BS: Bovril?

Subject: BS: Bovril?
From: Bob Hitchcock
Date: 02 Feb 07 - 08:10 PM

A few years ago, I used to be able to buy Bovril Concentrate in a little red and black bottle at my local Gormet food store here in the USA. Now it is no longer available, and I ask why?

Is this some sort of plot by the U.S. Goverment to deprive me of something I hold near and dear, or is it a different plot by the British Government to piss off all the ex-pats. Whatever plot it is, I wish they would stop as it's getting me even more pissed off than I was before.

If anyone can shed any light on this, I would love to hear from you.

The idea of having to go to a "Gormet" store to buy things like Marmite, Bisto, Birds Custard and Yorkie Bars is a whole different discussion which I will engage in at a later date.

Thanks.

Bob.

Subject: RE: BS: Bovril?
From: skipy
Date: 02 Feb 07 - 08:14 PM

Why! because it is vile!
Try oxo cubes in hot water, that is good, really good.
Skipy

Subject: RE: BS: Bovril?
From: artbrooks
Date: 02 Feb 07 - 08:15 PM

Who knows? But, believe it or not, you can get it from Amazon.com.

Subject: RE: BS: Bovril?
From: McGrath of Harlow
Date: 02 Feb 07 - 08:17 PM

There was a thread a little back about indications that the US FDA were trying to stop people importing Bovril and similar products.

Subject: RE: BS: Bovril?
From: Peace
Date: 02 Feb 07 - 08:19 PM

Bit of the scoop here.

Subject: RE: BS: Bovril?
From: jeffp
Date: 02 Feb 07 - 09:09 PM

The thread you're remembering was about Marmite, not Bovril, and it was an urban legend.

Subject: RE: BS: Bovril?
From: gnu
Date: 03 Feb 07 - 05:11 AM

Oxo cubes? No such thing here any more. All packets now... Oxo, Bovril, Knorr's... all packets.

Subject: RE: BS: Bovril?
From: Geoff the Duck
Date: 03 Feb 07 - 07:46 AM

Interesting link Peace.
I am glad to heat that they are putting the beef back into bovril.
Mind you, the reason they gave for taking it out hs NOTHING to do with any beef export bans, they told us that they were taking it out and replacing with yeast extract because they wanted to increase sales by selling it to VEGTARIANS. In other words they turned it into a Marmite clone.
I expect what happened is that the Veggies weren't interested in a product which was a clone. If they wanted Marmite, they could just buy Marmite. Result - no increase in sales.
I expect what also happened is that people who used Bovril because it was made from BEEF probably stopped buying it. If they wanted YEAST extract they wouldn't have been buying Bovril. Result - a big drop in sales.
I expect what is now happening is trying to get peple to buy it again by putting the beef back without admitting that the pillocks in maketing made a giant bollox of the whole business.

Personally I think heads should roll!
Quack!
GtD.

Subject: RE: BS: Bovril?
From: Bob Hitchcock
Date: 03 Feb 07 - 10:49 AM

Geoff, I think your right, heads should roll. It's good to know that the screw up was caused by a large corporation and not some corrupt government.

Marmite is still available over here but at an exorbitant price. The cost of a small jar ($5.85) is about the same as a very large jar in the UK. Surely it can't cost that much to send it over the Atlantic, so it nust be another conspiracy designed to piss me off again.

Thanks for all the info, and hopefuly I will be able to stock up on Bovril again soon.

Bob.

Subject: RE: BS: Bovril?
From: GUEST,John Gray in Oz
Date: 04 Feb 07 - 08:12 AM

Bovril is still avail. here in Oz but getting harder to find. The food wholesalers here have to pay the supermsrket chains a "shelf rental", just to get their products on the shelf. The wholesalers have to balance out their unit sales per rental of so many square centimeters of shelf.
Bovril is not a big seller so, gradually, it will disappear from supermarket shelves and will have to be sought from smallgoods type delicatessens.

JG / FME

Subject: RE: BS: Bovril?
From: GUEST,Shimrod
Date: 04 Feb 07 - 08:48 AM

I grew up on Bovril. For some reason I've always loved it spread on hot, buttered toast (much nicer than Marmite - ugh!!).

Subject: RE: BS: Bovril?
From: Don Firth
Date: 04 Feb 07 - 01:51 PM

In the sitcom "Frazier" some years back:

Daphne, Frazier's father's live-in health-care worker (who came originally from Manchester) goes to the refrigerator, looks around, then says, "What happened to my Bovril?" Frazier says, "I threw it out. It smelled rancid." "It's supposed to smell rancid," says Daphne. "It's British!"

Don Firth

Subject: RE: BS: Bovril?
From: bobad
Date: 04 Feb 07 - 02:08 PM

I checked a bottle of liquid Bovril I have in the cupboard and it has a Knorr logo on the label. Also the list of ingredients shows it contains both yeast extract and beef extract along with other good stuff.

Subject: RE: BS: Bovril?
From: Strollin' Johnny
Date: 04 Feb 07 - 02:18 PM

"I threw it out. It smelled rancid." "It's supposed to smell rancid," says Daphne. "It's British!"

And this is from the nation that gave us McDonalds, Burger King, KFC, Starbucks et al. Mmmmmmmm! :-)

Subject: RE: BS: Bovril?
From: Moses
Date: 04 Feb 07 - 02:24 PM

Try a swirl of Bovril on top of cheese on toast.

Yummie.

Subject: RE: BS: Bovril?
From: Peace
Date: 04 Feb 07 - 02:29 PM

Do you people know what Bovril LOOKS LIKE?

Subject: RE: BS: Bovril?
From: Mr Happy
Date: 05 Feb 07 - 11:01 AM

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bovril

Subject: RE: BS: Bovril?
From: David C. Carter
Date: 05 Feb 07 - 12:12 PM

Oxo contains Monosodium Glutamate.

Which was discussed on another thread, concerning its use in Chinese restaurants,or'overuse'shall we say!

Subject: RE: BS: Bovril?
From: GUEST,Wordless Woman
Date: 05 Feb 07 - 03:33 PM

I often find British foodstuffs in larger Asian markets in Philadelphia.

Subject: RE: BS: Bovril?
From: Bob Hitchcock
Date: 05 Feb 07 - 05:15 PM

Wow, I never knew there was so much interest in Bovril, I now have more information than I ever could have wished for. I found it again in my local Gormet shop here in Maryland USA, and have stocked up for the winter. Also purchased Marmite, Bisto, McVities Digestives and Penguin Bars, I shall now sit here and get homesick.

Thank you all,

Bob

Subject: RE: BS: Bovril?
From: jimlad9
Date: 06 Feb 07 - 03:41 AM

Bob

Bovril,in my younger days me an'mi dad used to take a flask full of hot Bovril to Burnden Park to watch our hero's perform amazing feats of 'derring do'. I still watch the lads from time to time at the Reebok, mi dad looks down from above on us. Well I hope it is 'down',he didn't leave a forwarding address. I watch with my grandson Ben these days despite the robbing B*****ds ripping us off for over £50 for the privelige.
When I took a flask of Bovril Ben almost puked at the taste of it so now we take a flask of VIMTO do they sell that over there in our colonies?.



On the subject of Vimto,there is a joke going around about the dyslexic drug addict who choked to death on his own Vimto.


I'll get mi coat

Subject: RE: BS: Bovril?
From: Scrump
Date: 06 Feb 07 - 10:14 AM

No-one seems to have mentioned the fact that a couple of years ago, Bovril changed the recipe to remove any beef extract. This was presumably an attempt to appeal to vegetarians, and a reaction to the beef/BSE scare of a few years back.

When I noticed this I was a bit p***ed off. What's Bovril without beef? Marmite, that's what.

But I discovered that Morrisons sell their own version, which has beef extract in. It tastes like the old Bovril did.

I only ever drink it though, I haven't tried it on toast, etc. Maybe I will now...

Subject: RE: BS: Bovril?
From: jeffp
Date: 06 Feb 07 - 10:30 AM

Geoff the Duck mentioned it above.

Subject: RE: BS: Bovril?
From: jeffp
Date: 06 Feb 07 - 10:32 AM

Obligatory musical content.

Subject: RE: BS: Bovril?
From: GUEST
Date: 06 Feb 07 - 10:35 AM

It is available in my local supermarket in NS and I think there would be a riot if if was removed. Odd what they scrutinize in America, isnt it ?

Subject: RE: BS: Bovril?
From: Scrump
Date: 06 Feb 07 - 10:39 AM

Oops, sorry GtD - I somehow missed your post. Blame it on the Ruddles County (19755 version of course).

I agree with what you say though. I didn't realise they'd put the beef back into it.

I was gobsmacked when they took the beef out. I assumed it was called Bovril because it had beef in it.

Anyway, I recommend the Morrisons stuff. I don't trust the Bovril marketing t0ss3rs will get it right. They'll probably reduce the amount of beef or something, in an attempt to appeal to diet-conscious yuppies.

The Morrisons stuff is also cheaper btw - better value all round, IMO.

Subject: RE: BS: Bovril?
From: GUEST,Penny S. (elsewhere)
Date: 06 Feb 07 - 10:49 AM

I'm still working through my stockpile of pre-change beefy bovril from the market, and Sainsbury's own brand.

Penny

Subject: RE: BS: Bovril?
From: Bob Hitchcock
Date: 10 Feb 07 - 10:17 AM

Oh jimlad, I too remember those days, going to the Goldstone Ground in Brighton with a flask of Bovril and freezing to death as I watched my beloved Albion lose another game.

I have never seen Vitmo here in the States, but I will keep an eye out for it.

Bob.

Subject: RE: BS: Bovril?
From: lady penelope
Date: 10 Feb 07 - 11:18 AM

Vimto? Gag....

I'm an Oxo cube girl meself (yes it is still available in cubes, in fact I rarely see the packet versions anywhere).

When I was at school we used to call one of our friends 'Bovril' 'cos she was "hot and beefy with no taste......"

Subject: RE: BS: Bovril?
From: GUEST,Karla
Date: 22 Apr 07 - 11:03 AM

Bob,

WHERE IN MARYLAND??? I have found Bovril/Knorr's chicken concentrate, but no beef concentrate. I live in Virginia and would love to keep using Bovril beef concentrate but cannot find it anywhere.

Thanks

Subject: RE: BS: Bovril?
From: Metchosin
Date: 22 Apr 07 - 11:59 AM

I stopped using Bovril and Oxo when I discovered Better Than Bouillon. It is. Way better. Although I didn't realize there were so many, I've only used the first three.

Subject: RE: BS: Bovril?
From: grumpy al
Date: 22 Apr 07 - 02:33 PM

Bovril? PAH! Use Marmite especially the Guiness limited edition
Grumps

Subject: RE: BS: Bovril?
From: TRUBRIT
Date: 22 Apr 07 - 05:14 PM

I have always been a Marmite on toast person myself. You can get Marmite here in our local grocery shop but, as mentioned above, the price is outrageous. My British visitors always come bearing a large jar of Marmite -- how can you make soup without Marmite -- or casseroles?

Had no idea you could get Penquins in this country -- now that would be a wonderful thing to find here in Maine.

Subject: RE: BS: Bovril?
From: bubblyrat
Date: 23 Apr 07 - 04:42 AM

Bovrils "finest hour " came in a Noel Coward film ( " In Which We Serve " ?? ) when Coward, as Captain of a destroyer, informs Army colleagues that the wonderfully restorative beverage of which they have just partaken is Bovril and Sherry !! Now, I must admit that I have always meant to try that, but somehow haven"t yet !! I do, however, regularly have a hot drink made from an Oxo cube, 2 teaspoonsful of Bovril, a dash of Worcester sauce, and a sprinkling of ground black pepper. Very bracing !! I have just looked at my most recently purchased Bovril jar, and it does claim a beef extract content of 43 %, so it"s still fairly Beefy !

Subject: RE: BS: Bovril?
From: Liz the Squeak
Date: 23 Apr 07 - 05:43 AM

Bovril and sherry - not a great deal unlike French Onion soup, but without the onions.

I remember being fed some similar concoction when I was tiny... I think I'd been out in the snow a little too long and granny thought I needed warming up.

LTS

Subject: RE: BS: Bovril?
From: Grimmy
Date: 23 Apr 07 - 06:41 AM

As a devout excavator of old bottles, I have managed to unearth the entire Bovril bottle family from c1940. Viz 16oz, 8oz, 4oz, 2oz, 1oz and the teeny 1/2oz. They are proudly arrayed along my kitchen window sill.

Oh, and I have an additional bottled embossed with '1lb' as well as the '16oz'.

Fascinating, no?

Subject: RE: BS: Bovril?
From: bubblyrat
Date: 23 Apr 07 - 08:08 AM

Fascinating, Yes !!!

Subject: RE: BS: Bovril?
From: Grimmy
Date: 23 Apr 07 - 09:04 AM

errr....no.

Bovril, OXO and Marmite all came in brown glass jars - as did Virol. Apparently Virol's main ingredient was bone marrow.

YUK! Did anybody actually eat this stuff?

Subject: RE: BS: Bovril?
From: GUEST,jojofolkagogo
Date: 23 Apr 07 - 11:48 AM

AAAAAAAHHHHHH   !!!!      M A R M I T E

doncha just LOVE it ???

jo-jo

Subject: RE: BS: Bovril?
From: bubblyrat
Date: 23 Apr 07 - 08:06 PM

Yes, I had VIROL every day ,back in the "fifties. It was absolutely ,incredibly, unremittingly, inexcusably, fucking HORRIBLE , but I was only about 6 or 7, and, unlike the kids of today, we had to do as we were told, so I couldn"t get out of having to take it.Mind you, it probably did me the world of good, so I guess I can"t really complain------at least I wasn"t a wobbly, fat-guts, lard-arsed, overweight slob, like so many young people are today.Hooray for discipline , that"s what I say !!!

Subject: RE: BS: Bovril?
From: Grimmy
Date: 24 Apr 07 - 05:42 AM

'The Ideal Virol Food. VIROL. A preparation of bone-marrow. An ideal fat food for children and invalids'

as it says on the jar. I believe they're called Big Macs these days.

I ate some pretty disgusting things during the 50's but I don't remember Virol. If it tasted as bad as you say, bubblyrat, then it must have had truly life-saving properties.

Subject: RE: BS: Bovril?
From: GUEST,Partridge
Date: 24 Apr 07 - 03:30 PM

Oh er I liked Virol.......

Subject: RE: BS: Bovril?
From: Rusty Dobro
Date: 25 Apr 07 - 11:55 AM

I still have 50-year-old withdrawal systems for Virol - it was lovely! Daren't even look for it nowadays - I have enough substance dependencies on the go, starting with Adnams Ales and ranging through...er, well, lots of other ales, actually.