If your idea of a fresh juice is something you buy from the supermarket with a shelf life of six months, think again. Cold pressed juices are the purest, only way to go and at last the UK is catching on. Kinvara Balfour reports
You may or may not know this, but many of the so-called ‘smoothies’ you buy on the supermarket shelves are not necessarily good for you. They are packed full of sugar, are often not the pure and fresh product you think they are and many have been processed and packaged so that if you took them out of your fridge and left them in your warm cupboard for six months, often they would still be drinkable.
However, thankfully this is all about to change. If your idea of a smoothie is something out of an Innocent carton, think again: there’s a new juice revolution in the UK which promises freshness in its purest form.
It’s a trend that has been raging in America for a while now . There, juices are cold pressed - this means there has been no processing involved whatsoever – instead the fruit or vegetable is squeezed between two large metal plates so hard that all is left is a dry crisp at the end. Therefore you get all the freshness not only from the juice, but the pulp and the skin as well.
Cold pressed juices have the power to alkalise blood PH, boost energy levels, strengthen your immune system, increase cell regeneration and improve brain function - and all the rest - in an instant. In the UK, at last, the trend is catching on and there are now a host of juiceries opening up that use complex and colourful combinations of intelligent, good-for-you fruit, veg, nuts, seeds and other gifts of nature’s bounty in their cleanest, purest form. (The only bad thing about them? Their currently extortionate prices.)
A word of warning, of the new juice brands now popping up, some cater for special juice-only crash diets or ‘detoxes’. There are plenty of people who enjoy these, but I do not support the concept of juice ‘cleanses’ per se. I support the drinking of LOTS of delicious fruit-n-vegetable-y stuff as part of a balanced, healthy diet - combined with exercise, friendship, laughter and abstinence from idle gossip.
These are my own personal rules, and I abide by them daily. With this round-up, I advocate the drinking of fresh juice to improve your health and mood and because it tastes good; I do not sanction anything to do with restricting, starving or dieting. If I order a box of any of this lot, it’s as a replacement for a café latte - and not for a big, fat, juicy steak and chips.
Britain’s new superjuice brands: the new kids on the block
Raw to Door
Who: Founded in 2011 by Natasha Davey, an ex-model-turned-wellbeing-enthusiast, with recent collaborations with SBC founder Russell Bateman .
What: Popeye (spinach, kale, parsley, lemon, ginger, pear, cucumber), Tru Blood (beetroot, apple, carrot, orange, berries), Superfood Smoothies, soups, cacao treats and raw meals.
Where: Order online; delivered nationwide. www.rawtodoor.com
Bobo’s Juicery
Who: Just launched by Somerset-born Jo Symes, the former lead singer of a punk rock band (BoBo stands for ‘bohemian bourgeois’).
What: Give Me Strength (ginger, pineapple, wheatgrass), Mind Blowing (banana, buckwheat, date water, hemp seeds, Himalayan pink salt, Ho Shou Woo).
Where: From December 1 2013; order online, delivered nationwide. Pop-up stores to follow. bobosjuicery.com
Plenish Cleanse
Who: Founded in 2011 by American ex-Conde Nast worker and now London resident, Kara Rosen.
What: Cold-pressed juices like Perky Melons (carrot, grapefruit, melon) and Cherry Beets (beetroot, cherry, carrot, lime).
Where: Order online; delivered nationwide. www.plenishcleanse.com
Canyon Juicery
Who: Launched in 2013 by LA hipster and now London resident, Amy Terry.
What: Supreme Green (apple, cucumber, wheatgrass), Chlorophyll Lemonade (lemon, alkaline H2O, chlorophyll, mint, stevia), Chai Almond Milk, Lavender H2O.
Where: Pop-up store inside Joseph, 230-236 Westbourne Grove, London, W11 2RH and order online; delivered nationwide. canyonjuicery.com
Radiance Cleanse
Who: Founded by British friends ex-lawyer Christina Agnew and ex-private equity funder Clare Neill in 2009.
What: Ginger Lemonade (water, lemons, ginger, turmeric, maple syrup, black pepper and cinnamon), Clean Green (courgette, spinach, apples, fennel, lemon, broccoli), Cashew Milk (cashews, maple syrup, water, coconut butter, Himalayan pink salt).
Where: Order online; delivered nationwide. radiancecleanse.com
Roots & Bulbs
Who: Health blogger Sarah Cadji founded her Roots & Bulbs blog in 2013; in 2014 she launches a juice brand.
What: G1, G2 (greens), vegetable juices, smoothies and famously good coconut water.
Where: Stand-alone juice bar designed by K-Studio architects opening at 5 Thayer Street, London, W1U 3JG in January 2014; local delivery available. www.rootsandbulbs.com
Also look out for a super-duper new juice bar from my good friend Will Ricker - the genius behind London restaurants E&O, Eight Over Eight, XO and La Bodega Negra – and juice convert Joe Cross which will open in Soho in Spring 2014.