For a school-holiday lunch, water needs no mixing, while a concentrated squash mini only works as a drink once it has been diluted with water. A larger squash bottle suits drinks prepared at home; neither concentrated format is a ready-to-drink multi-pack can, so check the pack format before buying.
If the drink needs to be ready when lunch is opened, decide whether to pack water or milk, as listed in Bedfordshire, Luton and Milton Keynes Children’s Health packed-lunch guidance, or to prepare diluted squash beforehand.
A mini can travel separately from water, but it is not a drink on its own. Waitrose & Partners describes its Robinsons Mini listing as a 66ml concentrate that makes up to 20 drinks when diluted.
Larger bottles allow drinks to be prepared before leaving. Tesco Groceries and Waitrose & Partners list squash in 1L, 1.5L and 1.75L formats; each product’s dilution directions still need checking.
Start with when the drink will be prepared: at home before lunch, or with water available during an outing.
| Priority | What to check | Your needs |
|---|---|---|
| Ready-to-drink lunch option | Check whether the drink can be packed without mixing. Bedfordshire, Luton and Milton Keynes Children’s Health lists milk or water as packed-lunch drinks. | I want a drink that is ready when lunch is opened, without adding water or handling concentrate. |
| Portable concentrate | Waitrose & Partners lists Robinsons Mini as a 66ml concentrate that makes up to 20 drinks. Check the pack’s dilution instructions and age-related warnings; it must not be drunk undiluted. | A small bottle would be useful on an outing, provided an adult can mix the squash with water before it is drunk. |
| Home preparation | Tesco Groceries and Waitrose & Partners list larger squash bottles, including 1L, 1.5L and 1.75L formats. Check the directions for the particular bottle before preparing drinks. | For several lunches prepared at home, I would rather make up drinks in advance than carry concentrate to mix later. |
A concentrated mini does not meet the need for a drink a child can open and consume without preparation.
Check whether the product says it is concentrated and whether water will be available to dilute it before lunch.
Container volume alone does not show how many prepared drinks different concentrates will make.
Follow each product’s dilution directions, then decide whether drinks can be made at home or need to be ready during an outing.
Waitrose & Partners’ Robinsons Mini listing says not to drink the concentrate undiluted and does not recommend use or handling by children under 36 months.
Read the current pack for its ingredients, dilution directions and age-related warnings before preparing it for a child.
These range examples cover concentrated squash; the exact bottle and its directions matter more than the name on the shelf.
Robinsons appears in the listed mini and larger-bottle squash formats.
Tesco Groceries lists own-label no-added-sugar quadruple-strength squash.
Waitrose & Partners lists own-label squash alongside Robinsons concentrates.
This larger bottle of concentrated squash is an option for preparing drinks at home, not a ready-to-drink can multipack.
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For lunches prepared at home, dilute this 1.5L blackcurrant squash with water according to its pack instructions. It is a concentrate, not an individual ready-to-drink can; check the current pack for ingredients and age-related directions.
No. The Robinsons Mini listed by Waitrose & Partners is a 66ml bottle of concentrated squash, not a ready-to-drink can. Add it to water as directed on the pack; the listing says not to drink it undiluted.
The Robinsons Mini listing at Waitrose & Partners does not recommend its use or handling by children under 36 months. An adult preparing it should also follow the current pack’s dilution and age-related directions.
Water or milk can be packed without diluting squash. Both are named as drink options in Bedfordshire, Luton and Milton Keynes Children’s Health packed-lunch guidance.