For anyone in London who is a healthy eating fan, a green juice lover, or maybe just someone who appreciates freshly prepared food and drink, I think you’ll agree that London has been very far behind in it’s health food cafe/bar/restaurant offering. Well, fear no longer! Late last year I wrote about The Good Life Eatery and now we have another one joining the health pack – welcome Roots & Bulbs. Just that name alone makes me want to pop out into the garden and start growing my own vegetables!
I’d heard about Roots & Bulbs prior to its launch due to The SBC‘s Russ Bateman, who has been giving his girls a Roots & Bulbs juice refuel after training sessions. With every Instagram post I saw, the more excited I got to try it. The very sleek-looking juice bar in Marylebone launched two weeks ago, so I decided to make a dash from my job in Farringdon one lunchtime and go and see what all the hype was about.
All hail The SBC shake – can’t wait to go back for one of these!
When I walked into Roots & Bulbs I was immediately convinced that founder Sarah knew what she was doing, as the information offering with each juice and smoothie gives you confidence in Sarah and her team. One of her staff members was running through the juice options in detail with another customer to make sure she got the juice that was right for her and I found Sarah at the back of the bar chatting to Russ about perfecting the SBC Shake which is now available to buy there – I even got to try a bit and can vouch for its tastiness!
Before…
… After (LOVED IT!)
The Roots & Bulbs story is an inspiring one to say the least, one of self-belief and someone coming to the realisation that healthy living is the way forward. Sarah is the perfect advert for her business – an ex finance worker with a hectic work and party lifestyle who was constantly feeling run down and ill decided to make the brave decision to do what she really loved – look after herself and help others do the same. At the end of 2009, with her work and social life getting out of hand, Sarah chose to do a course with the Institute of Integrative Nutrition and here she is today with an incredible brand promoting the healthy lifestyle that has helped turn her life around.
As Sarah says in her ‘about us’ section on the Roots & Bulbs website, “This is my life, my experience, my pain and my joy. I urge you to not believe in what I write, but to read it and try and see if it fits with you. Don’t accept or judge, simply try it your way.” and it’s that line that really got me. Sarah isn’t here to preach about her life, she just wants people to make up their own mind by trying it.
Sarah showcasing her juices at a Jimmy Choo event earlier this week
So what about the cold pressed juices? So far I’ve only tried the G1, which is green only with a slightly spicy taste to it and it was OH SO AMAZING! Refreshingly light, but filling at the same time, it was a perfect drink to accompany my lunch and I had enough left over to pop in the fridge and finish mid-afternoon, when my eyes were getting tired from work. Cold pressed juices aren’t cheap, but you really do get what you pay for. These juices are nutritionally great for your body, as the cold press aims to keep in as much of the goodness as possible, something which you don’t get from the heat of a standard juicer. I can’t wait to go back and try one of their smoothies too, but first on my list is definitely the SBC shake, after my next SBC workshop… which will hopefully be very soon.
Colourful juices looking yummy!
Where to find Roots & Bulbs:
No. 5 THAYER STREET W1
Opening hours: 8am – 7pm
Get down there and give it a try for yourself! x
Photo credits: Roots & Bulbs Instagram, Russ Bateman’s Instagram