Better Food Company

They label all of their cheeses with whether or not they are made with pasteurized milk, vegetarian or non-​vegetarian rennet, and organic or non-​organic. If that doesn’t hold any appeal to you, than the rest of the store probably won’t either…
… unless it only doesn’t hold appeal to you because you’re vegan and you don’t eat cheese, in which case you’ll also love this store, because it offers lots of great vegan options. All sorts of produce, dairy, soy, seeds and grains, and other various products are offered, both of the local variety and the less-​local-​but-​still-​organic variety. I didn’t eat on the café side, but I did find plenty of yummy food in the store.

We shopped here today and were disappointed that the fresh food didn’t seem that fresh and it was at least double the price of organic Supermarket food. Loose rice from a barrel was empty. Bread so expensive too. We were the last customers and when we went to go to the rear door, as our car was parked there, we were told the door was locked so we’d have to walk around to it from the front entrance. Not good if we had heavy shopping and couldn’t carry it. Customer service seemed lacking as no apology given. The only other time I went there was for a very expensive cup of tea served in a chipped mug. I think they could have bought a new mug with half the money paid for just one cup of tea! I won’t be hurrying back but will continue to encourage my local supermarket to sell organic and fair trade goods.

I agree with mellymel alot of the food is yummy but just rediculously priced! The fresh bread is my favourite

While there are many small, local shops in St Werburgh’s and Montpelier selling organic and whole foods, it’s still immensely helpful to have one big organic supermarket where everything can be found in one place, and at this one you can stop off for lunch at the adjoining café, too.
Catering to wealthy eco-​lifestyle types, it carries a range of high end organic food, with particular nod to the excellent fresh bread selection. It sells all the things you’d expect from this sort of shop: soya milk and yoghurts, ecologically friendly home products, gluten-​free pastas, etc, along with a very good booze section.
There’s not actually as much stock in the shop as you might expect from how large it looks from the outside; it’s all very spread out. So while it gives the illusion of being a whopping superstore, it is more like an indoor market.
Even so, you will absolutely find everything you’re looking for, and you’ll get a smile from the very helpful and knowledgable (I bet the training here is thorough!) staff.

The Better Food Company is an aptly titled business. Essentially an organic mini-​market, it stocks a diverse range of products, from basic essentials for the house and home, to speciality foods and a comprehensive body care and make-​up selection. It is unquestionably a vegan and vegetarian heaven, selling all of the well-​known, and some obscure, brands of vegetarian and vegan food. It also stocks locally sourced meats (although owing to an increase in shoplifting, these more expensive items are often removed from the fridges on the shop floor, and are instead kept under lock and key in the store room).
There’s a lively and established café occupying a large section of the shop which makes best use of the huge plate glass windows that span the full length of the front of the building.
Better Foods definitely possess excellent green credentials. It attempts to keep its carbon footprint to a minimum by locally sourcing wherever feasible and by offering as many products as possible without packaging. It’s ethical too. Fair-​trade items appear in all sections of the shop, and a lot of effort goes into coordinating events and talks to educate the public on issues of ecological importance and conscious consumerism. Better Foods also allows people like Mark Boyle, who runs a regular ‘Just For The Love Of It’ skill-​sharing workshop in the evenings, to use the space without charge. Mark has had as many as 250 people turn out for one of his sessions.
From the outside Better Foods is nothing special. In fact, it’s a bit of an eyesore (or would be if it were in one of the grander neighbourhoods, instead of sandwiched between a couple of small industrial estates and a few tenement housing blocks). The 1960’s exterior isn’t as bad as some, (at least it has a curve), but it’s the sensitive use of the interior that makes Better Foods such a great shopping experience.
There’s no denying that Better Food’s has a few drawbacks. There’s no parking on this exceptionally busy road, although there are about 20 spaces in a car park that Better Food shares with The Scrap Store to the side of the building, but this is often full. And there are other ways in which The Better Food Company is a victim of its own success. A friend of mine who makes raw chocolates, that look and taste like normal tempered top quality continental chocolates, approached them to stock his wares. Unfortunately for Raddick, and for you, The Better Food Company declined his offer. It’s not that they didn’t like what he is doing, it’s just that they buy goods in such large quantities these days that they have become reliant on large wholesalers to meet the demand. Buying from smaller, individual producers is logistically untenable nowadays.
But the scale of the operation has its bonuses as well. It has definitely got Better Foods noticed! This year they received the coveted award for Best Independent Retailer at The Natural & Organic Products Fare, (the largest of it’s kind in Europe), which hosts the Natural and Organic Awards, in alliance with the Soil Association and Natural Products magazine. It’s great to see such an imaginative business, fuelled by commitment, receive this level of recognition for the work that they do.

Even though this admirable shop is right on my doorstep and I am a fan of everything it stands for, I still don’t shop there regularly. I’m not sure if this says more about my commitment to the organic movement or my poor pay packet, but there’s no denying, shopping at Better Food will set you back. Saying that, as organic supermarkets go, it is really good, and neighbours on my street get their veg boxes and highly recommend them. I find the stock is varied– especially for those like me who are a bit special in their food needs. And there’s more varieties of herbal tea than I have ever seen under one roof before. But there’s also a good refrigerated selection and a wide choice of «free from» or organic cereals.
The little café and deli on site is also well worth a visit and I have always loved the pre-​prepared sandwiches they do to take away. But do prepare to baulk at the bill when you get to the till. Still if you are committed to buying organic, then pay homage to this place, winner of the 2010 Natural and Organic Best Independent Retailer Award.
It also operates as a bit of a community hub, with regular free-​skilling sessions, craft classes (like how to knit a pair of arm-​warmers– I am there!) and lessons on everything from Shiatsu to making sourdough bread. Writing this review has shamed me and I promise to shop there tomorrow. Chastise me if I don’t!

The Better Food Company has been a long standing flag ship in the organic food movement through Bristol. The building is really split into two sections of market place and restaurant, although as you can probably imagine the two co exist rather nicely. Indeed there is a lot that is rather nice at The Better Food Company.
The well stocked supermarket, for starters, packs a firm punch in the line of sustainable, environmentally friendly products. From large vats, one can refill empty bottles with Ecover biodegradable washing up liquid. From equally large buckets and bins one can fill up bags with various teas, dried fruits and cereals. The selection of breads and biscuits is pleasantly extensive, catering for vegans, vegetarians and, like myself, those with wheat allergies. Indeed this is one of the few shops I have ever found where I can buy many gluten-​free foods. If you know what I’m talking about I definitely recommend you come here.
A short walk past the beautiful, hippy cashiers in multi coloured layers will bring you to the café restaurant. An inviting array of tables and chairs with an enormous people-​watching window (you know who you are!) is often bustling busy. Mothers with children and prams, students and locals all flock here for the delicious home cooked, organic and quite affordable food.
For many The Better Food Company can be quite the day out.

For St Werburgh’s yummy mummies, The Better Food Company is probably a complete godsend. They can feed their kids on local organic produce without having to go to a farm or raid the speciality foods aisle of the multinational supermarket. I find this to be a fairly standard, independent whole foods store. It has a café, organic wines, ecocover products, flour/​cereal bins, a deli counter. I even spotted some organic cat food — but my moggins just aren’t that spoilt!
The company owns a Walled Garden and Café not far away in North Somerset, where they grow produce to supply their customers. Everything they had grown themselves is labelled «walled garden», other items are marked «England», and so on. The veg section is full of unusual, odd-​shaped tasties like pattison squash, kohl rahbi and other roots. I love perusing the fridges for fresh Devon cream, Bath cheese and butter and hand-​made cakes. The wine and cider selection takes some browsing too. If I lived nearer, I’d do my regular shop here, although my bank manager might start to complain — it may be a lot of things, but it’s certainly not cheap!

I’d like to go four stars for the wide range of selection but the prices are astronomical. I get that independent, ethically produced food is going to be higher cost than chain stores but this place seems to load a premium on top.
And I fear it’s also at risk of adding to those cranky stereotypes of organic fruit and veg being dirty, rank and shockingly expensive. I made the error of buying a sealed brown bag of a surprise mix of apples and the surprise was that they had all gone mushy.
The staff situation seems hit and miss, as well, with some workers being on the ball and others looking glazed. I queued up forever to buy a coffee at the café and none of the four staff present seemed able to see me waiting about three feet away. Then they noticed the man queuing behind me and went to serve him.