Never Without a Friend - Fisherman's friends

An evil and persistent cough made me run to the Kiosk and buy some Fisherman's Friends to clear my throat and get some momentary relief. For some obscure reason, I was under the impression this was a typical Swiss thing (Swiss fishermen? Seriously?). But, an English friend soon would make clear that this strong minted lozenges had been invented in Fleetwood in the Lancashire on the North West Coast of England.

This coastal village was once know for its flourishing fishing industry and their fishermen were used to depart for long fishing expeditions in the North Sea and the Article Circle. They would often suffer from cough, cold and bronchial problems from the prolonged exposition to freezing cold and weather conditions.

 

One of the first residents of Fleetwood, was an young talented pharmacist by the name of James Lofthouse. Amongst others, he created in 1865 a medicine containing menthol and eucalyptus oil that proved to effective to relieve the fisherman from the cold symptoms.  Lofthouse latter transformed this strong liquid into small lozenges, easier to transport and to administer. As the legend says, the fishermen soon began to refer to the lozenges as their friends.

 

The lozenges exist in their current form relatively unchanged since their creation, though new flavors and varieties were added to the product line. They also still come in paper packets with a retro look and feel.

Fisherman's Friends, anyone?