Blast from the Past: Ovaltine was a sleep-inducing bedtime cuppa
Do people still drink milky, malty, or warm chocolatey drinks before bed, drinks like Ovaltine, Horlicks and Coca? Or is it more likely that a glass or two of wine is the sedative of choice these days? Probably.
But at one time a tin of Ovaltine, Horlicks or Cocoa cupboard was a regular feature in kitchen cupboards.
Somehow with the passage of the time, these drinks became synonymous as the nightcap of choice for older folk. One could easily imagine Nora Batty having a ‘nice cup of Cocoa’ before donning her winceyette nightie and getting into bed with a hot water bottle.
Readers of a certain vintage may recall the Ovaltineys-der-der-der or League of Ovaltineys, a children's club developed in the 1930s to promote the sale of Ovaltine in the UK.
The club had its own radio show, Ovaltiney's Concert Party, on Radio Luxembourg and became well known throughout the UK for its theme song We Are The Ovaltineys.
In 1975 the song came back to a new audience when it was used by Ovaltine in a TV advertisement and released as a single record.
From herbal teas to lavendar pillow sprays, non-medical sleep aids are ubiquitous in these days, but perhaps a cup of sleep-inducing Ovaltine is just what the duvet ordered.