I discovered fruit smoothies a few years ago. Back then the only brand name that I could find was P & J’s (Pete & Johnny’s). I used to love their Strawberry and Banana smoothie. Back then it used concentrated grape juice to thin the smoothie but after the surge of choices on the market they changed to make it 100% pure fruit and not from concentrate.
Innocent Smoothies are now everywhere in the UK. I remember when they first came out I’d pick up one of their Vanilla Bean and Honey ‘Thickie’, a yoghurt smoothie that was a nice quick dose of sweetness. At the time Innocent Smoothies were only available in 250ml bottles. Besides the drink they also constantly change the detail on the labels (every 3 months I think) and they always gave me a chuckle. Now you can get their Smoothies in 1l cartons, and they also do Strawberry and Banana 
I personally find Smoothies are great. They’re easy to keep, easy to take in and you know they’re just full of healthy goodness! When it comes to trying to be healthy I’m happy to spend what’s needed to do what I can. Smoothies aren’t cheap, I realise this. Innocent Smoothies usually cost over £3 for a 1l Carton, which is a bit of an eye opener. Luckily yesterday I found them on sale in Tesco for £1.99 each. However this morning it got me thinking. I do have a smoothie maker at home. I got a good deal on a Kenwood one with the tap at the bottom. It’s great in the summer for doing your own milkshakes and smoothies, using up fruit before it goes bad. However I started to think about the price of the smoothie and the price it costs to make yourself.
Whilst a lot of fruit is fairly cheap in this country, strawberries and raspberries aren’t. Bizarre considering in the summer there’s an abundance of them if you grow them yourself (6 raspberry canes in the back garden as I type, courtesey of my Dad!). However the cheapest and best place I’ve found strawberries (besides my parent’s back garden) is off the market, £1 for two little punnets. Great taste and great price. Yet take these strawberries plus a banana and you’ll still only have around 1/2 l of Smoothie (depending on what else you add to it). The Innocent Smoothie also has pressed apples to thin the mix. Well I’m not going to do that! Copella Fresh Pressed Apple Juice is another few quid for a bottle. So suddenly the Strawberry and Banana smoothie isn’t so expensive really. And to add to that those smoothie makers need cleaning instantly after they’ve been used.
Smoothie Makers are great for using up fruit you bought with good intentions and then never had, or like last week when the 3 day old Melons we’d bought were covered in mold on the outside. A quick check on the inside, nothing wrong with them and I smoothed them down with a banana, kiwi and some orange juice to make some breakfast drinks. They’re also great for making Chocolate Frapaccinos in the summer (now they DO work out cheaper than buying from Starbucks!). But when’s all said and done, in comparison to time and the cost of the individual items, a brand name smoothie is not so expensive 
