Ocean Spray 100% Review

I'm not at my best first thing in the morning.  I used to be great at mornings, I was the person who started work at 7 every day out of choice, walking half an hour to get there.  But age, parenthood and blogging all take their toll, and mornings are a struggle.  Added to the fact that I don't just have to get myself ready any more, Squeaky needs to be dressed, fed & watered, and Peppa Pigged before I can think about myself.

Sadly that means that my breakfast tends to fall someway short of the balanced nutritional start to the day that diet gurus tend to recommend, and much as I like to claim otherwise, coffee beans do not count as one of your 5 a day.  So when I was offered the chance to review Ocean Spray's new 100% juices, I knew it would be a good idea.

Any excuse to get the crystal glasses out!

Ocean Spray have been making cranberry juice for over 80 years, and have been a feature of the long-life juice shelf for as long as I can remember.  The 100% juices are a departure, and can be found in the chiller section (and my fridge!)  There are 3 juices in the range, Cranberry Blend, Blueberry Blend & Mixed Berry Blend.  All are 100% juice, and the natural sharpness of the cranberries (and blueberries) are sweetened with nothing more than other fruit juices.  That's all. No added sugar, sweeteners, water, or nasties, just 100% juice.

I looked round all our local supermarkets (3 of the big brands), and I could only find the Cranberry blend, which was a bit of a shame, as I was really looking forward to trying the Blueberry.  I'm going to keep my eyes open, and there may be a sequel if I find some in another town.  It was a bit of a disappointment, as the stores I looked in were all superstore sized, and normally carry whole ranges.

I was pleasantly surprised how sweet the Cranberry blend was, I've found some cranberry juice drinks in the past were so sharp they felt like they were stripping the roof of your mouth.  The taste is definitely cranberry, but not unpleasantly so.  It makes a really refreshing drink, and a welcome change from the coffee normally making up most of my breakfast.

What did surprise me, considering the name, was that on looking at the ingredients, the Cranberry blend is in fact 75% grape juice.  I understand that the grape is there to sweeten the cranberry, but that's a lot of grape! Looking at the picture on the bottle a little more closely, you can see grapes photographed alongside the cranberries, but I don't know, I felt a little mislead.  If I'd wanted grape juice, I may have chosen another brand.

All said & done, I like it, I just think the name is a little misleading.  It does make a great breakfast drink,
and I must admit, it goes pretty well with vodka too.  (What? Parenthood is hard work!)

Ocean Spray 100% juice is available in all major supermarkets for around £2.29 - and right now there's a try me free offer on the packs.

Disclaimer: I was provided with vouchers to purchase juice for the purpose of this review.  I was not told what to write and all opinions are my own,