Apostrophe’s Summer Saladerie

As a society, we are moving away from the Health Years.

This is a period of time that has been regularly evolving in the past few decades.

These Health Years normally coincide with a period of economic prosperity. When people have more money, they feel better about themselves. Not only can they get the best television, the best car and the best holidays, they can get the best body too. This leads to an increase in gym memberships together with people actually using them. Gradually more and more people become obsessed with things like lats, abs and inguinal lines, and worry that they might not be getting their five-a-day.

Pop, the economic bubble bursts. People start losing their jobs and a £60 a month gym membership suddenly starts to look like a bit of an unnecessary expense. Money’s too tight for vitamin supplements and organic bananas so it’s back to cheap and easy junk food instead of rocket leaves and vegetables.

Which is a shame because a good salad can not only be a healthy option but also a very satisfying meal in itself. A well-prepared salad is not just a complement to a main dish but can be one in its own right. This is the thinking behind the new salad counter that’s opened in the Regent Street branch of Apostrophe, the chain of boulangerie-patisseries.

The salad bar offers a choice between pre-prepared salads or a choose-your-own ingredients option. I went for the pre-prepared Provençal salad with goats cheese, roasted vegetables, sun-dried tomatoes on a baby leaf base with a raspberry vinegar dressing. My companion had the more traditional option of an Alsace sandwich, featuring pastrami, emmental, sauerkraut and mustard.

The salad was unexpectedly substantial and this can be put down to the freshness of the ingredients used. The leaves were juicy and the combination of the dressing along with the roast vegetables and goat’s cheese worked very well. My companion found the sandwich very much to his liking with particular praise for the bread. A well-balanced macaroon and a charming tarte de pomme paysanne finished off what was a very satisfying meal.

The next set of Health Years might be a few years from us but that’s no excuse not to try a little greenery in addition to that pizza.

Apostrophe
16 Regent Street
SW1 4PT

Tel: 0207 930 9922

Opening hours:

Mon-Fri: 7.30am-7pm
Sat: 8.30am -7pm
Sun: 9.30am -6.30pm