Softly Softly

For the drivers and non-boozers:

My favourite non-alcoholic soft drink is a self made drink called 'Grenadade' consisting of 1 part Grenadine syrup (dont be stingy here! I recommend Teissiere) to 6 parts good lemonade and 3 cubes of ice, have converted two so far and predict many will follow... :-)

Ribena...ah the good old days...this is one drink I never grew out of! However my favourite way of drinking it is with hot water rather than cold....is so warming on a cold day and comforting. It is though very expensive however Lidls blackcurrant hi-juice is a very good contender at around £1.50 a litre. Currently supping Ribenas new addition in the form of Blueberry, very nice indeed!

Another summer drink I like is lime cordial with lots of ice and lemonade so refreshing in the heat.

Also home made lemon cordial is rather simple and lovely, just take two lemons, slice thinly, take a large glass lidded jug and sterilise with boiling water, swill and pour out, add the lemons and 4 tbsp sugar, top up with boiling water, stir with the other end of a wooden spoon, put lid on and leave until cool, place in fridge and allow to stew for about 12 hours, then stir again well and use as you would any other cordial. When it gets about halfway down top up again with boiling water and 1 tbsp sugar. This will keep for about a month easily in the fridge.

When it comes to soft drinks I am not a brand follower, however if I had to choose it would Schweppes everytime for Lemonade and Sainsburys surprisingly for coca cola, however I do tend to have the caffeine free one which tastes much better than coca colas metallic tasting version!