My week off work was massively productive in terms of two of my favourite actions – sleeping and shopping. And very profitable for my local (and not so local) health food stores! I promised I’d let you know about all the products that left a massive dent in my pocket so here they are.
Wholefoods
First up, my mum and I took a trip to London last week and that meant just one thing for me – Wholefoods! It was interesting to see how some products like Yogi Tea were cheaper than in Bristol whereas others such as nut butters were more expensive.
Our favourite part of the store was the salad and hot food bar. I couldn’t decide on hot or cold so decided to go for both:
Cold: spinach, olives, salmon, aubergine and miso (incredible), cucumber
Hot: vegetable ratatouille
They were so good although a little pricey for me – our bill came to just over £15 which isn’t bad if you are out at a restaurant but seemed a bit steep for take out food.
I’m very glad I don’t work in London, I think I’d ‘need’ to treat myself to lunch there way too often!
We then started shopping and picked up some goodies.
Pistachio butter – this came from a DIY machine which was good because I only put in a small amount. I have to say it is the only nut butter I’ve found I don’t love. It just doesn’t have a strong flavour, although it was fine scooped up with salted pretzels. I wouldn’t buy it again.
Clif Bar Oatmeal Raisin Walnut – I’ve seen Clif bars on other blogs for ages and desperately wanted to give them a go. Is it sad that I’m saving this one for a special occasion?
Pur peppermint gum – I grabbed this by the till as a real last minute purchase. I don’t chew a huge amount of gum because I find it causes bloating (attractive) for me. Also, I find it quite difficult to stop chewing my way through packets of the stuff. This gum was ok but lost its flavour pretty quickly.
Can you believe that is all I bought from Wholefoods? Ok, I also picked up two packs of pistachio halva but ate it before I got the chance to take a picture.
Selfridges
We admired the handbags and fancy make up but of course they were way out of our price range. Most of the food hall was too!
Bounce Fudgie Walnut Brain Storm - I love Bounce bars but have to be careful which ones I choose as whey protein does not agree with me. This one is delicious! It’s quite a bonus to have walnut as the signature part of an energy bar and I really liked it.
Lola’s cupcakes Tiramisu – We needed cake a few hours after lunch and headed to the cupcake bar in Selfridges. I love the way the cakes came in their own little boxes. Way too cute!
This cupcake was perfect. Not too big, not too much icing, moist, flavoursome. So often you go to cupcake bars and pay a fortune for what seems like a generic sponge with a shedload of too sweet icing plonked on top. I think I could have happily eaten both the sponge and icing on their own, they were that good.
A great day of foods in London. But that’s not all I’ve been buying! Back in Bristol I picked up a few new eats too.
Better Food Company
We have a BFC just up the road but there is a supermarket version in St Pauls. I walked there last week and was pleased to pick up a few new tries. If you haven’t heard of BFC, it is a company that sells local and organic fruit, veg and produce as well as some healthy items from the UK.
Raw Health Truly Juicy Date and Brazil Nut Bar – I love Raw Health products and this bar is no exception. It is made from raw ingredients including dates, tigernuts and coconut oil and tastes beyond good.
Pulsin’ Energy Bomb Raw Choc Vegan – You guys know my obsession with Pulsin’ products. These bars should be eaten 30 minutes before exercise and taste ingredible. Too good.
I also picked up an Energy Bomb Banana bar for James (I hate the taste of banana). He has yet to try it but I have a feeling it will be a huge hit.
I think I was reasonably restrained with my buying but still managed to pick up some new goodies. There might have been some adding to my herbal tea stash too 
So good!
* What’s the best foodie purchase you’ve made recently? How do you limit foodie spending sprees?
I tend to find browsing but not making a single purchase helps – if I get my wallet out then I find it so tough to stop myself from buying the entire shop!
I LOVE WHOLEFOODS!I didn’t know about the better food company, so checking them out. I’m heading out today in search of new teas, I had some ginger and lemongrass for Christmas which are great post workout but they don;t sell the brand here, fingers crossed I’ll find something similar. Glad you had a great time in London, next time come and see me ;P x
I don’t know how you don’t spend your entire life in there Steph, mum had to literally pull me out of there! The herbal tea selection was quite the sight but I didn’t pick up any as my stash is already huge. Thanks – I will do! Have you looked more at Write This Run? Will def see you there or for coffee and cake after
Luckily it is a 30min train journey from home! I’m running a 10k race that morning but would love to do coffee and cake after. Are you staying in London or heading straight back?
A good enough barrier but I’d still be tempted! Ok cool, let’s do it! I’m heading home that evening but I think it finishes at 4ish.
I was just talking about nut butters the other day and said that I’d love to try pistachio butter because I love the nuts, but never have seen it in a store – I’ll have to check out our local WFs! I agree that the WFs bars are a bit pricy so usually I just stick to the cold bar and build a light salad… I personally would rather spend my money at a restaurant than getting take-out
I think it would be good with a little salt inside. It’s not terrible, just doesn’t have the strong flavours of PB or Almond. I like your tactic with the bar, def agree that I’d rather spend that much cash on going out for a meal!
I LOVE Brazil nuts. I think I need to try that Raw bar. Never actually heard of them before. You definitely got some fun buys this week
They are so good right? I did indeed!
I didn’t know you were such a tea girl. I love the hot foods bar but rarely go there because it is so dang expensive!!!
Love herbal teas. It’s like ‘you cooked something hot.. for me? And I don’t have to do the washing up?’
I don’t think I’ve ever seen pistachio butter before…sucks that it’s disappointing, I love pistachios.
I’ve only ever been to Whole Foods once, and while I enjoyed it, it’s probably better that there isn’t any around here…I’d be spending way too much money.
I think it would be ok if it had a little salt added. It kind of reminded me of cashew butter, which I find ok but don’t love.
I so agree- love the Whole Foods food bar but it is so so pricey. My son and I had a quick lunch from there for $30 – I was so upset that we spent $30 there when we could’ve gone to a great restaurant that we love which was right next to the Whole Foods for the same price – or less.
Gosh, that’s so expensive. I can imagine why you would be upset, I felt a bit gutted that we could have spent the money being waited on hand and foot instead of eating out of cardboard containers!
I have never tried the pistachio butter as I read somewhere else that it was not that nice. I love clif bars- I order them from wiggle as you get free postage and they work out cheaper- I don’t have them all the time but they are good for a substantial snack to keep in my bag, or after a long run.
I love all your boxes of tea too- I always buy too many!
Ah glad I’m not the only one who didn’t like it! I’ve never used wiggle before, I’ll give it a try now! I wish I could say it is going to take me years to get through the tea stash but it really, really won’t!
I would have thought pistachio butter would be amazing! Too bad it doesn’t taste good. At least you got the whole foods hot bar
It was so hard not to try a bit of everything there.. it all looked so good!
I love Wholefoods! Having just moved to London I have to stop myself buying the whole shop every time I go in there!
will def check out the other places you mentioned, thanks x
Cool that you’ve just moved to London, I think I’d be very poor if I lived there – there are so many awesome foodie places about! x
Looks like a great trip, I would like to visit Wholefoods too on my next trip to London!
You definitely should! Let me know if you need a guide to the food bar
Love these types of post! Pistachio butter sounds amazing:)
Thanks Sunnie! It’s so much fun to share all my latest buys
I love learning about new-to-me products, and this post was filled with plenty of them!
It sounds like you and your mom had a fantastic time in London; when a trip to Whole Foods is involved, how can you not? 
Did you go to the Kensington store? I was actually doing a college internship abroad in London in 2007, when it opened! It was the first Whole Foods outside of the United States, and you better believe I was one of the first customers to walk in the door. While I loved having access to the salad and hot food bars, they ended up draining my bank account (prices were at least double to cost of what we pay in the US, if I remember correctly), as I lived just two blocks away. 
I’ve never seen pistachio butter in the States, but you’ve piqued my interest because I’m a big fan of the nuts. The Lola’s cupcake you enjoyed at Selfridge’s looks divine, too!
Hope you’re having a great week, Claire! <3
So glad to hear it! Awesome that you were in London in 2007 Sara, what a great place to do an internship! I’d love to do one in Boston or New York but sadly my studying days are over (boo!). I went to the Piccadily Circus one, I think it is relatively new. Apparently the Ken one is incredible. The cupcake was amazing, I could eat one every day I think. Thanks Sara, hope you are too!
Is it crazy that I have actually never gotten food from the hot or cold food bars at Whole Foods? I would definitely call myself a Whole Foods junkie, but I feel a little bit like a fraud for not having ventured to the food bars
. I need to get with it and try it out ASAP because I always see so many delicious postings of what people select when they are there.
I doesn’t think its crazy, probably quite wise haha! You should try it though, it was beyond good.
I’ve just bought a huge tube of almond butter from My Protein and I cannot wait for it to arrive. I’m planning a trip to Wholefoods soon, yay!
Ooo I was going to buy one of those tubs – they look like really good value! Let me know how it tastes please
I love whole foods, but in some ways it is good I don’t live closer as it would bankrupt me! I totally agree with you, I tried the pistachio butter from there before and just was not keen at all! Clif bars are amazing, white choc macadamia is my favourite. I haven’t tried the pulsin energy bomb bars, sound good though. Wow that is a lot of tea, I’ve had to restrict my buying of teas for a few months as I have way too many! Best foodie purchase that’s tough, probably just a load of bars back in the UK as they are way cheaper than in Ireland!
So glad you didn’t like it either Lauren, I was beginning to question my tastes! White choc macadamia sounds incredible, will have to search it out. The Pulsin bombs are great, they’ve inspired me to stop being lazy when I’ve been debating many a workout
I spend an insane amount of money on food! I love Balance stevia sweetened dark chocolate (Holland&Barrett) and of course chia & hemp seeds as I use them in baking. I also love kefir and Coyo coconut yoghurt, and tons of fruit & veg
That chocolate sounds great and Coyo yoghurt is just divine
I LOVE that you said you’re saving the clif bar for a special occasion… that is totally something I would do!
I’m a big tea drinker so I always check out the new brands at any store- especially stores like Whole Foods.
I always try and save special foods for special occasions haha. Usually as a pick me up
I’m exactly the same with new tea brands and flavours!
Do you have a favorite right now?
Puuka! Their licorice and cinnamon is delish. And Yogi Tea too, I love Women’s Energy – great hot and cold!
mmm I’ll have to try them… I don’t know if I can do licorice though.
It’s not too over powering – I taste the cacao and cinnamon more than anything else. They do a great range of non-licorice teas too
Yum all of those look super delicious! I’ve been wanting to stop at Whole Foods for soo long now to get some good eats. This definitely just motivated me to make that stop!
You should – I’ll accept no responsibility for any credit card abuse though
Haha, fair enough. I will not hold you responsible. I will enter Whole Foods at my own risk
I love the clif bars, the choc chip is good!
Can’t wait to try it!
That looks like a great haul! I have to admit I used to buy some massive hauls when I first started blogging but now I’ve really cut back – more because I now know what kind of products I like to have and I’m a bit more choosey!
I know what you mean Laura, I used to buy hauls like this multiple times a week then my bank statement gave me quite the shock! I have products I always buy then limit myself to one or two newbies once a week
I’ve always wondered about pistachio butter & how it would exactly taste. Now I know (from your exp) it’s not the greatest
Aww sorry to disappoint you – you should try it if you can get a sample/cheaply, it might be better for you!
I’ve only been to WholeFoods once, but loved it. That cupcake sounds like just my thing, I love Tiramisu! I also find that its easier not to get anything at all, rather than try and just get a few things.
I love tiramisu too, trying to work out how to make a healthy version but think it is just easier to stick to the orginal! Yeah, once I buy one thing that seal is broken and I can’t stop!
In my local, usually boring, supermarket I spotted coconut flour. Am researching how to use it before buying some.
Oo that’s exciting! I’ve seen lots of delicious looking Paleo recipes that use coconut flour – you could have a look on PaleOMG, Carrots n Cake and Clean Foods Creative Fitness for ideas!
[...] up, a little confession. You know how I told you all about my food buys in London a few weeks ago? But didn’t really give you any reason about why we were there or [...]