#is it like bone broth or something? that was a trend here for a while but i couldn't see myself drinking a nice hot cup of bone broth

[downthepub]

In the book, Anathema had a "thermos that had contained hot Bovril" (on her trip - before the bicycle accident). The book is set in the 90s. Anathema is a relatively cool and modern young woman (I think?), and she has miso soup in another part of the book (which was kind of trendy and cool in the 90s, imo - or at least something slightly foreign and health-food-y).

So, what I know of Bovril is that it's a British drink, kind of like broth or soup. What I know of it comes from Top Gear, where two of the guys are laughing at the third for liking Bovril, like it's something old fashioned and a bit silly. The impression I got was this is something maybe your grandparents would like. That episode (snowbine harvester) originally aired in 2011. So it's not the 90s, but it's not long enough for food attitudes to have changed hugely, right?

So, what is the British public's relationship with Bovril in the 90s? Is that a normal thing a girl on an adventure would take with her on a chilly night? (Maybe it's even a plot point I missed or forgot about, like Agnes or another ancestor decided she was supposed to take a hot drink with her and obviously that was the best one. I could've forgotten that, or missed it.)

Or maybe she just likes all sorts of soup (and / or soup-like substances)? Or it's a health food? Or something most people would take on a long hike, or something else I haven't thought of. Replies welcome...