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0 n th e juice

Time was when the closest that the average British household came to fruit juice was a bitter bottle of violently coloured tartrazine overload that disguised itself under the name ‘squash'. Things Change. Words: Jonathan Trew

Fifteen years ago, fruit juice in Britain usually meant ready-to-dilute concentrates that pulled off the incredible feat of being both terribly insipid and mouth-puckeringly acidic.

The difference in taste between fresh juices and fruit juice out of a carton is like the difference between chilled

mineral water and brackish rock-pool

residue.

At best they were uninviting and at worst they were revolting and the only connection they had with health was the puritanical notion that

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something so unpleasant had to be doing some good.

Gradually, cartons of ready-to-drink fruit juice began to become a more common sight on the nation’s supermarket shelves and, while a vast improvement on just-add-water squashes, they were usually little more than ready-prepared versions of the same muck; industrially treated, pasteurised, sterilised and reconstituted syrups. Now, in the enlightened 905, it's possible to buy 'freshly squeezed’ fruit juices off the supermarket shelves and, to be fair, some of them taste pretty good. None of them, however, are a match for any fruit or veg that have just been freshly juiced.

As one might expect, our American cousins lovingly embraced juicing a long time before the concept was even a twinkle in the eyes of the health- conscious on these shores. Stateside, the juice of freshly pulverised fruits

and vegetables was hailed as having almost

miraculous effects on the health and well-being of the fit and ill alike. No less a medical authority than Madonna swore by a Squeegee from the Doctor Squeeze juice bar in New York. They comprised the juice of frozen bananas, strawberries, pineapples, oranges and watermelons, and La Ciccone couldn't get enough of them. Not all the medical establishment would agree with some of the Wilder claims which have been made for juicmg (that certain frun juices could halt the advance of cancer being a glaring one) but, on the other hand, all those vitamins must do some good and besides, fresh juices taste amazing. Mango & Stone, 3 real junce bar, opened recently in Bruntsfield in Edinburgh and another branch followed shortly after on Glasgow's Glassford Street. Making all their jUice mixtures up daily from fresh ingredients, Mango 8. Stone offer a range of drinks from the Detox, a mixture of carrot, beetroot and orange

jUices which is inexplicably popular on Saturday mornings, to more esoteric brews such as the Don't Worry Be Happy, a brew which contains pineapple, orange, melon, mango, kiWi and banana. Those preferring the promise of get-up-and-go to the reality of good taste can opt for the Energy Booster. That’s avocado, spinach and carrot for all you masochists out there. Both branches are open from 8.30am should you fancy an ultra-healthy breakfast

Mango & Stone: juice on the loose

The difference in taste between these fresh jUices - which contain no added water or preservatives and frurt jUice out of a carton is like the difference between chilled mineral water and the brackish residue found in a rock-pool after a long hot day. Fresh jurce zaps your tastebuds. Try it.

Glasgow: Mango & Stone, 60—65 Glassford Street. 552 4181; Edinburgh: Mango 8i Stone, 165a Bruntsfield Place, 229 2987.

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108 THE MT 26 Sep—9 Oct 1997