[Closed] Bovril

They employ old smokers to cough into buckets and then reduce that down in boiled horse piss. The resulting sludge is used to make Bovril

Jamba-fact

Cant beat a hot Bovril on a cold night!

i've got back into bovril in the last month (got one on the go at the moment)

The family find it weird, but it's hot, wet and meaty. What's not to like?

I started drinking it recently.

I'd say product placement and advertising doesn't effect me, but I only started because they started talking about it on the RetroPower weekly Youtube vlog.

On toast yes. As a drink... Yuk!

I fancy getting into it (rock n roll) as always used to be my half time tipple at old Trafford. I'm a vege though is it meat?

I’m a vege though is it meat?

Sadly yes, tis cow.

It went veggie for a while during the BSE crisis and tasted exactly how I remembered it as a child. If I'd known they were going to revert I'd have stocked up.

My uncle taking me to a Forest game on a freezing cold Boxing day that resulted in a nil nil draw and getting me Bovril at half time has led to a lifelong hatred of football. And Bovril.

Work outside,and have had a mug of bovvi most cold days in winter, for over 15 years.A Greggs sos roll dunked in is a reet nice treat

Just made a mug based on reading this thread.
I always add some pepper 🙂

Sadly yes, tis cow.

How does Marmite compare? Veggie stock cubes or powder (e.g. Marigold)make a nice beverage too.

How does Marmite compare?

As a drink? Speaking as someone who could eat Marmite out of the jar with a spoon: utterly disgusting, don't do it.

Marmite is for the spreading, Bovril is for the (carnivorous) drinking. Don't cross the streams.

+1 for Bovril on buttery toast, or drizzled over a buttery jacket potato.. mmmm. I tried it as a drink once, never again.

Add a shot of vodka and a drop of two of tabasco for a poor man's Bullshot.....

I disagree on the marmite. It makes an excellent drink.
It's a case of getting the consistency right is all.

Bovril on toast most mornings. Would happily be vegetarian otherwise

Bovril - Marmite for those without standards.

With or without milk?

Hogmonay a couple of years ago: at a very cold Stirling Albion v Cowdenbeath (Cows and beef) my son and I managed two Bovrils each before half-time.

There's a Scottish football forum called Pie & Bovril.

Marmite for toast/bread, Bovril to drink, the end.

Re-discovered Bovril after they started putting it in the drink machine at one of my meetings. Bought a jar and do enjoy a mug every now and they. The real stuff is far more hardcore than the powdered though.

I disagree on the marmite. It makes an excellent drink.
It’s a case of getting the consistency right is all.

It's the correct consistency until you remove it from the jar.

The real stuff is far more hardcore than the powdered though.

Powdered... wait, what now? I'm offended by proxy.

I’m a vege though is it meat?

Bovril - Bovine 😉

Marmite as a drink is for winners. At the end of the jar I fill with hot water, swish round and drink.
Bovril, not so sure on.

One of the most popular drinks at the last feed station on one of the Ultramarathons I've worked on a bunch of times. By that point, everyone's got sick of sweet, claggy energy food and has started getting salt cravings.

it’s hot, wet and meaty. What’s not to like?

That made me proper LOL! Thanks.

Marmite is for the spreading, Bovril is for the (carnivorous) drinking. Don’t cross the streams.

The truth.

Stale bread cubed in a bowl
Bov, hot water, butter and pepper.
Try it

Bovril cubes when camping out in winter. Nothing like it 8)

Had never thought of drinking it. Have recently developed a bit of love for it but mostly to smother over a chicken when roasting or beef to give it an even meatier flavour.

What ratios are people using? I tried it once and didn't think much and I love marmite and similar

What ratios are people using?

1 spoon, the jar. Eat like Nutella

Powdered… wait, what now? I’m offended by proxy.

Yep, in one or those drink making doobyferkins, used to call them Maxpax. It's not quite as meaty, a little more 'everyday'. Proper stuff ftw though.

I tried it once and didn’t think much and I love marmite and similar

Good. You don't need to go on 'the list'.

I have now done a side by side comparison of Bovril and Marmite drinks. Not as big a difference as I imagined there might be but Marmite a bit too salty for my taste. Bovril more meaty (which is of course to be expected).

Bovril more meaty (which is of course to be expected).

And when you say meaty, you of course mean lips, arsehole, brain and spinal cordy?

Know a bit about the meat trade do we ?

I like oxo cubes in water, handier for camping too

Know a bit about the meat trade do we ?

I do, but in truth I've no idea how they make it.

Not sure I want to actually 😆

From wiki -
" During the Siege of Ladysmith in the Second Boer War, a Bovril-like paste was produced from horse meat within the garrison. Nicknamed Chevril (a portmanteau of Bovril and cheval, French for horse) it was produced by boiling down horse or mule meat to a jelly paste and serving it as a 'beef tea' "

With or without milk?

Au Lait - obviously

A nice frothy Bovachino, a dusting of grated cheese. Served in a cowhorn

Well I don't know how they make it either, but I work at the sharp end and I can guarantee that they don't use lips arseholes brain or 'spinecordy' (sic) ! Lips are in big demand in some sectors as is cheek and other beef trim along with all offal, but brain and spinal cord is Cat 1 material for destruction only while 'arseholes' are Cat 3 , not for human consumption, although some intestines etc may go into pet food.

We use cow bung(the small intestine) for haggis.

I use to love making haggis. You'd get plucks in from the market so fresh they were still warm from their previous owner 😉

Now lamb plucks are also in big demand at the moment, crazy but if all the animals had more innards the job would be in profit !

When we were newly married and she still loved me, the wife would make me a nice cup of bovril for when I was cleaning the bike to warm me up....
Now she just pops her head out of the window and tells me to clear up all the mud of the drive!!

Now lamb plucks are also in big demand at the moment, crazy but if all the animals had more innards the job would be in profit !

😆

I'll tell you the secret to good haggis. You need to take out all, or as much of the tubing from the lungs as possible.
As they're getting boiled and minced it doesnt matter how small you cut them into, so you track them right into the lungs and remove every bit that has cartilage in it, even down to a couple of mm across. Less cartilage equals less crunchy bits.

Got back into a few months ago so bought a jar, it’s been used more for cooking than drinking. It’s ace added to a chilli or spag bog.

Oh and the name is from Bovine nothing to do with horses it’s a beef stock.

I’ve just bought some after reading this thread. I forgot how good it was!

It’s ace added to a chilli or spag bog.

I’ll have to give that a try. 1 teaspoon in the chilli?

Oh and the name is from Bovine nothing to do with horses it’s a beef stock.

If thats directed at me then yes it is and originally was a beef product. I was just quoting the only section in wiki that showed its production method. Obviously it is made from beef boiled down to jelly paste.
Much of wiki quoted its uses throughout history, but failed to say how it was made.

eg Shackleton and his team about lived on the stuff for months, and while we know what Shakletons hut looked like, the info in wiki provides a clue of what it smelled like 😉

My old work (big corporate type office) had it in all the coffee machines. Those old style Klix machines in an otherwise modern and gleaming office.

Turned out the CEO was fueled by the stuff and no other vending machine did it. I actually came round to it a bit as an alternative to the rank coffee the machine did.

Brought up on the stuff on toast and still choose it almost every time on toast. I remember when BSE kicked off, thinking as a family we are screwed!