nation and most of our older drinks are designed to give warmth and nutrition bovril would normally be served with a tot of port or sherry if you were in the navy or if you was a miner it would have been added to warm milk or horlics. Warm fruit drinks would be used with pain relief just like the modern day lemsip. This land we call home can be a bleak cold damp place in winter and a lot of our favourite food and drinks are made with that in mind. 😅

[@stopthink7202]

Have you considered mixing the Bovril and the black current squash together?

[@MostlyPennyCat]

​@@stopthink7202 ... _no_ 😂 We add Curry Powder We add Tabasco We add chilli powder Or a dried chilli Or Worcestershire sauce Or Celery Salt Apparently Bovril dissolved in a mug of hot tomato juice it's good but I've not tried it yet. I do drink Virgin Marys though. In a 33 cl glass measure: ½ or ¾ of a tsp of Celery Salt ½ tsp of Tabasco or equivalent shop brand chilli vinaigrette (I use Dunn's River Jamaican Hot Sauce, it has much more depth of flavour than Tabasco) ¼ tsp of Worcestershire Sauce, Mix those 3 well by swishing the glass in circles. Fill glass with well chilled tomato juice straight from the fridge Stir well Optionally, dress with a few finely sliced sticks of celery Drink.

[@marieperkins752]

As a Canadian, my mother would make me either beef or chicken bouillon, with toast, when I was sick. Still comfort foods for me!

[@keithgrant7950]

You may have French ancestors as my scots Canadian family don't use the word Bouillon but stock💛

[@marieperkins752]

I do! My mother was French Canadian! My father was English, but my mother ruled the kitchen, hence bouillon.@@keithgrant7950

[@Nikki7B]

I'm Canadian, and we grew up drinking OXO bouillion and other cubes as well. It's always comforting when you're sick with a cold.

[@jonathanfinan722]

You’re

[@Nikki7B]

@jonathanfinan722 thank you. It has been corrected.

[@deja-view1017]

Aleays thought of it as the poor man's Bovril

[@toddstevens8506]

I remember using them as stock for soups and stews but never as a drink.

[@donwald3436]

Yeah me too!

[@coradesune7537]

You touched on it briefly and I don't think it's necessarily British but in our house we very often would have cereal with hot milk in the winter. Works best with Weetabix, and not putting much on so the cereal soaks it all up.

[@mccpcorn2000]

There is something very wholesome about an OXO drink that really warms your bones. I'd never drink it every day, but it makes a change from coffee, especially if you're sick of decaff lol. It's very much a comfort beverage.

[@stewedfishproductions7959]

I often do long drives around the UK and always carry a large flask of boiling water. Along with the flask I have various tea bags, coffee, OXO cubes and ramen noodle packs - plus milk/creamers, sugar/sweeteners etc. And if parked up _(especially in the colder weather),_ nothing is more comforting than a mug of OXO to make you feel warm inside...

[@spreston1996]

As a nurse in Florida, Oxo has been served to patients who couldn't tolerate solid food.

[@dimrill7489]

I learned something today! :D

[@LoremIpsum1970]

I'm not sure if we still do, but Guinness used to be given to patients in English hospitals... Apparently it's good for you.

[@blutey]

Yes, they also used to give a pint of Guinness afterwards to blood donors. I had an Irish friend once who went to donate blood but only Guinness came out so they gave him a pint of blood to drink afterwards instead.@@LoremIpsum1970

[@paulhollis8879]

@@LoremIpsum1970Guinness has a lot of iron in it.

[@spreston1996]

It would be good for me in or out of the hospital. Patients with alcohol dependence were given tiny bottles of whiskey dispenced by pharmacy.@@LoremIpsum1970

[@obeawoman]

As a kid Bovril was served in the swimming bath cafeteria after a swim. To be honest, it is very warming after a swim in winter. I drink it now when I'm dieting and I fancy something savoury. Its lovely!

[@Duchess_of_Cadishead]

I don’t recall Bovril (or Oxo) being served at the baths, but I do remember Horlicks. I am originally from a village along the Manchester ship canal, now in Australia.

[@mikedignum1868]

We used this (Bovril/Oxo) when on military exercise if we didn't want tea and were short on time.

[@duncanclark7592]

Just mention the same fact myself.

[@4svennie]

Horlicks and sister product, Ovaltine, are malt drinks for the evening to chillout before bed. Oxo, Bovril, etc... are nutritional drinks for when you're outside in the cold, etc... it's warm, contains protein, vitamins and minerals. They are essentially old energy drinks.

[@williebauld1007]

I hated Bovril as a kid, I love it now! It warms the cockles of your heart

[@elliotgeorge999]

bovril with a few twists of black pepper, lovely on a snowy day.

[@MrPagan777]

HORLICKS: make it into a paste first, with a drop of milk, then add the hot milk a bit at a time, while stirring continuously

[@sailingby]

Horlicks - don’t use instant; too sugary - also you need to use a full mug of milk 😀

[@ftumschk]

Agreed. Original powdered Horlicks - or Ovaltine - made with hot milk is fabulous.

[@tiggerwood8899]

Ovaltine is my favourite

[@shaggybaggums]

I always thought the instant stuff is nasty, and trying to make Horlicks without milk is verging on criminal. Not the easiest drink in the world to make though, sometimes it's too much of a pain in the arse to bother with. My mum used to give me and my siblings the proper stuff before bed as a treat on particularly cold nights, it would knock us all out in minutes. Anything for a few minutes peace and quiet I guess. 😄

[@richardhobson5995]

The instant just doesn't have the same flavour!

[@white_clover767]

As a South African I LOVE Horlicks!!! We only had it in Winter. And at night around bed time.

[@patrickholt2270]

We've all done a mug of Oxo once, I think. It is a last resort though, when you're completely out of all other hot beverage alternatives. I grew up on Bovril, and it has positive associations for me, from scout hikes in the cold, and after playing football. It's surprisingly filling, and it's something I only get a yen for it every few weeks, so a pot of Bovril lasts me longer than a pot of Marmite. Different Napoleon. France had two. That was Emperor Louis Napoleon, the first Napoleon's nephew, who won the elctions in 1848 after the 1848 revolution and then siezed power in a coup in 1851, and lasted until he lost the Franco-Prussian War in 1870-71. Which also resulted in the first communist revolution in Europe, the Paris Commune, which the French army officers (aka the losers) crushed by murdering tens of thousands of Parisians in the streets with help from Prussian artillery. They couldn't beat the Prussians, but they sure could kill the hell out of their own countrymen, because that's what patriots do, isn't it? He heavily redeveloped Paris, partly just to get a construction boom going by supporting developers, and partly to widen the streets and set up more open spaces and public squares to make it harder for revolutions to happen, rather than having narrow streets that were easy for the people to barricade with cobble stones and furniture. He didn't build enough railways or industry though, which is why he got trounced by Prussia, which had done that.

[@MrPJParker1]

I've never done a mug of Oxo and never will!

[@whattiler5102]

The Napoleon you mentioned in detail was designated as Napoleon III. The first Napoleon's son was Napoleon II of France, for a few weeks in 1815, aged 4. He lived in Vienna for the rest of his life before dying aged 21.

[@wessexdruid7598]

@@MrPJParker1 Often when camping - or in the field, as a soldier. Light, easy to make, warmimg and tasty.

[@MrPJParker1]

@@wessexdruid7598 but why beef broth to drink? Why not an actual hot drink?

[@wessexdruid7598]

@@MrPJParker1 It IS a hot drink. It's nutritious, warming and extremely easy to carry and prepare.

[@raybrown2197]

All 4 of the drinks are meant to be drunk when it's cold outside, gives you a warm feeling inside

[@philwill0123]

Hot bovril or oxo is excellent if you have a cold/blocked nose, where you can't taste anything but get something vaguely nutritious. Hot squash and a paracetamol is basically lemsip.

[@TheDMFW62]

Has to be Ribena for hot squash. I think it's because it is so inherently sweet and the heat somehow works better with it than drinking it cold (in my opinion). A comfort drink when you're not feeling well and particularly good for soothing a sore throat.

[@Kanbei11]

It was so much better when it was full sugar. The current stuff is ok but I might have to find the full sugar own brand version

[@wobaguk]

Never known anyone drink OXO in my life, but Bovril definitely, to the extent they would be an offering in the office drinks machine, where it is reconstituted from a powder, so you dont have to think of marmite probably.

[@strayling1]

Rose Hip syrup is good in a hot drink too. A more delicate flavour than Vimto or Ribena, but great if you have a cold.

[@hazelanderson1479]

Can you still get Delrosa in the UK? I haven’t seen it for years.

[@strayling1]

@@hazelanderson1479 I remember it too, but it looks like they don't sell it in the UK any more. A quick search told me something I didn't know - it was provided at baby clinics for years as a supplement, which explains why so many remember it.

[@hazelanderson1479]

@@strayling1 It was served on semolina or tapioca pudding at school, probably to make the gooey dessert a bit more palatable. Strangely, after some fifty-odd years, I can still remember the taste!

[@clivebonehill3348]

I remember as a child my mom used to help out at the village baby clinic ( in the days after the 3 day week ..those of you old enough to remember the power cuts will also remember what happens when people haven't got anything to do but go to bed!) When eventually the local birth rate fell back to normal, they had loads of Rose Hip Syrup to get rid of . So I made wine out of !! Great improvement!!

[@paulnewman2000]

Rose hips are very high in vitamin C, which is why it's good for colds.

[@Buzzkill-wn7tf]

Bovril drink--even Oxo or Knorr cubes--is my go to when I have a bad cold or the flu. Got me through Covid. Add some dried minced onion and some back pepper. Ginger if you are congested. Dill if you have it. Maybe some crumbled saltines. Surprisingly comforting and, actually, kind of filling. Especially when you can't eat or drink much. Happy you enjoyed it.

[@CowmanUK]

When you have a sore throat and a horrible cold and it's midwinter and you feel miserable, have a hot juice/squash with a little honey in it, and it'll perk you right up!

[@bsastarfire250]

Bovril is nice on buttered toast . The drink is nice and warming , especially if you are sitting in a trench in WW1 .

[@s.rmurray8161]

sprinkle a crushed oxo cube on toast is good too

[@keithedmundson2318]

Try it on a toasted muffin.

[@matthewcharles5867]

Still in Australia army's rations a few years ago.

[@nrbudgen]

The two missing drinks are Ovaltine, either original or chocolate, and Camp coffee which comes in a bottle.

[@Motherhubbard170]

milo as well

[@mickbacon8542]

No, not camp coffee! I can take most things as a true Englishman, but camp coffee is beyond the pale.😢😢😢

[@LoremIpsum1970]

Ovaltine's not British, if that makes any difference.

[@benwalmisley5755]

Don’t forget Chicory coffee!

[@colinstock325]

@@benwalmisley5755that’s Camp Coffee I believe.

[@nigelparrott6944]

I have Oxo and Marmite brought out to Estonia every time people visit from England😊

[@gordon861]

The difference between hot Ribena and generic squash is massive, similar to Roses Lime vs a generic brand lime, the named versions actually contain juice as part of their ingredients and taste much better.

[@paulbrain9804]

Horlicks invented in my tiny village of Ruardean in Gloucestershire. One tiny Plaque in the village (takes some finding) celebrates this.

[@paulbrain9804]

BTW "Horlick" is a family name. Lesson over.

[@Notmyrealmame]

@@paulbrain9804This is all valuable information for things that many take for granted.

[@saxon-mt5by]

Drinks from my 1950s childhood! A flask of hot water and Oxo cubes were an essential accompaniment on a winter hike; hot Ribena when you were poorly in bed (don't forget we had no central heating and heating in a bedroom was virtually unknown); Horlicks was the go-to bedtime drink (no caffeine to keep you awake!). I don't recall Bovril as a drink, but it was certainly a staple in the kitchen for cooking.

[@robinevans1293]

Oxo is great on a cold match day on the terrraces loads of pepper

[@laratheplanespotter]

I drink hot Ribena when I have a cold. It’s so soothing to the throat. Bovril is a great choice if you’re sick and can’t keep food down. It’s nutritious so it’ll keep you and fed. Horlicks is a great bedtime drink. I find it helps me sleep. All these drinks have roots in the more heavily land worked people who maybe didn’t have a lot of nutritious foods to eat. A honk of bread and bovril is lush. I like to add a tiny bit of mint sauce in it. I can’t eat food now (tube fed) but I can enjoy one of these on occasion

[@Jinty92]

I drink not Ribena too. Ribena brought out a version called Winter Spice which tasted like a non-alcoholic mulled wine flavour. I've struggled to get it recently but think Sainsbury's is stocking it now. I had just drank a mug of hot Ribena 10 minutes before watching the video.

[@randomcomputer7248]

Used to take a hot flask of Bovril to go fishing with loads of white pepper in it during the winter, keeps you going. Also, we usually put it on toast.

[@zathrusii6456]

My family always had Bovril but never as a drink. We put it on toast the same way you would Marmite! I was well into adulthood before anyone told me this was not normal, I really thought everyone did it! Anyway I think it's delicious and won't be stopping no matter how much sideye the world gives me. Yum!

[@undeadtotheend6420]

Same, i thought it was used like Marmite as well.. lol

[@SkepticalSteve01]

When I was a little boy, and sailed with my Mum to Britain on the Union Steamship Company liner Ragitoto, via Pitcairn, Panama and Venezuela, once we got into the Atlantic, Beef Tea was served every morning on the promenade deck. Basically it was a shoulder of beef boiled overnight with a few herbs and spices. And it was outstandingly delicious, better than any OXO or Bovril could ever be! I remember the meaty richness of it to this day. Unforgettable..

[@jrd33]

Hot Ribena tastes wonderful if you have a cold and sore throat. Oxo cubes are sometimes part of survival rations because they are light, waterproof, heat and cold resistant, easy to use and keep forever. They can be used as a straight hot drink or to add flavour to other food you have scavenged.

[@rebekahtaylor6142]

Warm Ribena was standard for a cold when I was a kid. It was so comforting and I have lovely memories of being off school sick, a blanket over me on the settee, watching cartoons with my mug of ribena

[@brianharrington4045]

Have you tried jellied eels? I've had unagi(grilled eel) which is used in sushi.

[@AdventuresAndNaps]

Bless you Brian, a true angel! I haven't yet, but it's on the list! 😅

[@cruachan1191]

Pie and bovril was the staple food of Scottish football, to the point that there's a football website named after it. Prior to Hillsborough and the Taylor report catering was very basic at grounds, and tea or coffee was a rarity as an option, bovril didn't require milk or sugar to be provided for example. OXO cubes are very often included in survival rations or recommended to carry for hikers, hill climbers etc as it's a quick way to not only warm up and give a morale boost but also contains lots of salts that help with losses from sweat. Hot squash was only for when we'd run out of Lemsip when I was a kid and had a cold!

[@Obi-J]

To this day I can't drink lemsip on it's own, I have to add some honey and lemon juice(even Jif will do) or a glug of squash to improve the taste.

[@ZackGray-m6u]

i can 100% vouch for the popularity of pie and bovril at scottish football grounds, I work at one serving pies, cakes, hot drinks and irn bru during half time and before games. Even in the summertime, us Scots rely on our pie and bovril to make it through.

[@keithgrant7950]

1) OXO: when we came home from school (1965 until 1977) we would get a thick slice of bread and soak it in hot OXO and then sit and eat with a fork, watching kids tv. We also had this in the Compo Rations we lived on during the 1974 invasion of Cyprus( I was 13). 2) Any squash other than Pineapple squash works. 3) In 1980 when I nearly lost my leg in a Motorbike Accident I was ORDERED by the surgeon, who had put my leg roughly back together (1st of 8 operations) to drink 1 Pint a night to help with the regeneration of calcium at the break site. 4) Growing up on military bases for the first 17 years we were always served Bovril or Chicken soup in a cup at Bonfire night displays (sometimes both in the same cup), Still do number ! some evenings but not after school anymore ( Wolv's Uni 2000 - 2004, (aged 39) 2020-2021 (aged 59), Never to old to learn something new or update your credentials. 😊🧡

[@mr.kinkade2049]

I always have bread to dunk in a cup of oxo lol It's as tastey as dunking biscuits in tea.

[@MagentaOtterTravels]

This is so great! I can't believe you haven't had Bovril before! I tried it in 2020 (during a travel quarantine) and loads of the Britons commenting on that video mentioned drinking hot Bovil after swimming or football practice on a cold winter's day. I thought that was very specific! My husband actually loved Bovril and we took a jar back home to Texas. But OXO is not something I'd want to drink. Lovely for soups, but not a nice beverage IMHO.

[@Thurgosh_OG]

Is US OXO the same though? US food producers add so many unhealthy/unsafe, additives to their foods, it could be that you'd like UK OXO.

[@Jinty92]

You can now get Chicken flavour Bovril too. I love both flavours.

[@MagentaOtterTravels]

@@Thurgosh_OG I tried British Bovril and British OXO. We don't have either of them in the US😉

[@MagentaOtterTravels]

@@Jinty92 oh that sounds good 👍

[@Choppy698]

@@MagentaOtterTravels Hiya Dara, sorry for pestering you like this, if your going to have OXO in a mug with boiling water, have a teaspoon at the ready, as it sinks to the bottom of the mug fairly fast

[@graceydez6199]

I used to eat OXO cubes raw (no water) when i was a kid. You should try it 😂

[@cubeaceuk9034]

I was wondering when someone would cover Bovril. Originally I found it used to warm people up after a swim at an outside council run swimming pool. I love it. I used to eat OXO cubes as a kid. Just nibbled them. Other children would dip a finger into a bag of Horlicks. That tasted a bit like Maltesers. Ribena hot. Haven't had that in years. I used to think it was a posh child's drink. I have been subscribed for some time now 👍🤣🤣🤣 Are you into unusual fruit? For me my favourite are Lychee. Gooseberries? Not unusual here but in Canada?

[@chixma7011]

Lychees certainly. But even better are rambutans. Drooling……

[@jrswinhoe58]

Gravy by the way is a flavoured stock with Corn Flour for thickness.

[@primalengland]

When I was a kid we ate Horlicks off a spoon. Tastes just like Maltesers.

[@robertlonsdale5326]

Hot Vimto, invented in Blackburn, Lancashire was great after the swimming baths on a cold winter evening. x

[@vtbn53]

Fun fact: I sent your Christmas pudding video to my Canadian neighbour and she was horrified with your response as she grew up with Christmas pudding and loves it.

[@PeterWaddington-i2p]

"Anyway, I'm rambling" - but you do it so delightfully. Please keep up the good work

[@jeffgraham6387]

Can we assume that our girls lack of enthusiasm for weird hot drinks is directly related to the lack of alcohol in said drinks...I'm sure I've seen her being far less reticent when testing mulled wine and hot cider! 😆

[@NukedStar]

Horlicks with a shot of brandy or rum is always a winner

[@Davidh02]

We used to have OXO in the army, it's a nice warming drink when you're out in the field on a cold, snowy winters night.

[@terrystewart1973]

You might be interested where the name Bovril comes from. The first part Bo-, comes from bovine, which makes sense as it's a beef extract. The second part, -vril, comes from a Victorian Occult Sci-Fi novel by Edward Bulwer-Lytton, 'The Coming Race', which featured a subterranean race of superhumans called the Vril-ya, who got their power from an electromagnetic substance named 'Vril'. The book was very popular at one point, though I haven't read it myself. So Bovril the name is implying drinking it gives you the strength and power of an ox.

[@Notmyrealmame]

Is that correct. Sounds a bit far fetched but then so does Bovril.

[@terrystewart1973]

@@Notmyrealmame Yes, that's where it comes from. Do a little g oogling to see the full story. I gave a very simplified version.

[@richardhargrave6082]

Bovril is good, on a cold day, I knew you'd be freaked by the jar shape.. Stir it in to a gravy or stock and its great as well I drank a lot of it when I had COVID, easy to drink and easy on the throat

[@tonys1636]

Had to pause this at the start and dig out the Oxo cubes from the back of the cupboard and make one, after drinking it whilst putting the box back noticed the Best Before date, APR 20, tasted fine may have lost a bit of flavour though. Try Ovaltine, the original add milk, not the instant add water as too sweet as it contains dried Condensed Milk. I've been an Ovaltinee since a kid, a mug just before bed aids sleep.

[@AdventuresAndNaps]

Will do!

[@bobblebardsley]

2:24 I don't think anyone ever does it but if you fold out the triangular flaps on the sides of an Oxo cube and flatten it, you can crush it into a flat sachet of powder _before_ you tear the foil, and then it doesn't explode all over the kitchen. (This is one of those 'you've been doing it wrong and didn't know it' hacks you see on every internet list and I have no idea if it's the intended way to do it, or just a convenient hack.)

[@timwoodger7896]

I proper love you Alana ❤ you always cheer me up 😊🌹🥰

[@theangrypossum]

A little tip for opening an OXO cube, unfold the flaps on the foil and you can crumble it in the foil without it going everywhere. Then just rip the top off and voila! Crumbled OXO without the mess.

[@GrimWillows]

I was brought up with Bovril as an open sandwich spread! Plenty of butter. It's in the same style jar as Marmite spread. My older siblings always used it as a spread, so totally normal. I first saw drinkable Bovril at a football match at around 10 years old. I was confused.

[@johnbayton9200]

I went to make a cup of tea earlier forgetting that I was out of milk, so I ended up doing an Oxo and white pepper drink instead. I always have Oxo cubes in the house for moments like these. Warming and on a cold night preferable to a cold drink.

[@alantyler8842]

WHITE pepper? That's going to fight back, not so much warming as incendiary. Respect!

[@davestainer8576]

Ive had beef, chicken and vegetable oxo cubes as drinks before now, also, although it can be used as a drink i use Bovril as a spread for toast.

[@richardalfredpalmer9660]

OXO cube added to boiling water is known as beef tea but it’s not drunk very much these days mostly in the 1940s when people couldn’t afford real tea . 😮

[@Thurgosh_OG]

It is drunk quite a bit to this day. Students, of course like a hot cheap drink and those of us who are older like it for an occasional bit of variety. Bovril is used very similarly; you can buy 10 packs of Bovril in a plastic cup, ready for the hot water in many shops like B&Ms, the Range etc. So the idea that hot beef stock drinks are a think of 80 years ago is very wrong.

[@SteveJones-om6ks]

Great video. Nailed this with situational drink. I introduced a South African workmate to this, stood on a cold and snowy train station platform in darkest Hampshire, as the little kiosk on the platform did tea, coffee and Bovril. Being northern and, growing up, being presented a cup of hot Bovril every winter evening when I got back from school I jumped at the beefy drink. My South African buddy was bemused to say the least. Rather than explain it I bought him a cup and told him just to try it!. His expression went through the same precise range of emotions yours did in the video!. The guy was first to the kiosk for a couple months after that!.

[@TedsonJones]

The Napoleon referred to on the Bovril label must have been Napoleon III, nephew of THE Napoleon. 1870 was the year of the Franco-Prussian war. Napoleon actually lived in England after he was deposed and he's still buried in Farnborough.

[@MostlyPennyCat]

Hey Adventures & Naps, here are some more ideas for the choose up to this video: To a 7 fl oz. (220ml) mug of hot Bovril: We add Curry Powder, wrap in muslin or is3 a curry tea bag if you don't want sandy bits at the bottom if the mug. We add Tabasco We add chilli powder Or a dried chilli Or Worcestershire sauce Or Celery Salt Apparently Bovril dissolved in a mug of hot tomato juice is good but I've not tried it yet. I _do_ drink Virgin Marys though. In a 33 cl glass measure: ½ or ¾ of a tsp of Celery Salt ½ tsp of Tabasco or equivalent shop brand chilli vinaigrette (I use Dunn's River Jamaican Hot Sauce, it has much more depth of flavour than Tabasco) ¼ tsp of Worcestershire Sauce, Mix those 3 well by swishing the glass in circles. Fill glass with well chilled tomato juice straight from the fridge Stir well Optionally, dress with a few finely sliced sticks of celery Drink.

[@tonyspencer692]

Horlick is mixed as a paste in warm milk to get it going, then topped up with milk brought to the boil, so that you have a full mug. An alternative is Ovaltine, which is like Horlick but with added cocoa. Try it.

[@nigelparrott6944]

The old Bovril advert was a cow looking looking over a gate at a jar of Bovril. With the tagline of " alas my poor brother ! " 😂

[@davidpowell8249]

I only really darnk hot squash as a kid when I was unwell, and I still drink it when I have a winter cold. It was usually orange squash, but when it was blackcurrant, it had to be Ribena, C-VIT, or other 'high juice' blackcurrant squash, cheaper ones tasted minging hot. These days my go to is Ribena Winter Spice, which tastes a like alcohol free mulled wine 🍷 😋

[@Clyde__Frog]

Bovril reminds me of my Grandad, used to have it as a warmer on his boat in the Solant on a cold rainy day. The wind, the spray, the chugging of the engine. Wonderful memories.

[@TheRattyBiker]

Hot squash NEEDS to be hot Vimto!! Brit guide: Hot Vimto for general day time when relaxing. Hot Bovril daytime when expending energy - hiking or screaming at a football match. Hot Horlicks / Ovaltine (made with milk not water) for bedtime... All winter warmers without the Nutmeg, Cinnamon and Ginger.... Though a nice mulled wine in winter is good for anytime of the day!

[@geoffsmith1479]

I see that the middle-class home-counties mindset has perfectly captured another soul - Hot blackcurrant squash must be bad, why would you drink it hot? Juice should be cold. But... Add in some hibiscus that would be more at home in a plant pot at a garden centre, That makes it high-class. Put it in a little paper bag and call it tea and suddenly, of course it should be hot, it must be hot The label says hot. Nicely presented brown paper bags are too classy to be questioned.

[@Notmyrealmame]

Your disdain and sarcasm have merit.

[@johnturner4400]

Love the mug with the little birds on!

[@AdventuresAndNaps]

Thank you! A community member sent it to my Patreon PO Box ☺️🦆

[@MCallsen]

Thank you - I feel less weird now :)

[@ElliotDooleysmith]

I would often get some super fine noodles and add to an OXO or Bovril drink. Basically making your own cuppa soup

[@operationfish]

As a young man in the 60's I used to frequent an outdoor swimming pool, and a popular drink at the time was 'hot bovril'. I love it still, particularly in winter, and as a warmer drink after swimming in freezing water. You can eat a bag of crisps, 'Walkers', at the same time. Cheers ! Sheffield South Yorkshire.

[@barbarariddick5321]

Alana, I was born in the UK in 1938 and during the war we had very strict, minimal meat allowance apart from poor sausages and spam, so, a hearty cup of Bovril was nectar, so, bless you, don't knock it. Just think how lucky you are in 2024 to have the amazing choice of meat that is now available. Love ya.❤

[@stanettiels7367]

4:08 Dip buttered bread in it. Or a roll/crusty roll. It’s lovely.

[@eddhardy1054]

Alanna, with the Horlicks (or things like Ovaltine or Coco) you should but the powder in a mug then add a bit of milk, give the contents a stir, add some more milk, stir again and so on until you have a fairly thick paste...then you fill the mug up with the rest of the milk. That way you avoid the powdery clumps.

[@robharris8844U]

I have Bovril in winter because I used to have it while watching football as a kid. It gives you a lovely warming feeling in the cold. I have Horlicks Apple with Banana flavours they are both gorgeous and help me relax before bed. As for hot chocolate Cadburys which cannot be beat.

[@AanotherAardvark]

I love the honest objectiveness in this video.❤ I was brought up with the occasional Bovril or OxO drink, so I 'get it' too. But rarely/never choose to drink it at home. But on a treck over moorland, in a flask; it just works. And the Horlicks thing is definitely something you fall into more as you get older. I started drinking it as a nightcap recently, when my brother pointed out it has a lot of vitamins and stuff in it. I prefer Ovaltine, and 100% more when I noiced they have roughly the same benefits. All these things don't sound at all appealing 'on paper.' So the way you realised what the point was, and how they just 'work' surprised and delighted me. Thank you Alana. ❤

[@Judgles]

Hi Alanna, thanks for making me laugh once again. I used to drink Bovril before I gave up meat many years ago but this made me feel nostalgic for it. I loved this expression "a mug of brown" - going to be using that for any hot drink now!

[@barrieking5939]

Just a point. You can get Bovril in cube form and crush it into a mug, add hot water. Lovey with a slice of dry bread. Cheers from an oldie.

[@gerrymccartney3561]

Great video and so nostalgic as it reminded me of getting home from school on a dark, cold winter's afternoon to a warming cup of Oxo.

[@djrichylaurence8991]

Bovril is the best drink when you get off a motorcycle after a long winter ride.

[@JohnyG29]

Bovril is lovely 😋

[@t.a.k.palfrey3882]

Bovril is sold across Canada at branches of Supervalu, now renamed The Real Canadian Superstore. My daughter buys it regularly at her closest branch on Grandview Hwy in Vancouver. OXO Knorr beef satchets are even more easily obtainable at those stores, plus Safeway and other major Canadian chains. My grandsons love OXO beef drinks after a day skiing.

[@richardhathaway2901]

In general terms these drinks were known as Beef Tea and were used in circumstances where the Americans would drink Chicken Soup. Ideal if you are recovering from an illness but cannot tolerate solid food (or cannot afford it!). Many times when I was a kid (in the 50's) it was all my mum could afford at midday meal. It would satisfy your hunger and was perfectly nutritious. I always found that the taste of Bovril stayed with you for many hours after you've drunk it! Times were very different back then when these drinks were a pleasant alternative to just going hungry. After a while you actually get used to the taste and eventually get to like it. If you fancy a taste test my dad was very fond of Tripe and Onions or Chiterlings or Brains on Toast. (All quite popular during the war). There is a very popular dish today in France called Salad de Gesiers which is made from Chicken gizzards and its delicious! They say if you can eat something six times you will get to like it.

[@seanthorpe5187]

Bovril, Oxo, or beef tea. I've drank all my life, but it is a cold weather drink for me. Working nights in the rain or snow, nothing finer to warm you up. Being from Sheffield, I put a few drops of hendersons relish in it for added flavour.

[@tonyhewitt5888]

In an oxo or bovril drink, I add a small scrape of butter to float and melt on top,it works as seasoning. Give it a go.

[@Pauls_Archive]

Regarding Horlicks - firstly, it’s a hot malted drink. there’s one for water and one for milk. The water version is in a light blue tub!, you bought the one for milk 😅 You have to mix the powder into a smooth paste with a little water / milk depending which one your using, I know a couple of people have said you don’t need to , but you really do. It’s always been done that way, and it still tells you on the tub to do it that way, If it’s made right, it should taste really good, malty and slightly sweet and smooth!

[@stephwaite]

Horlicks is better if you mix 4 spoons of powder with a little milk then boil milk pour over the mix while stirring - delicious.

[@brianchalkley1093]

During the winter as a kid Oxo was a go to with toast warms the cockles of your heart

[@stuartferguson8967]

For Oxo, yes you need to be cold for it to make sense Hot squash I think works best as orange, preferably robinbsons Horlicks is a knock off ovaltine Bovril is another one that you have to be cold for, but either that or oxo with a steak bake or scotch pis is amazing

[@chriskelly4259]

Horlicks 1873 Ovaltine 1904 This would make ovaltine a knock off horlicks

[@Clayton-S.]

Great post as always, Alanna. You've certainly got the hang of the Oxo prep. If you don't get half of it on the counter or the floor, you're not doing it right😁. Hot squash! I had totally forgotten that was a thing.. My late dad used to put hot milk on his cornflakes during the winter with lashings of sugar on top.... You're right about the Horlicks. The chocolate one is imho way better. And finally, as for Bovril, not alone a warming, nourishing drink on a cold day but yummy on buttered toast.

[@mistycrom]

Horlicks and Ovaltine both have milk and water varieties. I very much prefer Ovaltine if I'm having one on its own. The water ones are also easier, 'cause you can add the powder first, and stir as you pour, which helps stop it clumping. I mix them. 2tsp of each. - also, mixing the powders together makes the clumping pretty much impossible. I'm not sure if I've had Bovril oddly. I've had Oxo drink.

[@joshbrailsford]

Yes! Hot Ribena was my childhood on winter days. I remember playing in the snow in the garden and warming up afterwards with a hot Ribena. Bliss.

[@nickybumps5164]

Many cafes I've visited in Belgium have had OXO on their drinks menu, so it seems to be quite popular there.

[@ronhope3970]

Bovril for Beefeaters etc. and Marmite for vegetarians...both good on a winters day with Pepper....Mmmm Yum, Yum.