Back in the days of Saved By The Bell and perms, everyone had a Sodastream!! It was on every kids Christmas wish list - the idea that you could make your own fizzy drinks at home was such a novel idea. Fast forward a couple of decades and fizzy drinks are everywhere and are the norm for drinking every day. But Sodastream has had a comeback - retro is in again - everywhere - and this gadget is one of the must haves for today!

Obviously back in the day the machine was a lot bigger - its revamped version is smaller, sleeker and looks better in your kitchen, especially when you can buy it in chrome to match your toaster and kettle! You can even get it in white or red! They are in fact so popular at the moment that Comet has sold out of the cheaper version (you can get more expensive versions but thats just to do with aesthetics. Comet is the cheapest place though.

To set it up, you put the gas cylinder in the base of the Sodastream, fill one of the bottles that you get with the Sodastream with water, insert it and press the top button until you hear a buzz. Then you pour in your 'flavour' of choice and voila! Some Sodastreams are sold with a starter pack which is basically all the flavours available in sample size so you can try them out and decide if you like them or not. On its own the starter pack is about £10. The actual tubs of flavour are between £3 and £5 to buy separately and each bottle will make 12 litres of drink (wow).

The starter pack comes with a dozen flavours, including Lemonade, Cola, Tonic, Orange as well as sugar free options. If you like Red Bull they even have an energy drink flavour which tastes quite similar. The flavours have definitely improved from back in the day!

Like I said you can get different models - the cheapest is Genesis which will set you back about £50/£60 depending where you get it from. The usual white colour is the cheapest with other colours being more expensive. Other models like for example Penguin can set you back over £100 - all depends on what look you are going for. If you're serious about having it as a kitchen accessory and something you will use all the time perhaps its wise to invest in something which fits in with your decor. If it's just a fun gadget for your children (or you!) then the cheaper option is probably best - they all do exactly the same thing and take the same bottles and flavourings.

The bottles can be bought separately as well - it comes with 2 bottles but if you think you need more (ie to make drinks for a party and put them in the fridge) then you can buy extras. The bottles aren't dishwasher safe unfortunately though :( The Sodastream website sells bottles, machines and flavourings although this is the most expensive place to get them from.

I think this is a great gadget - the drinks are tasty and better than they used to be and it is great for a party or family gathering. And if you don't have time to run to the shops to get drinks you have this on standby. Its cheap at £50 and well worth buying I think! I love mine!!