I tried orange squash from Lidl, Asda, M&S & 6 more – £1 bottle was better than Robinsons
Orange squash is an essential drink that most British households will stock in their kitchen cupboards. It enhances water's flavour and ensures children consume adequate fluids, especially now that the weather can be humid.
Nevertheless, with a bottle of Robinsons costing £2.50, expenses can rapidly accumulate if you're purchasing this product frequently, just like other items you may use daily, like butter and, more typically, toilet paper.
Most supermarket own-brands hover closer to the £1 price point — so is that additional £1.50 or thereabouts genuinely justified, or are you simply paying for the brand name?
These were the queries I aimed to resolve, and to accomplish this, I sampled orange squash from Aldi, Lidl, Tesco, Sainsbury's, Asda, Morrisons, Waitrose and M&S and measured them against Robinsons orange squash to determine if any matched the same quality or exceeded it. Regarding how the beverages were prepared, 15ml of concentrated squash was blended with 135ml of water.
Robinsons
Beginning with the market leader in squash, we have Robinsons, for numerous decades linked with Wimbledon. It boasts a brilliant orange hue that remains bright even when watered down in a glass.
Presentation, naturally, excels here, expertly crafted, attractive colours, everything you'd anticipate from the leading brand, but it's the flavour that matters, so let's examine that.
Robinsons takes pride in producing squash that delivers "real fruit" taste; nevertheless, it possesses a somewhat synthetic flavour.
Rating: 7.5/10
Aldi
Moving on to Aldi, a supermarket brand renowned for its budget-friendly pricing, this juice was the joint-third cheapest of all, costing just 89p. Aldi's double-strength 20% fruit squash in the bottle bears a similar hue to Robinsons—a vibrant and fresh orange that induces thirst.
Regrettably, it slightly missed the mark in terms of taste. While still palatable, it wasn't as memorable as the leading brand, and certainly left less of a lasting impression, tasting noticeably cheaper in quality, which, considering the price, is perhaps to be expected.
Rating: 5/10
Lidl
Lidl's own offering at 89p appears almost identical in colour to the classic Robinsons in the bottle, a real burst of bright orange. However, this one did lack the sweetness you get from Robinsons, but it still makes a decent alternative.
Rating 6.5/10
Tesco
Next in line is Tesco, which surprised me with its performance. For just 45p, you can't really grumble too much about this one. Whilst not bursting with flavour, there is plenty of it, and it doesn't overpower either, which can often be an issue with double-strength versions of squash.
Rating: 6/10
Asda
Asda's orange squash is notably cheaper than Robinson's and all the other brands, retailing for the same price as Tesco. Unfortunately, it didn't taste as good.
Perhaps it had a slightly unfair advantage because I tried it further down the list, but in comparison, it tasted like vaguely flavoured water. It completely lacked the punch of orange squash, despite claiming to be double strength.
Rating: 3/10
Sainsbury's
I am convinced the 49p Sainsbury's bottle of orange squash is identical to the Tesco version. Both have the same packaging, minus the branded sticker, and have the same level of sweetness and fruitiness.
Rating: 6/10
Morrisons
This 99p orange squash from Morrisons looked more like long-life orange juice rather than an enticing hydrating drink. But once combined with water, the appearance improved. The flavour wasn't the most intense, and it was on the sweet side, but it's still good value for money and does the job while saving a lot compared to big brands.
Rating: 5.5/10
Waitrose
Expecting big things from the £1.30 Waitrose orange squash, I was sadly disappointed. It was sweet, but lacked flavour. I found the Waitrose squash to be a bit lacking in its orange flavour, not leaving the same fruity aftertaste as the ones from M&S and Robinsons.
Rating: 6.5/10
M&S
Made with 20% real fruit. M&S' £1.10 squash has one of the largest portions of real fruit, which probably explains the higher price tag, although it is still cheaper than a bottle from Waitrose or the market leader.
This one has a more grown-up, authentic flavour and colour than some of the other squashes on the market. It's not too sweet, which may not appeal to little ones as much, but adults may prefer this version; I definitely did. Plus, it does away with sweetener-style aftertastes.
Rating: 10/10
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