And it is in fact not so scary as it sounds. Pre-heat oven to 275F (140C) and place a tray in the middle of the oven. Wash your glass bottles in hot soapy water, and then place them on the tray. Let them in there for at least 20 minutes. Fill the jars with cordial when they are still hot. You also need to wash and heat the lids.

This is a “no added sugar” squash – I always opt for no added sugar as I prefer to save my calorie indulgences for food-based items and not “waste” them on drinks where I don’t see the benefit. Store fruits properly. For most fruits, keeping them on the counter and eating them just under peak ripeness is fine, but when a fruit starts to ripen, you should eat it immediately or refrigerate it for a few more days. This will keep for up to 3 weeks in the fridge, but the best way to preserve it is to freeze it! To freeze: pour into smaller bottles, leaving some room as the liquid expands once frozen.In the casserole that fits the cordial steamer snuggly, fill with water, leaving 2.5in (3cm) at the top. Top with the cordial steamer and pin the tube so the juice doesn’t come out. You can use less sugar, but the cordial will keep for a shorter amount of time. Start with little and taste as you go, stop when you think it's sweet enough but just remember it won't keep that well.

You can also mix some tart berries with some sweet berries and use less sugar. Combining red currants or raspberries with blueberries or strawberries and you can use around 500 grams or 2 ½ cups sugar per 1000 grams of berries. As discussed in the high histamine foods list, most of the supposedly high histamine fruits are off-diet due to indirect histamine increases rather than directly containing histamine. In fruit much of this is due to the 'histamine liberator' effect, often discussed and rarely explained in the field of histamine intolerance. Saft: Cordial is most commonly known as the non-alcoholic syrupy drink we call saft in Scandinavia. Looking for a different flavour of squash to drink, I spotted the Lindhouse Cherries & Berries in Lidl. This is a double strength squash, which means you need half the water to make it into a cold drink. So I thought I’d give it a go. Add washed berries to a blender or mash in a large bowl. You may need some water to help mash it. Pour over water and lemon juice (or citric acid/tartaric acid). Let this mixture sit overnight before adding sugar. Remember that raw cordial needs more sugar to help preserve it. A rule of thumb is about ¾-1 parts sugar to 1 part berries.Add the washed berries and water to a large casserole. Let it boil (covered with a lid) until the berries are pale and have released most of their juices. Make sure the berries don’t break, as this will make your cordial cloudy. I realize not everyone has room for an extra appliance in their kitchen. You can however simply add them to a casserole directly. Make sure the berries are clean, remove vines (and pits for plums and cherries!). When it’s done, take the pin off the tube and fill your sterilized glass bottles. Keep in a cool and dark place.