Dandelion and burdock is a very traditional British fizzy soft drink which has been consumed in the British Isles since approximately 1265. The drink is made from burdock roots, and fermented dandelion, and is super yummy! It is unsure where the drink originated though there are many rival accounts. One story has it that St. Thomas Aquinas walked from his place of prayer one night and straight into the countryside after praying for inspiration. “Trusting in God to provide”, Aquinas concocted a drink from the very first plants he encountered and he went on to use the drink to aid his concentration in future years. It is to dandelion and burdock that Aquinas drew his concentration when writing the Summa Theologica.

Root beer and sarsaparilla are two other drinks which are similarly made from lightly fermented root extracts. The drinks, though all pertaining to root extracts, all have very different tastes. Why not pop to a few florists and get yourself the ingredients to brew yourself some? I have been drinking dandelion and burdock for years and it has never proved disappointing! Why not give it a go yourself?