Horlicks needs no introduction, its characteristic bottle has been a fixture in everybody’s pantry for as long as we can remember. Less well known is the fact that Horlicks was invented in the Forest of Dean.
Horlicks was invented in Ruardean by the Horlick brothers James and William. James had been trained as a homeopathic pharmacist in London and designed the drink to be a concentrated and easily digestible food for infants and invalids.
James and William Horlick were born in Ruardean, in 1844 and 1846 respectively, to John Horlick a Non-Conformist Minister.
The barn where the brothers worked can still be found in Ruardean behind the Malt Shovel Public House (well worth a visit).
Boz's Gaff 