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Orange juice from the welfare in the 1950s

B

bilsat

master brummie
Hi All.
I got talking to a neighbour about the unique taste of the orange juice we used to get from the welfare in the 1950s, what was in it, was it concentrated, as everyone I know used to drink it as it came? or was it just full of sugar. I have never found anyother juice to taste like it.
Pete
 
Welfare orange juice

As a child in the 1950's I remember my mother getting this orange juice from the welfare clinic at the same time as the powdered baby milk, the name of which escapes me at present, but Ostamilk keeps coming into my mind. Does anyone else remember the name of it?

I can remember drinking this thickly sweet and sickly orange juice neat from the bottle and getting told off for it because it should have been diluted but maybe this was just my mother diluting it to make it go further because like many other working people in those times we didnt have a lot of money and she used to give us a drink of it after school and a bottle seemed to last a long time. She also used the same undiluted sweet syrup to put on my sisters dummy when she was crying a lot with colic to sooth her.
 
I see you have not mentioned the dreaded Cod Liver Oil. We used to have to take a spoonful daily and were allowed to wash it down with a small glass of the diluted orange juice.

We used to collect ours from Lewis's once a month I think if I remember correctly and I think we had to return the empty bottles.

pmc1947
 
Welfare orange Juice

You are right, who could forget the taste of the dreaded cod liver oil.

Around the forties and fifties I also seem to remember we suffered a mulitude of things that "did you good"

Does anyone remember having to take sulphur tablets to purify the blood (I had teenage spots) or bitter alloes painted on your nails to stop you biting them (it didnt work on me I got used to it)

Not to mention the liqorice root or syrup of figs, we were given periodically nor the spoonful of toffee like, malt & codliver oil or Virol tonic when you were "run down" or had growing pains.
 
I drink a lot of orange juice and often wonder why it tastes different to the orange juice we has as children. Perhaps someone will have the answer. Having a small bottle of milk every morning when I was at school is something I remember too. It was so much nicer in the winter when it was cold than in the summer and it was quite warm.:)Mo
 
I can also remember the small bottle of school milk and for a couple of years I could not work out why the milk at the bottom of the bottle always tasted nicer.

Of course it was because it was the cream from the top of the milk. Now after having semi skimmmed milk for a number of years I bet the full cream milk would taste heavy and sickly.

I also remember the more affluent pupils lining up to buy biscuits from the teacher and the poorer ones, like me could only watch, but sucking the last bit of milk through the straw (which was the cream) made up for it all anyway.

Not only was the there the stigma of not being able to afford a break time buiscuit but also then there was the distribution of the green free dinner tickets ........
 
I remember the orange juice well I was allergic to what ever they added to it and use to come in big red spots worthy of a specially minted medal
Chris B
 
Louisa said:
As a child in the 1950's I remember my mother getting this orange juice from the welfare clinic at the same time as the powdered baby milk, the name of which escapes me at present, but Ostamilk keeps coming into my mind. Does anyone else remember the name of it?

Ostermilk (?)
Click to expand...
 
It was Ostermilk, made by the Farley's Rusks company. No1 and No2, half cream and full cream. I used to read the labels whilst having breakfast.:) E.
 
My 3 sons had Ostermilk but my daughter had SMA.

They all had the orange juice from the welfare clinic in Holland Street Sutton Coldfield, along with the cod liver oil.

I had the same when I was young and the delicious VIROL yum yum:)
 
School milk

I have a confesion to make,when i was at school i was the milk monitor.And took the milk to the classrooms,All the dregs from the empty bottles i called glug,This glug was all tipped in to one bottle.this was given to the school bully,To the chap in question i am NOT sorry:)
 
I've always likes Marmite, not that I eat much of it these days - instead I use the ozzie equivalent 'Vegemite'. I put some tonight in the bread I my machine is making for us as I write. With five sorts of seeds, four cups of strong white flour, one of granary flour, black sugar, a shot of salt, walnut oil and half a pint of milk on the turn.
It'll be a bostin' cheese sandwich for breakfast!
Peter
 
orange juice

I remember the welfare orange juice, it was yummy, my sister used National dried milk for her daughter,( daughter is now 58) goodness where does time go. I went to nursery school at two and half,(1941-42) while my Mum had to work, we were given the dreaded cod liver oil there, if you tried to close your mouth against it the teacher Grabbed your jaw and forced your mouth open, another thing we had to endure was the afternoon rest on a canvas camp bed , plus itchy army type blanket. I liked my school dinners though. This is my first post this year so Happy New Year everybody.;)
 
Louisa said:
Welfare orange juice

As a child in the 1950's I remember my mother getting this orange juice from the welfare clinic at the same time as the powdered baby milk, the name of which escapes me at present, but Ostamilk keeps coming into my mind. Does anyone else remember the name of it?

I can remember drinking this thickly sweet and sickly orange juice neat from the bottle and getting told off for it because it should have been diluted but maybe this was just my mother diluting it to make it go further because like many other working people in those times we didnt have a lot of money and she used to give us a drink of it after school and a bottle seemed to last a long time. She also used the same undiluted sweet syrup to put on my sisters dummy when she was crying a lot with colic to sooth her.
Click to expand...
Hi. Greeting you from Belfast. The Orange Juice to which you refer was called Welfare Orange Juice and it was intended to be drunk diluted 1:6 with water. The Ostermilk was one that was bought but there was a free version issued at baby clinics and called National Dried Milk (see photo) and available up to the age of 2 years. The orange juice was free up to age 5 but the Tories tried in 1957 to restrict it to 2YOs. ( https://api.parliament.uk/historic-hansard/commons/1957/dec/02/welfare-foods-orange-juice) It was in use until at least 1961. The cod liver oil was used as a source of Vit D - rickets was very common in the 1920s/30s/40s in Britain.National Dried Milk.jpg
 
same here mike we used to get our orange juice from the carnegie in hunters road...i can taste it now...loved it

lyn
 
It was in my mind today as I am writing a memoir. In 1954 I was in a childrens' 'home' and they used to dose us each morning with a tablespoon of a mixture of the 'orange juice' mixed with cod liver oil. A revolting taste that I have never forgotten. Be well.
 
MikeMoran said:
It was in my mind today as I am writing a memoir. In 1954 I was in a childrens' 'home' and they used to dose us each morning with a tablespoon of a mixture of the 'orange juice' mixed with cod liver oil. A revolting taste that I have never forgotten. Be well.
Click to expand...
Slightly off topic Mike I noticed you were writing your memoir.
My daughter has started her’s . She is a wonderful daughter, but not biological, she also has memories of her short time in a children home
Take be safe regards Diane.
 
bilsat said:
Hi All.
I got talking to a neighbour about the unique taste of the orange juice we used to get from the welfare in the 1950s, what was in it, was it concentrated, as everyone I know used to drink it as it came? or was it just full of sugar. I have never found anyother juice to taste like it.
Pete
Click to expand...
I don't know what was in it, but best orange juice I ever tasted.
 
I remember National Dried Milk, obtained from baby clinics in the 1950s and Ostermilk and Cow and gate, perhaps a bit later.
 
Our clinic was on the Coventry Road near to Small Heath park. I loved the orange juice, couldn't stand the rose hip syrup. I always thought it was made of the red berries in the park and they put it it bottles. Do you remember those glass dummies that had the syrup in and toddlers would walk around with them dangling from their mouths. Practice for when they grew up with the ciggies hanging on their lips ! ha ha ! I loved the jar of brown sticky Virol. I used to sneak into the pantry and stick my finger in the jar. yum.
 
I well remember my Mum having the orange juice when she was expecting my sister. When my sister was born Mum tried her on powdered milks such as Ostamilk, thinking it was the best but the only one she was able to tolerate was The National Dried Milk which she was quite happy on.
 
crimble said:
Our clinic was on the Coventry Road near to Small Heath park. I loved the orange juice, couldn't stand the rose hip syrup. I always thought it was made of the red berries in the park and they put it it bottles. Do you remember those glass dummies that had the syrup in and toddlers would walk around with them dangling from their mouths. Practice for when they grew up with the ciggies hanging on their lips ! ha ha ! I loved the jar of brown sticky Virol. I used to sneak into the pantry and stick my finger in the jar. yum.
Click to expand...
I think that was the clinic where my sister used to take my nephew. I went with them a couple of times, and seem to remember a rocking horse.
 
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