We are all familiar with the good old Oxo stock cube. Just crumble a couple into your stock to make the gravy for your sunday roast. Well now oxo have brought out a new product, a concentrated liquid stock and frankly, i'm impressed.

I'm only reviewing the 'Beef' stock here as I haven't tried the chicken or vegetable versions yet but i'll be sure to do so very soon. I believe a Lamb version is also on its way very soon. It comes in a 160ml glass bottle with a handy flip up plastic lid which is really easy to use.

It tastes great too. It's much more 'flavoursome' than the foil wrapped cubes and doesn't need much stirring to dissolve like marmite or bovril does. It is used in the same way you would use the cubes for example in spag bol or gravy. You can also brush a little neat liquid onto the outside of your roast before it goes into the oven and it makes an absolutely delicious crispy coating as well as boosing the flavour of your roast.

Now, onto cost. My liquid stock cost a few pennies over £2. This may seem a little expensive compared to the cubes which cost around £1.35 for 12 but I was very surprised when I worked it out. A box of 12 cubes will make around 2.3 litres when made up to their specifications. A 160ml bottle of liquid stock will make up to 5 litres. So the cubes cost around £0.59 per litre of stock and liquid only costs around £0.40 per litre of stock. A no brainer in my opinion - cheaper and tastes better!!

Upon doing my math, with regards to salt content, the liquid does contain 19% more salt per litre of stock made as directed, so that may be something worth considering if you have health issues such as heart conditions. Also relating to your health, the liquid states that it is 'produced in a factory handling peanuts, nuts and sesame seeds' and for allergy sufferers 'contains Barley, Wheat & Gluten'.

So to summarize, it does seem to be a toss up between cheaper cost and better taste versus a bit more of the 'naughty' ingredients. Life is a compromise though!