There’s plenty to love in Waitrose, food and drink heaven for those with deep pockets. But one of my favourite things about this middle class favourite is what it leaves out. As supermarkets have grown in size, especially when sited in out of town retail parks, they have evolved into the French hypermarché model: selling everything from games and toys to books and fashion.
There’s a time and a place for all this, but I appreciate the stripped back focus of Waitrose, even if its bigger stores do now carry more non-food lines from John Lewis.
Overall, this judicious edit produces a supermarket experience of mostly killer and very little filler, even if I can’t afford to go every week. Better still, according to my 10-year-old, this makes it the most boring supermarket to visit, leaving her with nothing to do but help with the actual shop.
If you haven’t been in for a while because of cost, you’re not alone. As fanciness goes, this is a supermarket with its own farm! But Waitrose has done some careful work in extending its Essentials lines, showing customers what they’re paying for and running frequent 20 per cent off discounts.
I enjoy going there knowing it’s rarely for a big shop – it’s too expensive to get everything. This means I can focus on buying my fun and delicious favourites rather than boring everyday must-haves, which I tend to leave behind. This is what I’d always add to my basket.
