Households making drinks regularly
A concentrated squash is worth comparing if several people will use it and there is room to keep plain sparkling water. Check the exact squash’s mixing directions before planning fizzy serves.
Who is each option for?
Families checking sugar on repeat servings
The NHS suggests water or sugar-free, diet or no-added-sugar drinks instead of sugary fizzy drinks or sugary squash. Compare labels for the drink as prepared; a no-added-sugar name does not replace checking the ingredients.
Households serving drinks with meals or to guests
A fruit cordial offers a different flavour choice for sparkling-water drinks. The Belvoir examples listed by Waitrose & Partners and Sainsbury’s use a 1:10 dilution; consider whether an opened bottle will be used within its stated period.
What should you check?
Choose the form of drink that fits how it will be served, then compare prepared servings and the exact bottle labels.
| Priority | What to check | Your needs |
|---|---|---|
| Sugar and nutrition | Compare sugars per 100ml of prepared drink and check the stated dilution. Waitrose & Partners lists 3.9g sugars per 100ml for diluted Belvoir Raspberry & Lemon; Sainsbury’s lists 3.8g for diluted Belvoir Rhubarb & Apple. | I’m choosing drinks for repeated family servings, so I want to compare what ends up in the glass rather than judge a cordial by its fruit flavour. |
| Prepared volume | Use each bottle’s dilution directions and serving size. At 1:10, 500ml of cordial makes approximately 5.5L; Waitrose & Partners and Sainsbury’s each list 22 diluted 250ml servings for their respective Belvoir examples. | Will one bottle cover the number of drinks we plan to serve, or would ready-to-drink bottles be simpler to organise? |
| Sparkling-water use | Look for an explicit instruction permitting sparkling water. Check whether plain sparkling water must be bought and stored separately. | I’d like to make fizzy drinks at home without assuming that every squash has the same mixing instructions. |
| Storage after opening | Read the exact bottle’s refrigeration and use-after-opening instructions. Sainsbury’s says to refrigerate Belvoir Rhubarb & Apple and use it within three weeks; Joybuy gives a four-week use period for Robinsons Crushed Lime & Mint. | For occasional drinks, I’d rather open a flavour we expect to finish within its stated period. |
| Ingredients and allergens | Check the delivered label, including on repeat purchases or substitutions. Morrisons lists sulphur dioxide/sulphites for Robinsons Crushed Lime & Mint and cautions that ingredient information can change. | If someone in the household needs to avoid an ingredient, I need to check the bottle we actually receive. |
Common shopping mistakes
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Comparing bottle sizes without checking dilution
A 500ml concentrate and a 500ml ready-to-drink bottle provide different amounts of finished drink. At 1:10, the Belvoir examples listed by Waitrose & Partners and Sainsbury’s provide 22 diluted 250ml servings per bottle.
Use the stated ratio and serving size to work out how much prepared drink the household needs.
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Treating fruit descriptions as sugar information
The Belvoir examples listed by Waitrose & Partners and Sainsbury’s contain sugar, so their flavour descriptions cannot tell you the sugar content of a prepared glass.
Read the ingredients and compare nutrition on the same diluted, per-100ml basis.
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Opening several occasional-use cordials at once
An opened bottle may have a shorter stated use period than expected: Sainsbury’s specifies three weeks for Belvoir Rhubarb & Apple, while Joybuy specifies four weeks for Robinsons Crushed Lime & Mint.
Check each bottle’s instructions and consider how often that flavour will be served before opening another.
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Relying on an earlier allergen check
Morrisons lists sulphur dioxide/sulphites for Robinsons Crushed Lime & Mint and warns that ingredients and allergens may change.
When an allergy or intolerance matters, check the label on every delivered bottle, including substitutions.
Brand and retailer references
These examples show different drink formats and label details; they do not imply that every product from a brand has the same ingredients or preparation instructions.
Robinsons
Robinsons has both no-added-sugar squash and a fruit cordial intended for still or sparkling water.
- Joybuy lists a 1L No Added Sugar Orange Squash and a 500ml Crushed Lime & Mint Fruit Cordial.
- The lime-and-mint cordial should not be treated as no-added-sugar squash: check its ingredients, including the sulphites listed by Morrisons, and its post-opening instructions.
Belvoir Farm
Its Raspberry & Lemon and Rhubarb & Apple cordials are listed for dilution with sparkling water.
- Waitrose & Partners and Sainsbury’s respectively list a 1:10 dilution and 22 prepared 250ml servings for these 500ml bottles.
- Both examples contain sugar. Sainsbury’s instructs shoppers to refrigerate Rhubarb & Apple after opening and use it within three weeks.
M&S Food
Marks & Spencer describes its cordial range as suitable for dilution with still or sparkling water.
- The range offers another route for choosing a cordial flavour for mixed drinks.
- Check the exact bottle for its nutrition, dilution and storage instructions.
Sainsbury’s
Sainsbury’s lists cordials, plain sparkling water and ready-to-drink flavoured sparkling water.
- Its sparkling-water listings include a 4 × 2L plain-water pack and a 1L no-added-sugar apple-and-elderflower flavoured option.
- Check the format and label of the particular product: a ready-to-drink bottle and a concentrate are not interchangeable in a serving plan.
Waitrose
Waitrose & Partners lists Belvoir Raspberry & Lemon Cordial for mixing with still or sparkling water.
- Its listing provides a 1:10 dilution, 22 diluted 250ml servings and nutrition for the diluted drink.
- Use those figures for that specific cordial, not for every flavour or brand in the range.
No-added-sugar squash options on Joybuy
These concentrates represent the no-added-sugar squash option for a large family shop. Check each bottle’s directions before using it with sparkling water.
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Robinsons No Added Sugar Summer Fruits Squash, 6 × 1L
The six-bottle concentrate pack is an option when several people will make drinks at home. Check the delivered bottle for sparkling-water directions, prepared-drink nutrition, allergens and storage instructions; the product information identifies sulphites and a source of phenylalanine.
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Ribena Concentrated Blackcurrant No Added Sugar, 1.5L
This 1.5L concentrate offers a single-bottle option for planned household servings. Check the delivered label for sparkling-water directions and nutrition for the prepared drink. The listing identifies sodium bisulphite and says the product is not recommended for children under 3; follow the bottle’s dilution and storage instructions.
Frequently asked questions
Can you mix cordial with sparkling water?
Yes, when the particular cordial’s directions allow it. Waitrose & Partners lists Belvoir Raspberry & Lemon for 1:10 dilution with still or sparkling water, and Sainsbury’s gives the same options for Belvoir Rhubarb & Apple. Check other bottles individually.
How much drink does a 500ml cordial make at 1:10?
A 500ml bottle mixed at one part cordial to ten parts water makes approximately 5.5L of prepared drink. Waitrose & Partners and Sainsbury’s each list 22 diluted 250ml servings for their respective Belvoir examples; use a different yield if your bottle specifies a different ratio.
Should we choose no-added-sugar squash or fruit cordial for regular drinks?
If limiting sugary drinks is the priority, start by comparing a no-added-sugar squash and its exact label. The NHS suggests water or sugar-free, diet or no-added-sugar drinks instead of sugary fizzy drinks or sugary squash. A fruit cordial may suit occasional servings, but compare its nutrition as prepared.
How long can an opened cordial be kept?
Follow the instructions on the exact bottle. Sainsbury’s says to refrigerate Belvoir Rhubarb & Apple after opening and use it within three weeks; Joybuy states a four-week period for Robinsons Crushed Lime & Mint.
How should we compare nutrition labels on concentrates?
Compare drinks on the same prepared, per-100ml basis, using each product’s stated dilution. The NHS explains that nutrition information is given per 100g or 100ml and sometimes per portion; a concentrate’s bottle size alone does not show the nutrition of a served glass.