'I tried supermarket squash against Ribena and Robinsons - winner was £1.36 cheaper'

Since I was a kid, my cupboard has always had some form of apple and blackcurrant juice in it as a go-to cheap and cheerful drink at home, and yet it may just be about to evolve.

The all-time classics, Ribena and trusted Robinsons, reign as the heroes of squash on the supermarket shelves, and yet, customers could be missing a trick with the unbranded versions.

With a standard bottle of Ribena costing £2.23 and Robinson's raking it up even higher at £2.50, it's no wonder you may be tempted to turn to cheaper options, sitting closer to £1.

To put it to the test and see which apple and blackcurrant squash was the better option, I bought a bottle from Lidl, Asda, Tesco, Sainsbury's and M&S to trial against the two big brands. My hope was to find that actually supermarket own-branded items can outdo the tried and tested products.

Robinsons - £2.50 for 1l

At double strength, the Robinson squash offers 40 glasses from a one-litre bottle and a flavour that is light and drinkable. You can definitely taste the apple coming through, but it’s a delicious taste that isn't too overpowering and blackcurrant is still the flavour that remians at the forfront.

The double strength goes a long way and fills a glass with a worthy taste of childhood that I could drink time and time again.

4/5

Tesco - £2 for 750ml

This tiny bottle of 750 ml claims to be able to allow for 50 servings, but I see that being a task. While there are no added sugars, it certainly has a sweeter taste than some of the other supermarket options if that's something you prefer. For me, I was hoping for something slightly deeper and richer.

Priced at £2 for what feels like a very small bottle, I can’t say it’s worth it. I'd sooner stick to the branded options on this one.

3/5

Sainsbury’s - £2.30 for 1.5 l

This supermarket option was 4x concentrate, so a little bit goes a very long way, and you definitely get your money’s worth out of one bottle alone. For someone who prefers a stronger blackcurrant taste, this is perfect and reminded me of the kind of juice boxes of black currant I’d drink as a kid.

With a much cheaper price difference for the amount you get, you can't really go wrong with this one as your go-to squash.

4/5

Asda - £1.14 for 1.5l

There’s a much deeper taste of black currant with this one, and a flavour I much more prefer. Drinkability-wise, I could sip away on this glass after glass, as it’s not so sweet or overbearing as some of the others. And, for how much you can drink for how little you pay, it seems like a no-brainer.

This is by far my favourite of the supermarket options and one of the cheapest.

5/5

Ribena - £2.23 for 850ml

I find Ribena to be such an acquired taste, and one that I could point out blindfolded, which I guess is what has ensured its lasting legacy in the drinks world. However, it’s too strong of a taste, I find, to enjoy on a day-to-day basis, and I would much rather opt for an apple and black currant mix from a supermarket.

However, it's safe to say none of these quite compare to its unique flavour and are closer in taste to a classic Robinsons blackcurrant.

3/5

M&S - £1.25 for 1.5l

A light and refreshing taste but definitely not the most flavoursome of the purchases, this apple and blackcurrant squash was quite an average drink at best. It’s reasonably priced, but the other options, I believe, offer a stronger hint of blackcurrant.

While it claims to have double strength, you’d definitely need a lot to make a strong glass of squash like I'd prefer.

3/5

Lidl - £1.75 for 1l

This taste surprised me the most, as the apple flavour was certainly more overpowering than the blackcurrant, and it tasted a lot fruiter than the others, almost as though there were some other fruits thrown in there. This made it taste quite sweet, although I would say the concentrate was accurate, and I think you could get a decent amount of servings out of this bottle.

3/5