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Staffordshire FoodsYou are in: Stoke & Staffordshire > Discover Staffordshire > Local Life > Staffordshire Foods > Bovril, the ‘beef tea’ from Staffordshire  Bovril, the ‘beef tea’ from StaffordshireBovril’s been made in Burton upon Trent for nearly 40 years. It's a food you can drink like a cup of tea or spread like a jam on a piece of toast. Also football supporters in particular might remember Bovril more than most... Many football fans will remember knocking back the drink out of a Thermos on a cold day out on the terraces. At half-time lots of fans enjoyed a swig or two of the hot ‘beef tea’ to warm themselves up, ready for the players coming back out for the 2nd half of the game. But we all love it or hate it - and you can express your opinion further down this page... Bo-vrilThe name Bovril comes from an unusual word its inventor John Lawson Johnston found in a book. He found 'vril', which means 'an electric fluid', and he combined it with the first two letters of the Latin word for beef 'bos'. It’s cousin of Marmite (also made here in Staffs if you didn’t know) and was invented in 1886 by a Scotsman who won a contract to supply one million cans of beef to the French army. How it ended up in StaffordshireIt came to Burton upon Trent in 1968 when production was moved from London. Despite being a beef drink, it was made suitable for vegetarians in recent years when the beef stock was replaced with savoury yeast mix. However this didn’t last long and Bovril went back to its original meaty recipe. Did You Know?1. Bovril is stirred into porridge and coffee in Malaysia And did you know that old Bovril jars or advertising materials are collectables and can bring in a few quid on on-line auction sites? Bovril has fans from as far as Canada and America, where people who can’t get hold of it apparently search for a substitute so they can get a taste of it. It’s very popular in Asia at the moment too. Known for being British, Bovril should also be known as a Staffordshire thing – we’ve been making it here for nearly 40 years. Bovril web-linksThere doesn’t seem to be too many around anymore, but here’s a couple for either end of the love/hate spectrum and one in between too! 'The Bovril Shrine' (www.medianet.ca/bovril/bovril.htm) may lack in some of the facts but the site has lots of little tidbits for fans of the brown liquid. The most impressive section is a look back at old advertising. For a different slant on the product have a look at one person's quite extreme random rant (for adults only and maybe not for hardcore Bovril fans): www.randomrant.co.uk/members/reviews/otherstuff/bovril.php If you want to check out what Bovril items other fans are buying, try typing ‘Bovril’ into a search on www.ebay.co.uk where there are usually more than 50 items featured at any one time. More information on Bovril, supplied by makers Unilever can be found at: www.unilever.co.uk/ourbrands/foods/bovril.asp last updated: 22/12/2009 at 09:12 Have Your SayTHANKS FOR ALL YOUR COMMENTS. THIS BOARD IS NOW CLOSED. Big Gordon Serpico Hubbard Magy Yatts Who shot J.R. Marrow? Kelly Moonface P. Peck Keith D.A.R.Y.L. christopher mcgrane MC Delvin Beaker Neil L. Strickland Ate Here Dorothy Wells EBAPT D I Porter diane Trumpets!! jan stephenson George Jones El Liz Baker Carrot Top Bungle Kerr, Ste Debra Legg Foggy Pussycat Yellow MR2 Driver josie Jacqueline Whitehead J. Mioliva G. Ramsey Steve Edwards Pink Piggy Ate Here Clipper Bungle Father Ted Lynda Jason Mantle Martin Hanslist mark bovroyd Sean Bush Yatesey Nathan "the daddy" Tyler Nigel Hard, Staffs Ray of Light Young Clive Adele Lisa, Montevideo Big J Marrow Brian McGrady H. Adams Madge, Nottingham andrew teer Margaret Yates Mart the King Bov Quaffer Lorraine F lack of bovril on tesco shelves Rob S dave Mrs . S. M. Hol;t-Wilson Julie Watson cecwood Canute Rudolph Thomas coni Adam Harnden Katmans26@yahoo.co.uk Rich David Spray shirley swinnerton Greg Linda Housron pamela booth Pat Potts D. Wells Roberto Mrs. W. Thomson Darryn Mutch SEE ALSOYou are in: Stoke & Staffordshire > Discover Staffordshire > Local Life > Staffordshire Foods > Bovril, the ‘beef tea’ from Staffordshire |
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