Rough news, smoothie fans

Smoothie drinks are not always as fruity and healthy as they make out, experts warn today.

In a taste test, a panel gave just one brand out of 15 a near-perfect score.

And three of Britain's best-selling smoothies got the worst marks - including Pret A Manger's mango flavour.

Testers branded it a 'pricey drink that looks like a real smoothie, but it tastes fizzy with a strong aftertaste'.

They added: 'A second bottle was less fizzy but was an assault on the tastebuds - acidic with a strong, unpleasant aftertaste.' Yet at £1.85 for 250ml, it was also the most expensive in the test, carried out by Which? magazine.

The report continued: 'Our taste test shows that the brands vary widely - from the best, which are a delicious, fruity treat, to the worst which are thin, watery and lacking in fruit.'

They said a perfect smoothie should have a natural colour, taste fresh, fruity and not too sweet and have some 'punch' from the intensity and richness of the flavours. It should be quite thick with a texture somewhere between a juice and an ice-cream, the Consumers' Association's magazine reported.

Innocent's yogurt, boysenberries and wild blueberries thickie was rated the highest, scoring 9/10 for taste.

Next was Marks & Spencer's raspberry & bio yogurt smoothie with a rating of 8/10.

At the other end of the scale were the Tesco Finest strawberry dairy smoothie and the PJ Mooothie - which both failed to impress judges.

Shop-bought smoothies cost from about 70p to £1.85 for 250ml.