Choosing cordial or squash for a mixed-diet Sunday brunch

Who is this for?

Brunch hosts comparing sugars

If you are replacing a sugary drink, a no-added-sugar label is a starting point. Check the sugars figure for the drink as prepared, since the label does not mean total sugars are zero.

Guests avoiding sweeteners or sulphites

No-added-sugar cordials can contain sweeteners, while some lime and elderflower cordials list sulphites. The ingredients and allergen information on the exact bottle matter more than its front-of-pack description.

People planning drinks for vegan guests

An explicitly vegan-labelled cordial or squash can help with that requirement. Check its sugars, sweeteners and allergens separately before putting it on a mixed-diet brunch table.

What to check before choosing

Start with the guests’ ingredient requirements, then compare nutrition using each bottle’s preparation instructions. Cordial and squash can both be options, but a nutrition figure for concentrate is not directly comparable with one for a diluted drink.

Priority	What to check	Your needs
Sugars	Read both the no-added-sugar claim and sugars per 100ml of prepared drink. Check the stated dilution before comparing bottles.	I want to reduce free sugars without assuming that fruit sugars disappear from a no-added-sugar drink.
Sweeteners	Read the exact flavour’s ingredients for stevia-derived sweeteners, sucralose or saccharins; do not infer the ingredients from another product in the range.	A guest prefers to avoid sweeteners, so a no-added-sugar claim alone will not answer my question.
Sulphites	Check the current bottle’s allergen declaration for sulphur dioxide or sulphites. The Food Standards Agency identifies them as allergens.	If someone needs to avoid sulphites, I need to confirm the bottle before serving it, including when it is labelled no added sugar.
Dilution	Follow the bottle’s mixing instructions and compare figures stated on the same prepared-drink basis. Tesco lists Belvoir Farm Sicilian Lemon & Lime at 0.4g sugars per 100ml diluted 1:6.	I want the drink in the glass to match the dilution used for its nutrition figures, rather than pouring a stronger serving by accident.
Vegan labelling	Look for a vegan statement on the exact product, then review its sugar, sweetener and allergen information independently.	My brunch table includes vegan guests, but I cannot use a vegan label to answer their other ingredient preferences.
Flavour choice	Check whether guests want a cordial or are happy with squash, and read the ingredients of any conventional floral or fruit cordial.	I may choose a conventional cordial for its flavour, provided its ingredients fit the people drinking it.

Common label and serving mistakes

Reading “no added sugar” as “zero sugars”

A no-added-sugar cordial can still list sugars in its nutrition panel. Waitrose & Partners lists 1.1g sugars per 100ml diluted for Belvoir Cherries & Berries No Added Sugar Cordial.

Read the sugars figure alongside the ingredients and check whether the figure describes concentrate or the prepared drink.
Assuming no-added-sugar cordial has no sweeteners

The examples differ: Tesco lists stevia for Belvoir Farm Sicilian Lemon & Lime, while ASDA lists sucralose and saccharins for its lime cordial.

If a guest avoids sweeteners, read the ingredients on the exact flavour and pack before choosing it.
Missing sulphites in the ingredients

ASDA and Sainsbury’s lime cordials list sodium metabisulphite, and M&S Fragrant British Elderflower Cordial lists E223 sulphites. The Food Standards Agency identifies sulphur dioxide and sulphites as allergens.

For someone who needs to avoid them, confirm the current physical bottle’s allergen information before serving.
Comparing different preparation bases

A per-100g figure for cordial concentrate cannot be read as though it were per 100ml of a diluted drink. M&S displays its elderflower cordial’s nutrition per 100g, while the Tesco-listed Belvoir lemon and lime figures describe a drink diluted 1:6.

Use comparable prepared-drink figures where available and follow each bottle’s dilution instructions.

Brand and retailer examples

These examples illustrate how labels and ingredients differ between individual cordials and squashes; a product’s details do not apply to every flavour from the same brand or retailer.

Robinsons

An option when brunch guests are happy to have squash rather than cordial. Robinsons describes its squash range as including real fruit and no-added-sugar options.

ASDA labels Robinsons Summer Fruits No Added Sugar Squash vegan and vegetarian and lists 0g sugars per 250ml diluted serving.
Those details describe the Summer Fruits squash, not every Robinsons flavour or cordial.

Tesco

Tesco lists Belvoir Farm No Added Sugar Sicilian Lemon & Lime Cordial for shoppers considering a stevia-sweetened cordial.

Tesco lists 0.4g sugars and 3kcal per 100ml when diluted 1:6.
It contains a sweetener, so check the current pack if that is a guest’s concern.

Sainsbury’s

Sainsbury’s lists an own-label Lime Cordial No Added Sugar.

Sainsbury’s lists less than 0.5g sugars and 5kcal per 100ml for the prepared drink.
Its ingredients include sucralose and sodium metabisulphite; check the bottle for guests avoiding sweeteners or sulphites.

Asda

ASDA lists an own-label no-added-sugar Lime Cordial with nutrition stated for the diluted drink.

ASDA lists 0.5g sugars and 2kcal per 100ml diluted as directed.
The ingredients include sucralose, saccharins and sodium metabisulphite.

M&S

M&S Fragrant British Elderflower Cordial is a conventional floral option labelled vegan and vegetarian.

Its vegan and vegetarian labels address those dietary requirements for this product.
It contains sugar and E223 sulphites. M&S displays nutrition per 100g, not on the same diluted-drink basis as the examples above.

Waitrose

Waitrose lists no-added-sugar squash and cordial options, including Belvoir Cherries & Berries No Added Sugar Cordial.

Waitrose labels that Belvoir cordial vegan and vegetarian and lists 1.1g sugars and 5kcal per 100ml diluted 1:6.
It contains a stevia-derived sweetener; its figures and ingredients should not be applied to other flavours.

A Joybuy squash option

This orange squash is an option for a Sunday brunch where guests are happy to have squash instead of cordial. Check its ingredients and dilution directions against the requirements of the people you are serving.

Robinsons No Added Sugar Orange Squash 1L

For brunch guests happy to drink squash, this is a no-added-sugar orange option in a 1L bottle. It contains sweeteners and sulphites; check the current pack before serving anyone who avoids either. Follow its dilution directions and read the prepared-drink nutrition panel when comparing it with cordial.

Joybuy

Questions about cordial and squash

Does “no added sugar” mean a cordial contains no sugars?

No. A no-added-sugar cordial can still contain sugars from its ingredients. Waitrose & Partners, for example, lists 1.1g sugars per 100ml diluted for Belvoir Cherries & Berries No Added Sugar Cordial. Check the sugars line as well as the front-of-pack claim.

Are no-added-sugar cordials free from sweeteners?

Not necessarily. ASDA Lime Cordial lists sucralose and saccharins, Sainsbury’s Lime Cordial No Added Sugar lists sucralose, and the Tesco-listed Belvoir Farm Sicilian Lemon & Lime uses stevia. Read the ingredients of the exact bottle if a guest avoids sweeteners.

What should I check if a brunch guest avoids sulphites?

Check the allergen information on the current bottle before serving it. ASDA and Sainsbury’s lime cordials list sodium metabisulphite, while M&S Fragrant British Elderflower Cordial lists E223 sulphites. The Food Standards Agency identifies sulphur dioxide and sulphites as allergens.

How can I compare the sugars in two cordials?

Compare figures for drinks prepared according to their stated dilution instructions. Tesco gives Belvoir Farm Sicilian Lemon & Lime figures per 100ml diluted 1:6; a figure stated per 100g of concentrate is not directly comparable with that prepared-drink figure.

Can a vegan-labelled cordial also contain sugar or sulphites?

Yes. M&S labels its Fragrant British Elderflower Cordial vegan, while its ingredients include sugar and E223 sulphites. Check vegan suitability, sugars, sweeteners and allergens as separate questions for the exact drink you plan to serve.