Heartsease Farm Sparkling Soft Drinks

I love soft drinks, but often find the usual supermarket suspects a bit sugary for my taste. I prefer lighter, fruity drinks to the sickly sweetness of Coke, Fanta or Dr Pepper, so when Heartsease Farm’s PR people got in touch offering to send a few samples, I jumped at the chance to try them.

There are currently six flavours in the Heartsease Farm range; Elderflower Pressè, Traditional Lemonade, St Clements Pressè, Fiery Ginger Beer, Raspberry Lemonade and Blackcurrant Crush. I was sent the Blackcurrant, Raspberry and St Clements varieties to try.

The drinks are all made with real fruit and Welsh spring water with minimal added sugar and preservatives. The’re brightly coloured without looking unnatural, and I’m happy to say they all taste really good.

The Raspberry Lemonade is made with 4% raspberry juice, 2% lemon juice and natural flavours. It’s refreshing and tasty, neither too sweet or too sharp. Most importantly of all, it tastes of real fruit, which immediately sets it apart from your average soft drink.

The British Blackcurrant crush again contains 6% fruit juice, but to me tastes a little sweeter. It’s very much like a posh, fizzy Ribena.

The St. Clements is made with a whopping 14% orange juice and 8% lemon juice, and that comes through in a flavour and style that’s a little different from the other drinks. With less sparkling spring water, it’s both more concentrated and less fizzy than the raspberry (my favourite) or the blackcurrant.

The drinks were sent to me as part of a ‘Dry January’ campaign, but to be perfectly honest I’m not one for giving things up (I’m not a quitter!) and they’d be perfect with a splash of gin or vodka if you’re that way inclined too.

The Heartsease Farm range is available from Ocado and other good supermarkets, and if you’re looking for something a bit lighter, fresher and tastier than your avaerage soft drink, they’re well worth seeking out.