Lovely lemonade

These hot, sunny days call for some refreshing, zingy lemonade! With this simple recipe, there's no excuse for not making it yourself!

As kids, we were only allowed soft drink on special occasions, and for good reason! Full of plenty of unnatural nasties and refined sugar, you're better off staying away from it all together. I remember going to a friend's house as a five year old and being wide-eyed at having coke given to me at dinner time... on a school night?! That's one way to keep the dentist in business!

But if you're looking for a refreshing drink to quench your thirst this summer why not mix together a big jug of traditional lemonade to share! Growing up, my mum only ever bought lemon cordial, because apparently it was healthier than the rest. I'm not 100% convinced on that one... but if you make it yourself, you'll definitely be doing yourself a favour in avoiding the colouring, flavoring and preservatives.

LEMONADE:

I love lemon! But if you're not keen on too much sour then just pull back on the amount of lemon juice. Don't forget to taste as you go to make this lemonade to your liking!

1½ cups fresh lemon juice (about 7–8 lemons)

¼ sugar

5 cups soda water (if you're not serving immediately then make sure you store the lemonade in an air-tight bottle, otherwise just use still water)

lemon or lime slices for serving

Combine lemon juice and sugar in a jug and stir until sugar dissolves. Add the soda water and serve with lemon or lime slices.

TOP TIP:

For an even healthier alternative use honey instead of sugar, the flavour will just be a little different. Be sure to add a bit at a time, tasting as you go until the sweetness is to your preference!

WANT TO TAKE YOUR LEMONADE TO THE NEXT LEVEL?!

If you're not a big fan of traditional lemonade, here are some delicious alternatives that make the most of seasonal fruit (...and take the edge of that zingy-ness!):

WATERMELON LEMONADE:

Add 5 cups watermelon juice

RASPBERRY PEACH LEMONADE:

Add a handful of raspberries (blended, juiced or muddled) and 3 peaches (blended or juiced)

STRAWBERRY LEMONADE:

Add 1½ cups blended strawberries

MINT LIME-ADE:

Substitute the lemon juice with 1½ cups fresh lime juice and add 2 sprigs fresh mint, leaves chopped

PINEAPPLE LEMONADE:

Add 1 cup fresh pineapple juice and a squeeze of lime