Where to eat in London... Pure Marylebone

A hot, sticky, 32 degree day in London (I know, I shouldn't complain!), and I had arranged to meet my friend Ruth for lunch somewhere in Marylebone. Given the heat, the last thing we wanted was a heavy meal, so decided to go for a healthy fresh salad.

But that's not always as easy as it appears! Did you know a Pret Chef's Italian Chicken Salad contains  51g of fat? That's more than two thirds of an adults recommended fat intake, over three times as much as a Pizza Express Margarita pizza, and even more than you'd find in Burger Kings Bacon and Cheese Whopper! Where did that healthy salad disappear to?!

Pure Marylebone

Discover Pure - where each store is a working kitchen, preparing food on-site each day and made just to order. Meticulous in the ingredients they select, they live up to their promise to provide healthy meals free from unnecessary preservatives, additives, sugar, salt or fat.

Inside

But what does that mean? Boring lettuce leaves topped with cucumber? Not at all! Infact, the menu is probably one of the most adventurous lunch time menus I've come across, with freshly baked flatbreads, homemade soups, toasties, hot boxes and a wide range of creative salads. 

'Made fresh to order'

With the scorching weather, we both decided the salad was the right way to go, but with over 12 delicious options, deciding which one wasn't quite as easy! 

The options

Ruth decided to go for The Mexican - Fired chicken, Mexican bean mix, tomato, cucumber, avocado and corn chips on mixed leaves topped with the 'Devil’s dressing'. Spice galore! 

The Mexican

Not able to handle anything quite so spicy, I gladly went for the Low GI - a combination of lean chicken breast, Pure super bean mix, avocado, tomato, cucumber, broccoli, radish, sweet peppers, sugar snaps and omega seeds on mixed leaves, all topped with fat-free Kale dressing.

Low GI

With a range of delicious sides also on offer, everything from carrot sticks and hummus, to avocado puree and raw courgetti, I picked up a little pot of edamame beans to add to my salad, and we were on our way. 

Lunching

Although they do have a large seating area within the store (very unusual in central London for a lunch-time place like this!), we decided to take ours back to my garden to enjoy the weather. Packing it up in lunchtime bags, giving us extra dressing pots, cutlery, napkins, our server made sure we were all set!

Pure to go

Best Part: Definitely the amount of choice! With salads such as 'Return of the Mac', 'Hockingly good' and 'Celebrity Skin', who knew veg could be so versatile? Not into your greens? Go for a Louisiana Rib wrap, Chilaca Chicken pasta or Italian Job flatbread (is it just me, or does that sound rude?!). And if you're into the whole juicing trend, Pure is for you, with hand pressed  raw juices and freshly blended smoothies made to order infront of you.  

Selection of juices and smoothies

Worst part: Unfortunately the day we visited they were out of stock of a lot of the ingredients. I would have loved to try the Pure Protein Salad, but seemingly it had been a busy day at the salad counter therefore this one, and a couple others, weren't available. Never mind, a good excuse to return!

Best for: Clearly not suitable for a fancy evening meal (but it doesn't try to be!!), Pure Marylebone is the perfect option for when you want a fresh, nutritious lunch that's quick, easy and healthy. Whether you opt to sit in or takeaway, it's a safe option regardless of the weather. Furthermore, with eight stores dotted around the city, you'll usually be in proximity of at least one  - they'll even deliver to your office for those days when you're stuck to your desk! 

Desk delivery

Price: A salad will cost between £6-£7 which, admittedly is not the cheapest for an on-the-go lunch every day, but for the freshness, tastiness and convenience, it's worth every penny!

Would I go back?

Of course - I've still got that Pure Protein salad to try. I'd also like to go back on a cooler day and warm up over one of their 'Hot Boxes' - I have my eye on the 'Mama's Meatballs'! So much to try.....just as well it's healthy!

Yum!