Ninja's SLUSHi is 'the ultimate party gadget' and £70 off in flash sale

While kitchen gadget brand Ninja first became a staple in British kitchens thanks to its air fryers, it has increasingly gained a reputation for outdoor entertaining. The Woodfire Barbecue launched last year and is now officially the UK's bestselling outdoor grill, alongside a host of other party essentials, including high tech coolers and pizza ovens.

This summer's latest addition to the brand's huge portfolio is also perfect for summer, although it needs to stay inside on a kitchen counter while using it. Move over Mr Frosty, shove off Slush Puppy, the Ninja SLUSHi sold out instantly when it launched in the UK and has already become a TikTok favourite with fans sharing recipes for frappes, slush cocktails and mocktails and even frozen pink wine christened, of course, Frosé.

I first got a chance to see the SLUSHi in person earlier this year at a special Ninja launch and, as a woman whose parents were never taken in by the marketing around Mr Frosty, it was top of my gadget wishlist. But at a launch price of £349.99 it's been a sizeable investment, until now as shoppers can currently save a chunky £70 just in time for any bank holiday weekend get togethers.

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Debenhams has launched a huge site-wide sale on Ninja products that gets shoppers 20% off everything if they use the code NINJA20 at checkout. This not only includes the SLUSHi, which goes down to its lowest ever UK price of £279.99, but also other favourites like the Double Stack airfryer (now £183.99), the CREAMi ice cream maker (now £200) and even the brand's bean to cup Luxe Premier Cafe coffee machine (now £440) which works out as another UK lowest ever price.

Debenhams is not the only retailer offering some tempting discounts this summer on the iconic brand. Ninja's summer sale is also offering '20% off almost everything' for shoppers using the code NINJA20, while Amazon has taken 15% off the brand's much-loved fastboil kettle, taking it down to £84.87 for a limited time.

Pros:

• Ninja has literally bought the first industrial strength slushie maker into UK homes
• Fun and quick to get started with
• Versatile and great for entertaining.

Cons:

• The size means storage needs to be thought about
• To make the most of it will need some experimentation
• Some users might consider the full RRP expensive - definitely one to look out for on offer

For me, though, it's definitely not the season for hot drinks. My summer plans involve experimenting with the Ninja SLUSHiwith a combination of child-friendly and grown-up drinks during the warmer weather. The gadget can make up to five different variations, including slushes, frozen cocktails, frappes, milkshakes, and frozen juices, so there are plenty of options to practice, too.

What's more, there is very little out there of a similar build quality and level of versatility, arguably making it the ultimate party gadget for this summer. The Inoviva Slush Machine is another option available in this high-end slush market niche in the UK market and while that has an average of 4.5 stars out 80 reviews on Amazon it's still £349.99 at full RRP, although Amazon Prime members can get it for £239.99 for a limited time.

The first thing I noticed about the Ninja SLUSHi is that it's quite a big piece of kit on the counter. This is great news on one hand because everything is sturdy and looks like it will be long-lasting, but once I'd got it out of the box, my first thought was where I would be storing it when it wasn't in use.

It is very easy to set up, with breaking down the boxes for the recycling taking longer than attaching the drip tray and getting it ready to go. It comes with both a quick start guide and a recipe book to help inspire once you've mastered the basics, although there's also a handy QR code on the machine, which can be scanned on a phone and link to videos on how to use things.

To start things off we went for a simple frozen juice, putting in a carton of freshly squeezed but pulp free orange juice. A couple of button pushes later, the motor was running and the juice began freezing and within twenty minutes the machine beeped to say it was ready.

I'd deliberately chosen something quite simple to start with, but the kids were still giddy to try their slushes. They were happy the juice was proper slush rather than tiny gritty pieces of ice and we were able to add the wow factor with exotic looking glasses and straws to make them look suitably mocktail-like.

In the hot weather, the kids are constantly asking for slushes, and I'm always put off by the expense, colouring, and other nasties you can get in drinks like this when out and about. While I wouldn't want them to be drinking large amounts of fruit juice either, in moderation, this has become a firm favourite with pineapple juice, which needs to be frozen at a slightly colder temperature, the current flavour of choice.

However, the SLUSHi really comes into its own for the grown ups. With up to eight servings per batch and the drinks freezing in around half an hour this is perfect for summers in the garden with friends and family.

For the ultimate easy cocktails, any wine, beer, cider, alcoholic lemonades, pre-made G&Ts, pina coladas, mojitos, or margaritas can be put straight in and frozen using the frozen cocktail preset, although the temperature it needs to be used at will vary depending on alcohol content. There are plenty of other options which can be experimented with, although these can be a bit fiddlier as you need to make sure there's not too high an alcohol content, as this can make it difficult for things to freeze.

In a similar fashion, there's an optimal sugar level when you're freezing drinks. Most pre-made frappes, fruit juices and soft drinks sit within the right level but diet fizzy drinks won't freeze effectively without adding an alternative.

Ninja recommends using Erythritol, a low-calorie sweetener and sugar substitute. I've ordered some from Holland and Barrett but haven't experimented with it yet. Instead, I'm turning my attention to frozen pina colada and sangria recipes, which use pineapple juice, coconut milk, and orange juice, respectively, to help dilute to a good sugar and alcohol level for optimum slush.

It's early days and I freely concede that the SLUSHi is a novelty in our house, but it's the perfect mixture of fun for experimenting with but also (so far for us at least) bringing out decent results. I've already invested in some funky drinkware to help szush up my bank holiday entertaining when friends visit for pina coladas over the long weekend and will be continuing to improve my repertoire in the meantime (that's my excuse and I'm sticking with it).

My two minor quibbles with the SLUSHi so far are the cupboard space it will take up once I put it away and the fact cleaning it feels a bit fiddly. It needs to be mostly empty before you take it apart and it's best to take it apart before allowing any remaining drink liquifies as that makes things exponentially messier.

There is a rinse cycle you can run on the machine which is a great touch and the main vessel is also apparently dishwasher safe although I'm not sure I'd be risking that in case it causes warping.

Overall, foodies who love to host and want a conversation starter and some next level cocktails at their next get together will find the SLUSHi a great addition to proceedings. While the price point makes it an investment I think, much the same as their high tech coolers, if you're going to use them often it's worth going for it.