Wild Oats started out as a macrobiotic vegan restaurant on the Whiteladies Road in January 1981, which to be fair is a while back now. In what loosely could be described as ‘somewhat ahead of the times’, the restaurant fluctuated between rave reviews and poor attendance, before re-inventing itself as a modern day health store on the Lower Redland Road. My first experience of vegan food was with a crew in Leeds who lived off baked beans, white sliced and not much more, and visiting Wild Oats vegan restaurant (which I was lucky enough to do in the early 80’s) was like a brief sojourn in heaven - even today it stands as the one of the most outstanding meals ever- especially the dessert, which was some kind of tofu concoction which has since been matched, it has to be said, and even excelled by Fred’s mum Julie who sells the advertising for the guide and runs the Yaoh stalls and has made and still does make the most superlative blackcurrant tofu cheesecake. But I digress.

Nowadays Wild Oats Wholefoood shop stocks over 5,500 products, employs 30 staff, has over 150 suppliers and an average of 20 deliveries a day. Only the best is good enough for Wild Oats, and with such a huge choice to pick new products from it’s no wonder that the main players in the shop are all experts in their own fields of nutrition and complementary health care …. They have to be. And they are. The perfect place to garner up to date, accurate and unbiased information about all sorts of health issues, as well as pick up the best of the new products.Worried about parabena in body care? Wild Oats has every paraben-free product on the market’. After the best nutritional supplements on the market? Quick stroll up the Lower Redland and you’re sorted. Fancy a detox? Well maybe not but if you need one, Wild Oats has the info and kit you’re after. Thinking about going vegan for a bit? They got it. Relative who is ill? Chat to Wild Oats. Or it might just be the temptation of Stephen's awesome soups that brings you in - made fresh every day, as are a variety of salads and other deli items.

Catch them on a good day and you’ll find some real good promotions and discounts too, as well as samplings, tastings and other expert advice from some of their suppliers. Their regular newsletter keeps you up to date with in-store appearances as well as all the special offers. Who needs, or even wants, supermarkets when there’s places like this. Obviously their several thousand regular customers would

Wild Oats - Best wholefood shops.