Marks and Spencer Super Berry
€2.20 for 250ml, €8.80 per litre
At 11.5g per 100ml, this has the highest level of sugar of all the smoothies we tried which is obviously a concern and you'd want to exercise a degree of caution before guzzling large volumes of it.
We were able to offset some of our sugary concerns thanks to other factors – with the main one being its flavour which we really liked. Although the sugar content is high it is not excessively sweet and has a pleasing tanginess.
By our measure, the 250ml serving is about right – in a Goldilocks sort of way and it's not too much or too little. This smoothie is very, very smooth and has been very finely pureed which makes it easier to drink but lends it a somewhat processed air.
Verdict: Very moreish
Star rating: * * * *
Happy Pear Berrylicious
€2.95 for 200ml, €14.75 per litre
At 9.2g per 100ml, there is less sugar in the smoothie from the Happy Pear people than in any of the other products we tried. This is by a considerable margin the most natural tasting of the smoothies and it has an almost home-made flavour and texture. It has a pleasingly pure ingredients list with strawberries, bananas, apples, raspberries, dates, lime juice and flaxseed – for added wholesomeness – and not a whole lot else.
We like the tiny little seeds in the mix even if they did get caught in our teeth. And we love the fact that by buying this product you are supporting a still pretty small Irish-owned business. Price is obviously a concern but sometimes it is worth paying more to keep it local.
Verdict: Lovely
Star rating: * * * * *
Innocent Super Smoothie
€3 for 360ml, €8.33 per litre
According to the Innocent people there is 1½ servings in the bottle. That seems a bit weird to us. What are we supposed to do? Open the bottle, drink 220ml of it and leave the rest for tomorrow? And if we do that are we going to have one serving today and then half a serving tomorrow? Or do we need to buy two bottles and drink them over three days?
It is all terribly confusing which is why most people – we suspect – will consume this in a single serving and with 10g of sugar per 100ml, they will end up having 36g of sugar. While it is made with grapes, pear, apple, berries and more besides, it is the apple juice which really dominates. It is also the most liquidy of the smoothies and is more akin to a juice than a smoothie.
Verdict: Too sweet
Star rating: * *
Naked Blue Machine
€3.50 for 450ml, €7.78 per litre
This smoothie has 11g of sugar per 100ml and there is 450ml in the bottle. That is more realistically two servings although if the whole bottle is consumed, as it will be by many people, the sugar intake will flirt dangerously close to 50g which is almost half an adult's daily allowance. It is made with a very specific 72 blueberries, 4 blackberries, 1.25 bananas and 3.5 apples. The flavour was okay – although we found it to be ever so slightly mediciney. At €7.78 per litre it was the cheapest of the smoothies which was something we couldn't complain about.
Verdict: Pretty pleasant
Star rating: * * *
