Chicken Bovril - Where has this gone?

Bubo

Bubo

Bubo

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Chicken Bovril appears to have disappeared off the face of the earth. Has it been banned due to some health scare? Have supplies been used up due to Covid/Home Working? Can they just not be bothered to make it anymore? You can still get normal Beef Bovril, but it is not in the same league. Does anyone have a good alternative?
 
Bubo said:
Chicken Bovril appears to have disappeared off the face of the earth. Has it been banned due to some health scare? Have supplies been used up due to Covid/Home Working? Can they just not be bothered to make it anymore? You can still get normal Beef Bovril, but it is not in the same league. Does anyone have a good alternative?
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I was thinking that myself just the other day. I searched all the online supermarkets without any luck. I bloody love the stuff. I’m even thinking of writing an email to the company to ask them directly if it’s ever coming back. There’s no alternative out there, so I have switched to Bouillon, which is not as good, but still a nice tasty, salty and warming drink. Makes a great stock for soups as well.
 
It is weird how it has vanished. I know they changed the recipe of beef Bovril for a while due I think to the ban on British beef exports, though apparently now back to normal, but surely there is no shortage of chickens or anything dodgy going on? Does anyone actually prefer the beef to the chicken?

I did a search on Amazon and there is a Knorr chicken paste bouillon, is that the one? I was slightly put off by a feedback which specifically said it if you were buying it as a drink then not to expect too much. Still can used for for it normal stock purpose though of course if it is not as good, and the tub makes up to 40L. Alternatives to proper bovril look to be very thin on the ground.
 
Bubo said:
It is weird how it has vanished. I know they changed the recipe of beef Bovril for a while due I think to the ban on British beef exports, though apparently now back to normal, but surely there is no shortage of chickens or anything dodgy going on? Does anyone actually prefer the beef to the chicken?

I did a search on Amazon and there is a Knorr chicken paste bouillon, is that the one? I was slightly put off by a feedback which specifically said it if you were buying it as a drink then not to expect too much. Still can used for for it normal stock purpose though of course if it is not as good, and the tub makes up to 40L. Alternatives to proper bovril look to be very thin on the ground.
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I think it’s just that the beef is the traditional variety. A lot of people don’t even know the chicken one exists.

The bouillon I use is the Marigold vegetable one.
 
I am just going to slum it with the beef pot I have, still full, and see if it lasts while they sort out whatever the chicken embargo is about.
 
Slightly related but we always have in the Knorr concentrated chicken stock in a bottle. It's brilliant, much better when you just need to add a dash or odd amount rather than wasting a whole cube/pot thing. But you can't seem to buy them anymore? :confused:
 
Look for bone broth products as an alternative perhaps?

They get a bit poncy mind - special organic cows/chickens fed the best feed and massaged daily by gap year students in Australia and the bones boiled for a minimum of XX hours etc... Same sort of idea as bovril but for hipsters etc..
 
Scam said:
Slightly related but we always have in the Knorr concentrated chicken stock in a bottle. It's brilliant, much better when you just need to add a dash or odd amount rather than wasting a whole cube/pot thing. But you can't seem to buy them anymore? :confused:
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never seen the point in individually wrapped cubes..
I've got a 500g knorr tub from Switzerland exactly the same stuff inside the cubes but probably 1000% better value for money.

over here in the UK its all individual crap, perfect portion sizes and other nonsense for people who can't use a teaspoon or table spoon to measure something and we get utterly ripped off for the privilege
 
Bubo said:
I've always thought Bovril was basically runny Marmite. Or maybe Marmite was Bovril that had gone off. :)
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I like Marmite too but always preferred Bovril with all its salty, meaty goodness. I have never got into Bovril as a drink like many people enjoy, but on bread, or toast, or with molten butter meandering through the pores of a toasted crumpet..... I think it is hard to beat.
 
This is from Unilever:
Hello from Bovril,

Thank you so much for getting in touch with about the availability of Bovril Chicken Extract, it’s great to hear that you’re keen to buy it. Unfortunately, however, none of the major retailers are currently stocking it.

The following retailers have stocked it in the past and should be able to let you know if they do currently or have plans to in the future:

Asda 0800 952 0101
Sainsbury 0800 636262
Tesco 0800 505555

You may also be able to find many of our products through online retailers.

If you need further assistance or information, please contact us by letter or email. Or, if you’d rather chat to someone over the phone, then do please give us a call on 0800 0280174 between the hours of 8am and 6pm, Monday to Friday, and we will be happy to help.

Yours sincerely,

Christopher
Consumer Engagement Centre Adviser
 
Don't quite understand why strange. The response from Unilever who makes Chicken Bovril is strange. Supermarkets say it's been discontinued. Unilever say supermarkets aren't stocking it.
 
This is still weird though. You simply cannot get it anywhere online as their apparently official guy seems to suggest. They appear to imply they haven't stopped making it, but since you cannot get it anywhere surely that means it is stacking up in their own warehouse if it is not being sold on. Plus how come all these retailers suddenly decided to stop stocking it all at the same time? Unfortunately it sounds like a cookie cutter customer services reply, or they are covering something up.
 
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