Waitrose

Waitrose had some seriously big shoes to fill when it took over the lot once occupied by Bristol institution Fresh & Wild. I’ve no idea why the latter closed — it served a variety of delicious, organic and locally sourced food and cruising the free samples was once a favourite afternoon pastime of mine (perhaps that explains a lot…).
The new Waitrose is much like any other, purveying the same high end supermarket produce with (usually, although not always) prices to match. Sometimes you get better quality than Sainsbury’s for the same damage to your wallet, otherwise a quick shop can leave you seriously out of pocket.
This particular branch has a reverent silence to it which I appreciate. Customers seem thoroughly engrossed in their food, and often — I’m not sure why — come alone. Perhaps to immerse themselves in this temple of well-​mannered gluttony, I don’t know.
Play your cards right and come later on in the evening when the staff start discounting food on the brink of going out of date as it’ll usually still be fresh.

I know most Waitrose are probably very similar, but I wanted to make special mention of this branch because of the amazing food they sell and how nice it is to be given this as an option, especially as I can barely cook a thing.
It was a massive shame when Fresh & Wild closed down and if somewhere like this hadn’t opened one supermarket would have had the monopoly on this area and basically dictated what I had for my dinner for the past couple of years.
This is almost a Waitrose ‘central’ in that they don’t have a huge amount of space so they sell more convenience food (ready meals) traditionally associated with the middle aged, single, male, Star Trek fan. But these aren’t ordinary ready meals, they are amazing; good quality and good value. They do have a great choice of fresh fish and meat as well, but I think it’s their lunchtime sandwiches are proving to be the most popular thing they sell with people in this area, myself included. They have delicious fresh sandwiches; try the jerk chicken or humous and red pepper baguette.

Waitrose has to be my most favourite supermarket yet I rarely shop there as it is a tad more expensive than it’s orange, blue and green counterparts. This is a direct rival to Sainsbury’s across the way on the Triangle and it has no doubt put a dent in their profit margins. While it is quite small, I’ve never been into this Waitrose and come out thinking I still needed something on my list. They have a good fresh fruit and veg section, a substantial refrigerator section, a bakery and the cupboard staples you’d want. The piece de resistance I’ve always found with Waitrose is the booze section. It was one the first supermarket to stock the amazing Sailor Jerry rum, local ciders and ales and some of the rarer whiskies. And even though, this isn’t the biggest Waitrose, it still has the impressive selection of booze. This is without a doubt the most ethical supermarket and they regularly donate money to local community groups, which you can vote for with a green token every time you shop.

When I was a student I was in love with Waitrose. Me and my flatmate, down on our uppers, would wait until the store was about to close, when all the discounted fresh food came out, and we’d go wild in the aisles. To do this day their red clearance stickers remind me of slightly stale bread and fruit that had to be eaten THAT DAY.
Now, slightly better off, I can enjoy the wonderful World Foods section this store in Clifton has. My favourite is their range of Sushi foods at a reasonable price (sushi £1, seaweed £1, wasabi £1). Yes, a lot of their stuff is overpriced so if you too are on a limited budget — follow my studenty advice. Our best bargain was an Indian meal for two for £2.50. Result!