When I first read last year in the local paper that a Waitrose was going to be opening in the former location of Woolworths on Liverpool Road I did a little dance of glee. Yes, Islington has lots of different supermarkets, from Sainsburys to Marks and Spencers to Iceland, but come on now, Waitrose is the undisputed GOD of food shops. Pricey it may be, but it's all about quality, and I was surprised that it had taken so long to get one into upmarket Islington. I was also pleased that Woolies would be replaced by something so appealing, as I had a long standing love affair with that store. It had it all- The old ladies with their perms and their faint smell of wee, aisle upon aisle of toys, a variety of random kitchen utensils and a whole host of other enjoyable goods. But this isn't a review of Woolworths, so I'll move on to the task at hand: expressing my disappointment in the new Waitrose.
Now I'm sure I'm not alone in having had high expectations of the latest addition to the supermarket options of N1; In fact I know I'm not, as seemingly the whole borough poured to Waitrose on the opening day about a month ago. What struck me about the store, and continues to strike me each time I go in, is how much MORE they could have done with the place. I mean, sure, they've got a fish and meat counter, and a bakery, and lots of really tasty looking ready meals and so on and so forth. But have you ever been to the Waitrose in the bottom of John Lewis? Oh my god, that place is like a mecca, with untold numbers of unusual fresh produce and random prepared foods. Maybe my expectations were too high, but the food at this branch is almost identical to that you can find at the branch just ten minutes away on Holloway Road. Yes it's slightly more convenient, but I wanted FIREWORKS, I wanted to be WOWED, I wanted to spend hours in this place oohing and ahhing over the delicious offerings [I really like food, can you tell?]. Instead I found a few things that looked good, but nothing that really got my heart racing. A disappointment. read more