Food Shop Till You Drop

Since Supermarket Sweep was in its heyday (shut up, it did have a heyday) I have harboured dreams of a trolley dash.

My strategy (and don't tell me you haven't thought about this too) is thus: booze aisle first, followed by cheese (lots of cheese), the beauty aisle, the butcher, expensive essentials like posh washing powder, and ending at the patisserie (so the cakes don't get squashed).

Imagine my excitement when I was invited to the launch party of new uber-market Whole Foods in Kensington a full two days before it opens to the general public.

Three floors of fresh food counters, exciting looking jars, and cafes galore. And yes, there were tastings.

My strategy was thus: champagne, sushi counter, mezze, more champagne, oyster bar, and ending at the ice-cream stall.

The food was excellent, but I do have one gripe with its 'natural' and 'organic' credentials. Whole Foods is an American company and hence there are a lot of American made products. So while they may be 'natural', they're also very well travelled in terms of food miles – which makes it not quite as eco-friendly as I had assumed it would be. For example, the cider in the 1st floor 'pub' is Californian. Now, could they really not find a delicious organic appley tipple from a homegrown source? I'm sure there are a few West Country farmers who could scrump together something adequate to ferment.

So as yet, we're still waiting for a true eco-market to hit our shores. Perhaps I could persuade Dale Winton to head up the campaign. And then maybe that trolley dash will be mine after all.