I'm feeling a bit nostalgic tonight, I find myself wandering back to my childhood with a glimpse of the Ribena bottle standing on the kitchen counter.

To be honest we never got Ribena very often it was too expensive which it still is to this day. On the occasions when we did though it was a big treat. The dilution of the mixture was controlled by my Mum just in case we overdone it on the Ribena side. We could use as much water as we wanted LOL..

Ribena is one of these products, which seem to withstand the test of time no matter what price it is. This is an indication of the amount of trust the consumer has put in this product.

Ribena has been in Britain now for almost 70 years. The company Glaxosmithkline produce 750 million bottles or cartons a year, and it is still bottled in the original factory in Coleford in the Forest of Dean. It is also the 4th largest drinks brand in the UK I think we can all pretty much guess what drinks head this market. Ribena have 45 blackcurrant growers throughout the UK who produce the berries only for Ribena. That's one big load of berries.

I love anything that tastes of blackcurrants, Fruit Pastilles, Yogurt, and many other blackcurrant drinks. None of them can compare to the pure magical taste of Ribena. It's just so fruity. It's comes in what can best be described as a cordial so it does require diluting. This part of the preparation is all down to your own particular taste preferences. Me I like it a bit on the strong side, that is more Ribena and less water. I find that the proportion of 33% Ribena and 66% water makes a very nice drink indeed. This is enhanced 10 fold when placed in the fridge and cooled considerably before drinking. The cold seems to bring out more of that berry fruity taste. It is a great mixer for dark Rum. A good shot of Rum and a decent splash of Ribena and WOW you are ready for some more of that.

Over the last few years there has been some controversy over how good Ribena actually is for children. It claims to be full of vitamins and good for growing children. The jury is still out on that one. I would come down on the side that it is probably better for them than some of the other drinks on the market. It certainly tastes far superior to the majority of these drinks.

It's been around for years and will continue to be so. Why because the British people trust it, it tastes great, and it does have the added vitamins. It's a British institution and I for one am right behind it.