Ben Shaws Soft Drinks.... My Memories

I have to admit..... Until recently I may have slightly forgotten that Ben Shaws Drinks existed. Shame on me! You wouldn't (Shouldn't) forget a mates birthday, so you can imagine my shock when I realised I nearly missed the 140th Birthday of this great soft drink producing company, whose products I have known, tasted and loved since the late seventies. 
Roles reversed a little.... I did not get them a card or present, on the contrary; They sent ME a wonderful selection of my childhood favourite drinks, balloons and badges, and a great bag for the wife to take to the market! 

As soon as I saw the classic design of the cans, it evoked memories of being a small boy, in the East End of Lincoln and one of my my very first memories of these classic flavours. I remember being able to choose a can of pop from the corner shop, before I went to Derby from Lincoln to visit some relations of my Grandparents. In the fridge were the usual suspects, who's brands and logos were plastered everywhere from motor racing circuits to parasols outside bars, but I always remember seeing the Ben Shaws logo, it's classically signed name  and purely out of objectionable curiosity I had to have one of those. A Pepsi or Fanta would have been most kids choice, the safe option, but my chain of thought was "If that drink has been around all of these years, and can sit in the fridge next to brands that were more in your face; then it must be a good drink"! Quite a lot of thinking for a 7ish year old boy!!


Cloudy lemonade was the first flavour I ever tried. I remember asking what was different about it, and my Gran would just say that "That is what lemonade is meant to be like". Good enough for me!! Every time I see it It takes me right back to travelling in the back of my Grandad's Austin Maxi, sliding on the vinyl seats as it turned corners. No seatbelts in the back..... Yes, it actually happened!


Ben Shaws was not just about slidey journeys in Austin Maxis, or Austin Princesses for that matter, but for a lot of my pre double figure years were spent with my Dad, the then Labour leader for Lincoln City Council. With great power came great responsibility.... well, not really, but a lot of his time was spent in conflab or meetings with other socialists at  Grafton House, the Lincoln Labour Club. I liked it there. He would be talking about how to oust Maggie Thatcher or something, I would be sat with other kids in a similar position in the back room, plied with crisps, video cartoons, and ....... Ben Shaws (From a bottle this time) on the slate! Me and my brother used to drink ice cold, from a Wellington glass  typically Bitter Shandy! Was this my first taste of alcohol in a licensed premises??..... We used to feel so grown up, we could go to the little bar in the back room, ask for a glass of shandy and get the sweetest bitter shandy from Barbara or Christine behind the bar! I really don't think things like that could happen these days, H&S, PC etc blah blah blah! 


I have vivid memories of Dandelion and Burdock too. I remember now the first time I tasted it. Nigel Lacey's birthday party, at a house off Monks Road, Lincoln. There were a selection of pop bottles on the table, and his dad asked me what I would like to drink. "We have Orange, Cola, Lemonade, and Dandelion & Burdock" I had NEVER heard of this before now! What if I said yes, but didn't like it...? I asked what it was like, I don't remember his response, but I ended up with a glass of it anyway! I remember the Ben Shaws label, so I knew it was "Safe".... If they sold it in Ray's corner shop, it must have been "Safe"! A child's innocence eh?? It was unlike any other drink I had ever tried. It was probably the first "Unique" taste I can remember. So sweet, slightly aniseed flavoured I thought (Hey, I could be a wine critic next lol!) And I remember when I got back home it was the first thing I told my parents about! This "New" drink, it was almost as if I was the first person to have ever tasted it! I felt quite special after that! I now know it is a classic, and millions had tasted (And probably felt the same as me) for years before. I was still confused that my parents knew what it was... I thought I WAS the first!! 


When I was discussing Ben Shaws Birthday with my wife a few weeks ago, she thought she could remember them, but wasn't sure. That soon changed when the Party Pack arrived! BANG.... (It wasn't a parcel bomb!).. that was Mrs F taken straight back to the married quarter at RAF Leeming, where she lived with her family (My now In-Laws) whilst her dad was serving there in the RAF. Straight away after seeing the Cream Soda she recalled tales of the "Chip Van" that used to visit this remote RAF station, delivering fish, chips, crisps sweets and pop to the families living there every Friday tea time. She told me how they would get their tea, and she would get cream soda, her sister would get Bitter Shandy and they would take them back to the quarter for tea. That chip van was a treat for Mrs F and her family. With neither of her parents driving, and fast food outlets on RAF stations non existent in those days, it must have been quite something to get hot fish and chips, and the obligatory can of Cream Soda virtually "Delivered" to your door! There's a tip Ben Shaws... Branded mobile shops.... You can have that ;-)


I've loved tasting all of the products again. Vivid memories came flooding back, the minute that flavour hit my mouth, I was transported almost 30 years back, to an age of innocence and simplicity. I've loved helping out, I've remembered things that I never could have without tasting Ben Shaws drinks again. 


So here's to "Innocence and Simplicity" and I'll raise a glass of Ben Shaws Bitter Shandy to you all!


Here's to the next 140 years!! http://www.benshawsdrinks.co.uk/