For a larger self-serve drinks table, Sainsbury’s lists 20 servings for its Lime Cordial, while its Robinsons Orange Squash listing also states 20; both call for one part concentrate to four parts water, though the Robinsons drink is squash rather than cordial. Waitrose & Partners lists 14 servings and a 1:6 dilution for Belvoir Lemon & Lime Cordial, an alternative if that flavour and serving format suit your menu. Check the ingredients on the bottle you serve, particularly when guests need to avoid a sweetener or allergen.
If guests will pour their own drinks, compare stated servings and dilution instructions as well as bottle size. Sainsbury’s lists 20 servings for both its Lime Cordial and Robinsons Orange Squash listings; Waitrose & Partners lists 14 for Belvoir Lemon & Lime Cordial.
A no-added-sugar label does not tell you which sweetener a drink contains. Sainsbury’s lists sucralose for its Lime Cordial and acesulfame K with sucralose for Robinsons Orange Squash; Waitrose & Partners lists steviol glycosides from stevia for Belvoir Lemon & Lime.
Keep the bottle available when serving so guests can check its current ingredients and allergen information. This matters particularly if someone needs to avoid sulphites or a specific sweetener.
Work out how many drinks you intend to prepare, then choose a flavour and check the label against guests’ ingredient requirements.
| Priority | What to check | Your needs |
|---|---|---|
| Servings and dilution | Compare the stated servings per bottle and the concentrate-to-water ratio. Sainsbury’s lists 20 servings at 1:4 for its Lime Cordial and Robinsons Orange Squash; Waitrose & Partners lists 14 at 1:6 for Belvoir Lemon & Lime. | I’m preparing drinks for several guests and need to plan both the concentrate and the water. |
| Diluted nutrition | Read the nutrition panel for the drink as prepared, noting whether values are given per 100ml or per serving. Do not compare figures on different bases as though they were equivalent. | I want to know what the prepared drink contains, rather than relying on the no-added-sugar wording alone. |
| Ingredients | Check sweeteners and allergen information on the current bottle. Sainsbury’s lists different sweeteners for its Lime Cordial and Robinsons Orange Squash; both product descriptions also identify sodium metabisulphite. | Some guests may need to avoid particular ingredients, so I need the label available before I serve the drink. |
These drinks can use different sweeteners, and a drink containing fruit ingredients can still show sugars on its nutrition panel.
Read both the ingredients and the diluted nutrition information before choosing for guests.
A bottle’s stated serving count and dilution instruction tell you more about how it is intended to be prepared than its volume alone.
Use the servings stated for the particular drink, and have enough water for its dilution instructions.
If a bottle states fewer servings than you need, you may need more than one bottle for the table.
The Sainsbury’s Lime Cordial and Robinsons Orange Squash ingredient information identifies sodium metabisulphite. A no-added-sugar label does not address a guest’s need to avoid it.
Check the bottle being served, keep its ingredient information available and offer another drink where needed.
Ingredient, allergen and storage instructions need to match the particular drink you have purchased.
Check its physical label before serving and follow its own after-opening instructions.
Its no-added-sugar Orange product is labelled squash, making it an orange concentrate option rather than a traditional cordial.
Its own-label no-added-sugar Lime Cordial is a 1L cordial option for a shared drinks table.
The Lemon & Lime no-added-sugar cordial offers a citrus flavour for drinks prepared with still or sparkling water.
Its Blackcurrant No Added Sugar product is a berry-flavoured squash alternative, not a conventional cordial.
These are no-added-sugar squash options for preparing drinks at a festival-food table. Squash may suit the same serving occasion, but it is not necessarily the cordial a recipe or guest has in mind.
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An orange squash option for a shared drinks table. Sainsbury’s listing for the matching 1L product states 20 servings at 1:4 dilution and names acesulfame K and sucralose as sweeteners; check the bottle’s ingredients for guests who avoid sulphites.
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A lemon squash option if that flavour suits the drinks table. Check this bottle’s dilution and serving instructions before planning quantities; if guests have ingredient restrictions, check its sulphite information and phenylalanine warning on the physical label.
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A summer-fruits squash option when the table calls for a fruit-flavoured concentrate. Follow the bottle’s dilution instructions when preparing drinks, and check its sulphite information and phenylalanine warning for guests with ingredient restrictions.
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A pineapple-and-passion-fruit squash option for guests who prefer that flavour. Check the bottle’s dilution and serving instructions when planning drinks, along with its sulphite information and phenylalanine warning where relevant to guests.
No. The wording does not rule out naturally occurring sugars from fruit ingredients. Read the nutrition panel for the drink as diluted, and compare products using the same quantity basis.
Start with the number of drinks and possible refills, then use each bottle’s stated servings and dilution instructions. Sainsbury’s lists 20 servings at 1:4 for its Lime Cordial and Robinsons Orange Squash; Waitrose & Partners lists 14 at 1:6 for Belvoir Lemon & Lime Cordial.
Do not assume a no-added-sugar drink meets that requirement. The ingredient information for Sainsbury’s Lime Cordial and Robinsons Orange Squash identifies sodium metabisulphite; check the exact bottle before serving and provide another drink if needed.
Follow the instructions on the bottle you open. After-opening storage and use-by guidance can differ between products, so do not apply one cordial’s instructions to another flavour or brand.