Does anyone else remember this?

I was taking my daily fish oil capsule this morning when my husband mentioned that his cousin actually used to chew hers when they were given them daily as children.

That suddenly brought back memories of National Dried Milk and Welfare orange juice and cod liver oil.

Can any older carers, or indeed those being cared for, remember these? Started to help children in the days of World War 2 rationing, they continued for quite a while after the war ended. Feeding babies who weren't breast-fed on 'National Dried' was practically de rigueur as there wasn't anything else around then that was especially formulated for babies. The orange and cod liver oil was available in bottles and given by the teaspoonful. It was absolutely free and given out by Health Visitors at the, then common, baby clinics held in all communities. The orange was tasty and quite welcome, but how we all dreaded the cod liver oil. Most mums I knew of, including my own, seemed to give the cod liver oil followed very swiftly by the orange juice, as a sort of reward for being brave and to help take away the absolutely revolting fishy taste.

[Hidden]

We always had a spoonful a malt extract - I think it was called Virol.

[Hidden in reply to Hidden]

Oh yes, exhaustedwife, I do remember that some children were given that. I bet it was a bit more palatable than that oil!

[lell1 in reply to Hidden]

Malt and cod liver oil, used to love it! Can just rem the orange. Also used to have Delarosa...stuffed to the hilt with sugar, it wuz luvvly!

[FredaE in reply to lell1]

it was gorgeous, a lovely pink colour, very high in Vitamin C which in wartime with no imported fruit and salad saved us all from scurvy. They looked after us well in the war but I can't understand this strange craving some people have to go back to those "glory days" I suspect they did not live through it as is was absolutely horrible.There is no glory in going without. You do iit because you have no choice

[Hidden]

Hi Callendersgal, I remember last year when my mum was more well, she used to hate cod liver oil as a child, she had gastric enteritis and the gp gave ut to her in liquid form, she brought it up then tried again and my nan gave her some orange juice and she managed to kep that down in the end.

My dad also hated the cod liver oil and he tasted salmon and he detested that too and that has put him off fish altogether he cant even stand the smell of any fish.

[Hidden in reply to Hidden]

Hi paula191, I don't think there were many fans of the cod liver oil, but the orange was tasty. I think I may be like your dad with regard to salmon, for the same reason. I do eat it, but it's certainly no favourite of mine, nor any oily fish. Hence taking a nice tasteless daily capsule of oil these days!

[Hidden in reply to Hidden]

Hi Callendetsgal, my dad has rtaken a capsule of fish oils a few years ago when the GP prescribed them for my mum but she said they were too big and dad bought her the smaller ones but now GP said to stop taking them she didnt need them any more so both my mum and dad have stopped taking them.

Mum doesnt feel as flued up any more she said thats gone and apparently today is the first day she has ate all her meals and she fed herself for the first time but there's istill no sign of her being discharged as yet. 🤐

The physio at the hospital suggested a new hospital bed at home and wants to come round to measure up but dad still needs time to rearrange the room for her besides visiting me, helping me with some CBT for my Chronic, Complex Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, getting all the shopping in, all the daily things he needs to do for himself, plus talk to social services, the other physio who comes out to visit people and more.

So we will just have to wait and see what the outcome will be?

[Hidden in reply to Hidden]

Hi paula191,

Great to hear that your mum seems to be doing so well right now. It's always really encouraging when someone's appetite improves. That must be a good sign.

Preparing for your mum's eventual return home, caring for himself and helping you too, is keeping your dad really busy, so I hope he's remembering to take care of himself too. The life of a carer seems endlessly busy.

It's best that everything that might help is put into place at home before your mum's discharged and I guess that things like measuring up for her new bed and actually having it delivered will take some time, but it will make life that much easier once she's home.

You must be very glad that your dad is there to help with your CBT as that can certainly help you to manage your CCOCD.

Thanks very much for your update and I hope your mum continues to improve and and that she'll be well enough to come home before too long, once everything possible is in place to make both your mum and your dad's lives a bit easier.

[sassy59]

I definitely remember the cod liver oil, dreadful stuff and I recall syrup

of figs too. Xxxxx

[Hidden]

A lucky escape with the CLO Mydexter! Like you I still take capsules of the stuff, but woe betide if, as happens on the odd occasion, it repeats!

[Hidden]

Oh sassy59, yes, another memory of the syrup of figs! Woe betide any child that became constipated!

[Bundleone]

I liked the cod liver oil, I still do and i also breeak open the fish oil tablet with teeth to release the oil.

[Hidden in reply to Bundleone]

Wow Bundlesone, I am full of admiration. But it must be great to actually like the taste. It takes all of the fear away from taking COD liver oil.

[hjmh]

I loved the orange juice! I remember it came in a small brown bottle and I was given a teaspoonful in the morning. I didn't have CLO thank goodness but I did have a spoonful of syrup.of figs each weekend and didn't like that very much!

[FredaE in reply to hjmh]

I used to have Kepler's cod liver oil and malt as the COL made me throw up.that tasted nice but the oil still repeated on me all morning.The orange juice was lovely wasnt it. I am not sure I would like it now. In the war it was dished out at the welfare clinic and I was furious when it stopped when I was five in1943. I used to go scrounging at my mother's friend Ethel's house in case I got a drop from the bottom of the bottle because of course there was no other way of getting it. Your syrup of figs must have tasted better than my Grandfather's senna pods.He had this old teacup and every Saturday night he would put senna pods to soak over night to drink on Sunday morning. by which time they looked like old tea leaves and smelled terrible. Who says the world is going to the dogs?

[Hidden in reply to FredaE]

Hi FredaE, I see there's a definite trend developing here of people saying how nice that orange juice was, and mostly how awful the cod liver oil. I think that the orange probably tasted twice as nice, because we never saw a real orange and sweets were definitely out of the question. I did laugh at your story of scrounging from other people to get hold of some. Simple pleasures!

[kernowdame]

When my parents were out I would mix the orange juice with Andrew's liver salts to make an instant fizzy drink. Years later I found out my sisters were doing the same. Mother never noticed.

[Midori in reply to kernowdame]

Whenever I was at my grandmother's, I would get a dose of Andrews each Friday night, with the result of diarrhoea every Saturday!

[Hidden]

Oh kernowdame, that's such a lovely story. It really has me smiling here. Thanks for sharing!

[Midori]

Yes, I remember them all; My father was still using a National Dried Milk can as a biscuit jar until he died in 2000. (wish I still had it as a memento).

Virol was the substance of choice in our household, it tasted better than Cod Liver Oil alone.. Loved the Orange juice, and do you remember Haliborange Tablets for Vitamin C and Delrosa Rose hip Syrup?

[Hidden in reply to Midori]

Hi Midori, Yes, quite a few people seem to remember Virol or other brands of malt and cod liver oil. Seems it was fairly popular too. I seem to remember as kids using National Dried tins as stilts. Two holes were bored in each of two tins and long strings attached. The sound of all the kids clanking around on those was considerable! I do remember Delrosa and Haliborange tablets and in fact I think a version of the latter still exists.

Happily I escaped the Andrews regime!

[starveycat]

My sister and I lined up to be given a spoonful of cod liver and malt every evening yuk

[karools16 in reply to starveycat]

I grew up in S.Africa. We also had the dreaded CLO, followed by malt. My Mom also gave us Liquid Paraffin for stomach ache, esp if it could be similar to appendicitis? VILE!!!!!!!!!!

[Hidden in reply to karools16]

It's a wonder we all survived!

[Hidden in reply to Hidden]

I think my mum and dad would agree on this one.

[Hidden]

Oh dear..... lol

[FredaE]

oooh rose hip syrup. You can make it yourself but it needs a huge amount of sugar to make it taste right - that was for vitamin C. Andrews made very good fizzy drinks if you had cast iron guts and didn\t use too much

[Pippers]

Scoffing Cod Liver Oil & Malt, from a brown jar, by the tablespoonful I made myself quite sick....

[Hidden]

Haha Pippers. At least the cod liver oil and malt seems to have been quite palatable, unlike the cod liver oil on its own!