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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

To think we should be allowed two cokes as part of the Nando’s bottomless drink deal?

194 replies

NameChanger203 · 05/10/2025 20:16

It’s now illegal. Surely people can make their own mind up.
as an occasional treat of course - DH doesn’t drink diet drinks as prefers to just have normal sugar to artificial sweeteners. He’s healthy weight and, exercise regularly and eats well most of the time

im a bit overweight and prefer Diet Coke.

we went to Nando’s today (DS’s (8) choice) as birthday weekend) - and both got soft drinks which come as bottomless - with extra hot chicken.

It seems unfair that I could have refilled 10 times with Diet Coke if I wanted, but DH couldn’t refill a second coke as no longer legal.

OP posts:
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6
Kuretake · 06/10/2025 07:24

HelenaWaiting · 06/10/2025 02:37

That's because it interferes with the body's insulin response and makes you crave sugar. It's nasty stuff.

No problem if it makes you crave sugar though - this thread assures us there's nothing wrong with sugar! Making you crave it sounds healthy - helps get that second full sugar coke down you.

NeverDropYourMooncup · 06/10/2025 07:24

MyElatedUmberFinch · 05/10/2025 21:44

Illegal as in under arrest illegal?

As in massive penalties from HMRC for failing to collect the appropriate level of tax illegal, I think.

IfHeWantedToHeWould · 06/10/2025 07:40

I just refill with normal coke. I’m still waiting to be arrested.

Concretejungle1 · 06/10/2025 07:55

Thats great for me who can’t drink diet drinks.

CloudSky · 06/10/2025 09:13

MyElatedUmberFinch · 05/10/2025 22:38

They are both full of chemicals and rubbish.

I didn’t say either were healthy did I? Not sure why you’ve quoted me here? But the simple fact is sweeteners taste vile and are readily being linked to more and more negative health impacts. Why make something bad even worse?

CloudSky · 06/10/2025 09:16

Mustreadabook · 05/10/2025 23:36

Beer doesn't have sweeteners in!

Alcohol was one of the few things not affected by the sugar tax when it came in, and blue wkd is often a choice I make now just to have “pop” in a pub!! Well done government, you’ve pushed people to alcohol by not letting them have sugar 😂

But, sweeteners have even started to creep into alcohol. Some of these cheaper alcopops have it (I can taste it), they once put it in strong bow dark fruits! It was gross!! They quickly reversed that as sales must have dropped 🤣

It’s in crisps, condiments… it’s just everywhere. Disgusting.

Kuretake · 06/10/2025 09:20

It’s in crisps, condiments… it’s just everywhere. Disgusting

I agree it's disgusting I hate the taste. I don't at all find it's in everything though. Sorry but you need to be buying less shite food if there's lots of it in what you're wanting to buy. What crisps are you finding it in?

Tryingtokeepgoing · 06/10/2025 09:21

Pancakeflipper · 05/10/2025 20:18

How do they police it? Thought you went to a drinks dispenser and helped yourself ?

Well obviously you’ll have to scan your digital ID before it dispenses a drink. And if you have already had one that day then a a PCSO will be summonsed and you’ll get a fixed penalty fine. It won’t be the police, they’ll be busy preventing you demonstrating about this infringement of your human rights 😜

WildCherryBlossom · 06/10/2025 09:27

It’s not the sugar tax. It’s not Nando’s ‘fault’ either. On 1 Oct government introduced legislation to ban multibuy deals on unhealthy food. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c89d54gv44qo.amp

In my view artificial sweeteners are pretty unhealthy too so the logic behind this is a little bizarre.

A stock image of a buy one get one free promotion from a supermarket in London in 2011

'Buy one, get one free' deals for unhealthy food banned in supermarkets - BBC News

Crisps, sweets, chocolate and fizzy drinks will be covered by restrictions starting in England.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c89d54gv44qo.amp

19lottie82 · 06/10/2025 09:56

ThatWorthyAquaFox · 05/10/2025 20:35

I'd go back and fill it up with coke a second time. 😈

Thug life 😂😂😂

Idontpostmuch · 06/10/2025 10:51

Shatteredallthetimelately · 05/10/2025 21:48

I was at a Nandos recently and they no longer include full sugar cola in the bottomless drinks offer, they haven't done for a few years now as said due to the sugar tax.

They just give you the glass and assume you'll have one FS then choose a different drink.

As its been so long now I'm not sure why they don't just serve FS cola from the counter and do away with the FS at the refill station.

No, it hasn't been like that for a few yrs. When the tax came in there were immediately 2 prices, one for refillable diet and a higher price for refillable real coke. Then at some point they abolished the higher price. I think this new law only came in on 1st Oct?

Idontpostmuch · 06/10/2025 11:00

PorridgeAndSyrup · 05/10/2025 22:16

I DESPISE the taste of sweeteners. They make everything they are in taste vile. Most days I drink nothing but plain tap water, and tea with milk (no sugar). But when I go out for an occasional treat, I want a nice sugary fizzy drink. I used to love a Fanta, but that's got sweeteners in now (even the "full fat" version) so it tastes revolting.

It really annoys me that I can't drink fanta any more. I'm not overweight. Why should my drinks choices be dictated because some people can't control what they eat and drink! You still get proper fanta in some European countries. Enjoy it whenever you have a chance. 😄

Idontpostmuch · 06/10/2025 11:08

Saladbar · 06/10/2025 01:27

Are there any sugared squashes left? Coming for a visit from Aus soon and we can’t stand artificial sweeteners. I nearly cried when I saw my beloved Ribena was filled with the shite. I’d rather my kids have sugar than artificial sweeteners.

Even worse, I'm scottish, and our national drink, irn bru, has been ruined.🤨

Idontpostmuch · 06/10/2025 11:16

Bjorkdidit · 06/10/2025 04:39

Aha, my specialist subject and sadly the answer is 'not really'.

All mainstream squash has sweeteners in. You used to be able to get blackcurrant and apple/mango flavours but I've just looked on a couple of supermarket websites and they're not there - we only really buy squash in the summer and I remember DP said he couldn't find it when he last tried to buy it.

The posher brands don't have sweeteners in, so if you're trying to find it in a supermarket look for the ones that cost more money for a smaller bottle, eg:

https://www.ocado.com/products/rocks-blackcurrant-squash/585250011

It's incredibly difficult to buy soft drinks without sweeteners in pubs/restaurants etc in the UK.

I thought I had it nailed when I decided that my drink of choice when I wasn't drinking alcohol would be an orange juice and soda. But this is far harder than you'd ever imagine and tends to go like this:

An orange juice and soda please.

Orange and lemonade?

No, fresh orange juice and soda.

Me, watches as bar person starts to put sweetener filled orange cordial in a glass. Hi, sorry, no, fresh orange juice and soda, while pointing to the carton in the fridge behind the bar.

Bar person is apparently lost in their own world and carries on making my drink.

Hands it to me and I tell them it's not what I asked for and I very politely, while screaming inside, explain in words of one syllable and a lot of pointing that I would like fresh orange juice (pointing at the carton that I can see, I'm not expecting them to start feeding actual oranges into a juicer) and soda water, not lemonade.

If I'm lucky, I will get it with a lot of eyerolling, but half the time it's a seemingly impossible task and I wonder if I'm the only person in the world who doesn't happily drink the disgusting tasting artificial shite, which this thread shows, is not the case.

I once gave up at a pub that did table service when the third drink they brought me was still cordial and soda, again pointing at exactly what I wanted in the menu, because I like a lot of fluid with my meal so needed something to drink and fortunately for me, it's only the taste I object to (I don't have a particularly refined palate but to me all artificial sweeteners taste disgusting), they don't make me ill, like they do a lot of people.

Although I've now learned that Appletise is just apple juice and sparkling water so while I'd prefer orange juice and soda, if the pub has Appletise, it's a lot easier to ask for that.

The problem is that a lot of people lie about what food is in the UK and you have to watch them like a hawk if you're unreasonable enough to not go along with it. So they call squash juice and don't pick up that fresh orange juice is something different. See also trying avoid anything except butter on your bread/sandwich.

To me, only pure butter is butter, which is what I want, but I've had the 'butter' version of the above experience when watching servers put crappy spread on my toast/sandwich in cafes etc. If you ask them if it is butter, they will say yes, because in their minds, butter is any old yellow fatty crap that you spread on bread.

Agree. A couple of tips. 1. In pubs if they have fresh lime, ask for soda and lime with fresh lime, not cordial. Ideally 2 wedges. 2. Waitrose do grenadine syrup. Works well as squash.

Idontpostmuch · 06/10/2025 11:19

Flossflower · 06/10/2025 07:02

It you don’t need to drink drinks with artificial sweeteners either. How about water, still or sparkling?

All very well at home. But if you go to the pub with friends and don't want alcohol, just drinking water feels like a non event.

Twinmum345 · 06/10/2025 11:21

NameChanger203 · 05/10/2025 20:21

Right now there’s a big sticker on the coke saying it’s illegal to refill. I’m assuming in due course they might take the coke away from the main machine and have it behind the counter?

I would have laughed at this and refilled

Idontpostmuch · 06/10/2025 11:24

Saladbar · 06/10/2025 01:28

Sweeteners ARE bad for you. Suggest you do more research. And they are linked to gastro issues for many people and migraines. They also taste disgusting if you’re not used to them. Sugar isn’t the enemy.

You're right. Sugar isn't some kind of poison. Not tremendously good for us in large amounts, but the body knows how to deal with it. It's insane that so many people think artificial sweeteners are better.

ShesTheAlbatross · 06/10/2025 11:26

reversegear · 05/10/2025 20:30

Glad to see the government dealing with the massive issues first 😂 I actually saw this online earlier in the week and thought it was a prank joke.

This was passed by the Tories and has just come in.

Idontpostmuch · 06/10/2025 11:30

Kuretake · 06/10/2025 09:20

It’s in crisps, condiments… it’s just everywhere. Disgusting

I agree it's disgusting I hate the taste. I don't at all find it's in everything though. Sorry but you need to be buying less shite food if there's lots of it in what you're wanting to buy. What crisps are you finding it in?

Apparently you get artificial sweeteners in low calorie ready meals, which strikes me as insane.

ObsidianTree · 06/10/2025 11:32

It's a stupid rule. Why just enforce this on just coke? I can go into a supermarket and fill my trolley with every sweet from the sweet isle or fill my trolley with full sugar coke! But I can only have 1 in a restaurant! Doesn't make sense. The fact that they have made it illegal to have more than one is ridiculous.

Personally, I doubt anyone at nandos cares and just put the sign up so that they are following the law. They probably aren't going to police how many you drink!

ChangingWeight · 06/10/2025 11:33

I’m not a big fan of fizzy drinks so rarely drink them. I can’t tell the difference between “full fat” coke & artificial sweeteners? Like what is the taste difference that I’m supposed to be aware of?

Morningsleepin · 06/10/2025 11:33

Coke is one of main causes of diabetes

skyeisthelimit · 06/10/2025 12:02

I thought this was standard since the sugar tax came in. Anywhere locally that did refillable, took the coke off and you can only get it in a glass or bottle.

KFC don't sell any drinks with sugar in which is unfair. I like McD's where I can buy a small coke. It is the only time I drink coke and I don't go there even once a month. I don't need policing.

ApplebyArrows · 06/10/2025 12:02

Refillable drinks is just stupid American rubbish anyway. Just pay for a second drink like a normal person in a normal restaurant.

Flossflower · 06/10/2025 12:30

ApplebyArrows · 06/10/2025 12:02

Refillable drinks is just stupid American rubbish anyway. Just pay for a second drink like a normal person in a normal restaurant.

Exactly. It just encourages people to have more. Just look at the obesity in the US population.

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