Along with the spiralizer, the NutriBullet has become a kitchen accessory du jour for those on a health quest.It is, say royal insiders, the Duchess of Cambridge's 'secret weapon' for staying in shape, so it's little surprise that the smoothie-maker has become a must-have device.The gadget, which pulverises fruit, vegetables, nuts and seeds, is known as an 'extractor' rather than a juicer or blender, due to its unique high-powered blade action. It's this, manufacturers say, which is the key to retaining the nutritional content in your smoothie.But at around £80, not everyone can afford their health fix. Catching onto the demand for clean living at a healthier price point, budget store Lidl has unveiled its own version of the NutriBullet called The Nutrition Mixer. At £29.99, it's less than half the price of the original, so can it deliver? FEMAIL's Bianca London was given an exclusive trial of the only Nutrition Mixer in the UK ahead of its launch on January 18 and pitted the cheap version against its more expensive counterpart to find out.

FEMAIL's Bianca London was given an exclusive trial of the only £29.99 Nutrition Mixer in the UK, right, ahead of its launch and pitted it against the original NutriBullet, left, which costs £79.99, to see if it could perform as well The Nutribullet, left, which costs £79.99, has a 600W motor with a 20,000 Revolutions Per Minute. The Nutrition Mixer, on the other hand, has a 700W motor capable of up to 19,000rpm, rightAccording to the NutriBullet website, there are many blenders on the market, 'but there is only one NutriBullet.''With its compact size, simple assembly, hassle-free cleanup, and exceptional nutrient extraction power, the NutriBullet is the ideal tool for health-conscious individuals looking to fuel their exceptionally busy lives,' reads the product's description.The device Bianca used, which costs £79.99, has a 600W motor with a 20,000 Revolutions Per Minute.The Nutrition Mixer, on the other hand, has a 700W motor capable of up to 19,000rpm.According to the item's description, it blends and crushes ingredients and is ideal for quickly preparing smoothies, dips, sauces and desserts.

The store claim the cross-blade attachment easily blends fruit, vegetables and ice, while the flat-blade attachment is perfect for chopping harder foods, herbs and grains. Speaking about the two, Bianca said: 'I use my NutriBullet every day to make a green juice and literally couldn't live without it. I do, however, find it isn't quite up to scratch when it comes to making date bars and grinding nuts. 'I often find it overheats and takes forever to create the consistency I want so I often resort to using my food processor. With the Nutrition Mixer being a higher wattage, I was hoping it might perform better.'Bianca decided to make a green juice, a batch of granola, a tomato soup and some hummus to see how the two devices compared to each other. Here's how she got on... The NutriBullet, left, has one blade for blending and another for chopping and pulsing. The Nutrition Machine, meanwhile, has a two-in-one, right The NutriBullet has a blade specifically for blending, left, and another for pusling, whilst the cheaper version has a cross-blade attachment and flat-blade attachment in oneThis is what both devices were primarily designed to make - and what customers mainly use them for.

I crammed spinach, blueberries, big chunks of cucumber, ginger, some Neal's Yard Remedies Organic Greens Complex and an orange into each machine with a splash of coconut water.The NutriBullet has one blade for blending and another for chopping and pulsing. The Nutrition Machine, meanwhile, has a two-in-one blade. Bianca whizzed up spinach, blueberries, big chunks of cucumber, ginger and an orange into each machine with a glug of coconut water. cuisinart csb-76bc smartstick 200-watt immersion hand blenderShe tried the juices straight after making them and also saved some for the next day. cuisinart csb-33 hand blender reviewsShe found that the juice from the Nutrition Mixer, left, actually tasted nicer when she drank it the following morning, right, and preserved better in the fridge overnightThe NutriBullet whizzed up my ingredients with ease and produced a much smoother juice than the Nutrition Mixer. reviews omega vrt330 juicer

The cheaper model did, however, produce the juice much quicker.The juice from my Nutrition Mixer actually tasted nicer and preserved better in the fridge overnight (I drank one juice immediately and made another for the morning).The Nutrition Mixer is much louder, which isn't ideal for early mornings! Plus it leaked a little condensation and felt as though it was overheating slightly.What really clinched it for me was when I went to grab my Nutrition Mixer green juice from the fridge on the second morning of using it, I discovered it had completely leaked and gone over everything!ninja blender bl 206I turned to my favourite granola recipe for this - Jamie Oliver's granola dust - which was the perfect task for the pulsing blade.oster blender bvcb07 replacement jarI put whole cashews, almonds, pecans, flax seeds, pumpkin seeds and coffee granules into each machine.blendtec total blender bed bath and beyond

The NutriBullet just about did the job but it took its sweet time! I was whizzing and pulsing for a good minute before everything was ground down, and I had to keep removing the container and shaking it to ensure everything was chopped properly. There were a few whole nuts left, which the machine struggled to break down.The Nutrition Mixer, perhaps thanks to its high wattage, managed to break everything down completely into 'dust' as per the recipe so the cheaper machine gets my vote on this recipe.costco ninja mega blender Bianca made granola using each device, whizzing up cashews, almonds, pecans, flax seeds, pumpkin seeds and coffee granules into each machine The Nutrition Machine ground down the nuts perfectly, left, whilst the NutriBullet, right, struggled to break them down completely and left lumps and whole nuts The Nutrition Mixer, perhaps thanks to its high wattage, managed to break everything down completely into 'dust' as per the recipe so the cheaper machine got Bianca's voteI put each machine to the test making tomato soup, blitzing whole tomatoes, carrots, celery, onions, garlic and herbs.

Both machines did the job well, producing a soup with great consistency. The Nutrition Mixer blitzed everything about 10 seconds quicker than the NutriBullet so would get my vote purely based on that. For Bianca's tomato soup test she blitzed whole tomatoes, carrots, celery, onions, garlic and herbs in the NutriBullet, left, and Nutrition Mixer, right, and both produced a perfect soup but the cheaper model managed to do the job 10 seconds quicker I combined a can of chickpeas with tahini, garlic, lemon juice, olive oil, cumin and a splash of water.It was quick and simple to make in each machine but the NutriBullet produced a better consistency, it was much smoother, whereas the Nutrition Mixer's was quite watery and a little too runny, perhaps due to the cross blade over blitzing it. For the hummus test, Bianca combined a can of chickpeas with tahini, garlic, lemon juice, olive oil, cumin and a splash of water. It was quick and simple to make in each machine but the NutriBullet produced a better consistency, left

Juices: 4/5Soup: 4/5Hummus: 4/5Granola: 3/5Design: 4/5Usability: 4/5Efficiency: 4/5Total: 27/ 35 Juices: 4/5Soup: 5/5Hummus: 3/5Granola: 4/5Design: 3/5Usability: 3/5Efficiency: 4/5Total: 26/35 The NutriBullet just about pipped the cheaper model to the top spot in my view.It is definitely a better quality machine and I prefer having two separate blades to create different dishes.Whilst it isn't quite as powerful as the Nutrition Mixer, it is quieter, which is important when you're whizzing up a juice in the morning when your housemates are sleeping, and didn't leak or produce any condensation like the cheaper model did.What really clinched it for me was when I went to grab my Nutrition Mixer green juice from the fridge this morning only to discover it had completely leaked and gone over everything! The Nutrition Mixer is definitely a good substitute and the best rival I've found on the market so if you can't afford to splurge on the NutriBullet, the Nutrition Mixer is an ideal alternative and definitely does the job - just make sure you stand your juices upright in the fridge...