Juicing January

We're well into January now, so if you hadn't yet started to act on those New Year's resolutions to get the juicer out and cut down on your sugar intake you probably thought you were going to get away with it…

However over the weekend, Oxford professor and top nutritional expert Susan Jebb provided you with another non-negotiable reason to get fruity.

According to her research, bought fruit juice should NOT be considered one of your five a day. Many juices contain as much added sugar as Coca-Cola and are being marketed under the misleading guise of 'health drinks.'

Last week, Britain's attitudes towards sugar soured further. Campaign group Action On Sugar piled on the evidence that excess consumption of refined sugars is as damaging to our health as tobacco, and many influential foodie voices came out in support of their initiative to reduce sugar content in big brand products.

But what can you do in the meantime? Well, it's simple really. Swap the shop bought junk for real fruit, and mix things up a bit by making your own.

Jeff Baker, development chef at Farmison & Co. has come up with a selection of delicious and nutritious juice recipes which will put a sugar free spring in your step this January.

You can pick up all the fruit and veg you could ever need on our website. We are running a tasty offer on our special Detox Box this January - subscribe for six months and get 50% off your first box and the last one free!

Warning: making your own juice has endless flavour possibilities and is liable to become an addictive past time.

Start with sweet, refreshing ingredients like berries and carrots then slowly add nutritious leafy greens and earthy vegetables to gain maximum flavour and nutritional value. The zest is yet to come…

The Zesty Zinger

• 1 grapefruit, rind removed
• 1 orange, rind removed
• 1 lemon, rind removed
• 1 inch of fresh ginger, peeled

The Blues Buster

• 1 cup pomegranate seeds
• 2 cups blueberries
• Sparkling water (pour into glass of finished juice)

Feel the Beet

• 2 navel oranges
• 3 red beets

Easy as ABC

• 1 Asian pear
• 1 apple
• 1 beet
• 1 carrot
• 1/2 cup cabbage
• 3 handfuls chard (about 11/2 cups)

Kale and hearty

• 1 apple
• 2 beets
• 3 large carrots
• 1 (1-inch) piece of ginger
• Spinach or kale (optional)

The Purple People Pleaser

• 6 cups Concord grapes
• 1 Golden Delicious apple
• 2 (1-inch) pieces of ginger
• 1/2 cup blackberries

The Jolly Green Giant

• 2 cups packed beet greens, red Swiss chard, kale, spinach or a combination
• 1 Golden Delicious apple
• 1/2 Comice pear
• 10 strawberries
• 1 cup coconut water (stir into glass of finished juice)

Please note - all of these recipes are delicious on their own, but if you prefer it, you could try adding water, apple juice or good quality natural yoghurt! The measurements are up to you but a couple of table spoons should be enough.