Pop Culture Icon

Beef Tea from Fortnum and Mason, London

Display No. 21

London’s Fortnum and Mason department store was founded in 1707. During the Crimean war, Nightingale ordered “beef tea” from Fortnum and Mason to help feed the sick and injured at Scutari Hospital.

A type of highly concentrated stock, a spoonful of beef tea can be mixed with hot water to make an instant beef broth. Beef tea was thought of as highly nutritious and ideal for aiding recovery.

You can still purchase the famous beef tea at Fortnum and Mason today.

Florence Nightingale Museum Collection. 

Exhibits from ‘Pop Culture Icon’

Discover the 200 Exhibits

Nightingale is respected worldwide for her pioneering role in developing the nursing profession, her statistical work, and her evidence-based approach to healthcare. In honour of her bicentenary the World Health Organisation have named 2020 the Year of the Nurse and Midwife.

In our special exhibition, you will find out about objects, people and places which tell interesting stories about Florence’s life and legacy. You’ll discover artefacts from her life, people she both inspired and challenged, and places she helped to shape. There’s many more insights too!

Please click on the different sections of her famous coxcomb diagram to explore various aspects of her life and legacy. We hope you enjoy exploring!