Belvoir Fruit Farms Ginger Cordial - 'new fiery recipe' disaster

Belvoir Ginger Cordial - 100% more lemony?

I've updated this article - March 2024. 

Belvoir has released a new recipe for its much loved ginger cordial. 

I really am a huge fan of this drink, especially mixed with ice and sparkling mineral water (a great G&T swap). It's the only cordial I drink. 

But the new taste is not yet to my liking and it seems others are noticing the 2024 change to the recipe too. 

The 2024 recipe change is clear from the ingredients list and the darker shade on the labelling. 

When I originally wrote this blog "Belvoir Fruit Farms Ginger Cordial - 'new fiery recipe' disaster" in 2015 Pev Manners, the MD of Belvoir Fruit Farms, contributed to the comments. 

Pev personally brewed the first Belvoir farms cordials in his own farmhouse kitchen according to their website. He commented they would have another go at the 2015 'fiery'  recipe that was so badly received by fans of the original recipe and to their credit in 2016 they did. 

I applaud their ongoing success in a very tough marketplace. They're still on supermarket shelves today. I hope Pev's reading and taking note of your comments on the new taste available from March 2024.

Read on for my verdict and all the recipe changes and how to spot the new 2024 bottles.

The March 2024 label (left) is a darker shade of orange

There's a new design of cap flash too - the new recipe version boasts '100% natural' 

Perhaps it should read '100% more lemony?'

The new ingredients (left) show some significant revisions most notably less ginger, less sugar and more lemon.

 2023 Recipe - right side of image

Energy KJ/kcal (per 100ml diluted to 1:10) 85/20

Carbohydrate 4.9g

of which sugars 4.9g

2024 Recipe - left side of image

Energy KJ/kcal 72/17

Carbohydrate 4.5g

of which sugars 4.5g

Ingredients

2023 Recipe

Sugar, water, lemon juice, from concentrate, fresh root ginger infusion 11%, pressed ginger juice 2%, ginger extracts, capsicum extract.

2024 Recipe

sugar, lemon juice from concentrate, water, fresh root ginger infusion 11%, pressed ginger juice 1%, ginger extracts, lemon extract, capsicum extract.

And for reference:

2015 'Fiery' Recipe

Sugar, water, fresh root ginger infusion 20%, lemon juice (from concentrate) ginger extracts 1%, citric acid, lemon extract, capsicum extract.

Pre-2015 'makes 10 pints' recipe

water, glucose syrup, sugar, lemon juice 10% (from concentrate) fresh ginger extract 8%, concentrated ginger extract 2%.

Good news - 

The 2024 recipe change is subtler than the 2015 'new fiery recipe' disaster

I have to confess I didn't immediately notice the 2024 change. Sainsburys had both bottle designs on the shelf and I bought all of them.  The colour of the undiluted liquid is the same in both bottles (unlike when the discontinued 'new fiery' recipe was released in 2015). 

 I opened the old design first. Then last week I opened the new recipe. I noticed the difference in taste immediately and then compared the bottles.

I quickly assumed there was less sugar. All manufacturers are being urged to reduce sugar and there's a government imposed tax on the sugar content. It makes sense to reduce sugar levels and as consumers we should try and reduce our own consumption. But it's a little bit annoying we can't do this by adjusting our own intake (I usually only drink one glass of ginger cordial a few times a week - albeit to a much higher strength than the 22 servings per bottle suggested).

The other major difference is that the revised recipe tastes (to me at least) much more lemony - and that was before I studied the label. 

Ingredients are listed in order of quantity, so 'lemon juice from concentrate' coming before the listing for 'water' suggests there is much more lemon than the ginger present in previous versions.

Also - as the comment made at the end of this blog on 31 March notes, - it has a slightly off after-taste. Sour is how I would describe it. Perhaps it's all that extra lemon? I don't drink lemonade and don't much like it - even the fresh presse varieties. 

So this is a disappointing evolution in the recipe for Belvoir Ginger cordial. 

Perhaps the neck flash should read 100% more lemony?

I don't see the sugar content coming back to previous levels - but perhaps an adjustment of the ginger to lemon ratio would help us addicted fans adjust to less sugar?

Maybe I'll get used to the new recipe? I'm not totally convinced, I'm not enjoying it with quite the same relish as before and I'm certainly drinking less of it (never good news for any brand). 

I'll be saving my remaining 2023 recipe bottles for special occasions and definitely not sharing them with visitors. I'll also be looking out to top up with old stock if I see any.

Do let us have your verdict on the 2024 'more lemony' recipe in the comments below - and perhaps Belvoir could let us know why the recipe has changed again? 

Below is the original Belvoir Fruit Farms Ginger Cordial - 'new fiery recipe' disaster" article from 2015. This article is now out of date - and well done Belvoir for listening to their fans in 2016.

I stocked up on Belvoir Ginger cordial recently. 11 bottles (all Sainsbury's had in stock) at £3.00 nectar price (prices range from £3 - £4) 

The original article below is out of date. It was originally written in April 2015. 

The 'Fiery' recipe was replaced in December 2016. 

I have reviewed the 3rd recipe released in June 2017 at the end of this article. 

I like it, and continue to buy and enjoy this product today. All companies make mistakes - but when they put them right all credit to them!

In our household we used to love Belvoir Farms Ginger cordial. Mixed with sparkling mineral water (and ice) it was a delicious, refreshing old fashioned tasting ginger beer-like drink.

Belvoir Ginger cordial was hard to get hold of - only the larger branches of Waitrose, Sainsburys, Tesco and Asda stocked it. It was so popular among die-hard aficionados that there was often just a vacant gap on the shelf where it should have stood.

So eventually I took to ordering in bulk from Ocado whenever it was on offer. Last night I noticed Ocado was price matching Tesco at 2 bottles for £5 so I ordered the maximum 20 bottles that Ocado would allow. The delivery arrived super promptly at 9 am this morning.

I noticed immediately something was wrong. In fact at first I thought I may have ordered a ready to drink variety rather than the concentrate - because the liquid was clear, not cloudy like the 'old version'. 

I grabbed a bottle of the old one and me and the delivery driver looked at them side by side. 'Same label' the driver said. 'Yes it is' I agreed. So on that basis I took delivery of 20 bottles.

When the driver left I peered at the bottle, well bottles actually, rather more thoroughly. It didn't look good. On the neck label was the tiny legend ' new fiery recipe' where it used to say 'makes 10 pints'.

I decided the drink might taste the same, even though it looked so different. I mixed up 2 glasses - both with sparkling mineral water and ice. As I feared the 'new fiery recipe' version was clear next to the pleasingly cloudy old 'makes 10 pints' version.

I sipped nervously the new drink. Nasty. sharp, watery, lemony, with a tingling burning sensation on the tongue and an acidic after taste. 

Then a sip of the old version. Aah, chalk and cheese, smooth, with real body and a great ginger taste.

I read the ingredients label. I didn't like what I read.

New 'fiery recipe' version

Sugar, water, fresh root ginger infusion 20%, lemon juice (from concentrate) ginger extracts 1%, citric acid, lemon extract, capsicum extract.

Old 'makes 10 pints' version

water, glucose syrup, sugar, lemon juice 10% (from concentrate) fresh ginger extract 8%, concentrated ginger extract 2%.

Yes - completely different 

Look again at the tiny neck label - 'new fiery recipe'

Now I knew I would have to send back 20 bottles to Ocado. I couldn't drink this - and I'd just spent fifty quid on a supply for the whole summer.

Before I arranged to send it back I thought I'd better check this wasn't a faulty batch. I looked up Belvoir Fruit Farms online. I started filling in their web form, but then as it didn't seem to promise much help I phoned them. 

Why has Belvoir Fruit Farm changed the Ginger Cordial recipe?

The automated options certainly do make Belvoir sound like a farm rather than a huge multi-national drinks producer. So when my call defaulted to 'switchboard' I wasn't surprised. I asked if they had a consumer department for customer queries. 'What's it about?' the operator asked. 'The ginger cordial' I replied. There was the slightest hint of recognition as to why I might be phoning. "i'll put you through to Barbara'.

Barbara came on the phone instantly. I explained about how we loved their Ginger cordial, but now I'd got 20 new bottles and they looked all wrong. 'Perhaps I have a faulty batch?' I said optimistically. 

'Has the bottle got a new recipe label on the neck? asked Barbara. So this wasn't a faulty batch, this really was the 'new fiery recipe'.

Barbara went on to explain they had to change the recipe because the supplier of the ginger extract had ceased trading. So they'd had to formulate a new recipe, they'd added lemon juice to prevent the solids forming in the bottle (we liked those bits!). They'd had to change the ginger part, it wasn't a choice, it was out of their hands. There was no going back. Barbara was sounding a bit upset now. 

It seems I'm not the only disappointed former ginger cordial fan. There have been many more getting in touch. I said I felt Belvoir should have been clearer that this is a COMPLETELY NEW recipe. She reluctantly agreed perhaps they should have done something more 'all singing and dancing' than 'new fiery recipe' on the tiny neck label.

I pointed out that if you shop online you'd have no idea the label has changed (in fact Ocado still shows the old 'makes 10 pints'  neck label in their stock photo). Barbara said they didn't know when the new stock would land in each of the stores as they make it in bulk and send it out as and when the orders come in.

Oh well. Good customer service from Belvoir, they explained themselves, and they really are a small boutique type manufacturer - Cocoa Cola they are not (thankfully) at the mercy of other suppliers.

Ocado were even better and immediately offered to collect all 19 bottles (I sampled one remember) but they would refund me for 20. They also said they'd send a note to the website product team. 

I've added a review online on Ocado.com to warn other fans of Belvoir Ginger Cordial. Sadly it can never be the same drink again. First world problem I know. Meanwhile I'll be scouring the shelves for old stock - more like searching for rare wine than ginger cordial.

June 2017 The '3rd' recipe with capsicum extract

The '3rd' 2017 recipe left, original 2015 recipe right - click image to view ingredients

Equal measures undiluted with ice

I amassed significant supplies (about 36 bottles, it was on offer in Tesco) of the 'original' recipe bottles back in 2015 when I realised the recipe had changed. I still have around 10 bottles in June 2017. But prompted by recent comments (below) I'm updating this article to cover the latest recipe (which I will call the '3rd' recipe). 

Appearance: The 3rd recipe is much less cloudy than the original recipe and this is noticeable when the bottles are placed side by side.

Ingredients: (2015, original recipe) water, glucose syrup, sugar, lemon juice 10% (from concentrate), fresh ginger extract 8%, concentrated ginger extract 2%

Ingredients: (2017, 3rd recipe) sugar, water, lemon juice (from concentrate) fresh root ginger infusion 11%, processed ginger juice 2% (not from concentrate) ginger extracts, capsicum extract 

For historical reference:

Ingredients: (2015 'fiery' recipe) Sugar, water, fresh root ginger infusion 20%, lemon juice (from concentrate) ginger extracts 1%, citric acid, lemon extract, capsicum extract.

Taste: I like this drink reasonably strong. Stronger than the 22 x 250ml servings the label suggests are possible. I used the pictured shot glass to pour 2 equal measures and then filled the glass with ice and sparkling mineral water (Saskia from Lidl which is my preference). I realise that temperature also has an effect on flavour, but this is how I prefer this drink and therefore that's how I chose to conduct this test.

As you would expect on dilution the '3rd' recipe remains clearer and more 'cordial' like in appearance. The original recipe is cloudier.

I tasted the original recipe first as it's what I am most familiar with. It has a sugary, full bodied smooth taste with a refreshing ginger tang. It resembles what I suppose could be described as  a 'juice' the kind of drink that might come from a carton (especially at this strong dilute).

In contrast the '3rd' recipe (2017) is more like a traditional cordial in appearance and taste - a drink which has water added by the consumer. It tastes 'thinner', less sugary (in common with many drinks now that health concerns are raised) and the ginger is obvious (as you would hope!). The fresh ginger juice is refreshing and pleasing to the taste. It is much nicer than the 'fiery' recipe, so a definite improvement. However I'm personally not keen on the addition of capsicum - it is very definitely evident and for me has a rather unpleasant lingering taste on the tongue. Ginger traditionally has a settling effect on the stomach, and I would imagine the capsicum could reverse this effect as it is known to be an irritant. 

So well done Belvoir for having another go at the recipe and for explaining why it was altered in the first place. Personally I would prefer a recipe without the capsicum, but I appreciate that Belvoir will have researched this and are confident that consumers prefer more 'fire' in their ginger drink - perhaps to make it closer to ginger beer. 

I purchased the '3rd' recipe on offer at Waitrose with 25% off the standard price (£3.15) at £2.36 for 500ml. This would be a price point that I would consider 'stocking up' but I'm afraid it's not the drink I hoped it would be. If it had been my first ever trial purchase I suspect I would not be a repeat buyer. To be fair I do not buy cordials in general, and so I'm not a typical consumer. If you liked the original recipe I would urge you to try it - you might love it.

A few years ago the 'Roots' brand produced a wonderful ginger cordial (also discontinued as far as I am aware) Cordials appear to be fashionable so I'm hopeful another ginger cordial will appear on the market before my supply of 'original' Belvoir Ginger Cordial is exhausted. 

Update 2019 - I continue to buy and enjoy Belvoir Ginger cordial and mix with carbonated mineral water and add ice (it's much nicer icy cold). My guests enjoy it too. I don't drink a lot of it, but it is very refreshing and a good alternative to alcohol. But for refreshment I would always choose still water from the tap, chilled in the fridge. If you've never tried it - give it a go.