Crussh are a juice and food chain, established in 1998, who operate with a goal of providing healthy and tasty options made freshly and without additives, preservatives, GM goods and other nasties.

Crussh have around 20 stores in London (mostly central) and have expanded out to Bluewater Shopping Centre in Kent as the furthest afield. They are instantly recognisable from their distinctive orange and white logo design, which is pretty bright and inviting.

The stores sell a variety of food, such as salad, sandwiches, sushi and soups as well as desserts and other snack options. The food is reasonably priced, with a salad or sushi tray being around £3, which is comparative to other central London retailers such as Pret a Manger or EAT, although obviously far more expensive than making your own packed lunch!

Stores do not offer a 'sit down' service, but are purely take-away where you select your cool items from the various cold storage units (for drinks, sandwiches or salads), go to the counter to pay and place your order for any juices, smoothies, soups, toasties or hot drinks and then watch the items being freshly prepared to order.

Staff are always friendly and professional I have found and Crussh also offer a loyalty scheme (whereby you can get a free drink when you buy 10 and get a special card stamped - pretty handy for regular visitors).

The labelling of Crussh food (and drinks) is excellent - with stickers and shelf tickets advising if a product is suitable for a gluten-free or dairy-free diet or particularly low fat. I have found this to be very useful recently in a bid to watch my weight as it provides a good guide to the contents of the products.

Crussh are pretty transparent when it comes to the nutritional content of its food and drink (a trend which other retailers should emulate I feel) and all nutritional information can be found on its website (www.crussh.com) so you can check exactly what is in your meal.

In my opinion, the best thing about Crussh are its fresh juices and smoothies - they are all made fresh to order, right in front of you and come in a huge variety of flavours. The juices taste delicious and can be adapted to your individual taste - adding spinach or even other 'shots' of vitamin powders or wheatgrass.

I find the smoothies very filling and come in a myriad of combinations. The smoothies either come in 'standard' combinations (that is, fruit with a 98% fat-free probiotic yoghurt base) or 'Super' versions (being fruit, yoghurt and juice with additional 'booster' ingredients). These boosters are the special vitamin concoctions (such as a Vitamin C booster) and other ingredients (such as ginseng, aloe vera and even bee pollen!) to target specific issues such as tiredness, fat boosting or for mental sharpness. One of the most popular boosters is wheatgrass (for purifying and toxin reduction) which is freshly squeezed in-store through a special grass-juicer - great fun to watch! Smoothies vary in price from £2 - 5 and boosters are 50p each.

Although I am not sure of the medicinal proof behind the Crussh boosters and other product properties, I do feel that it does distinguish itself from the pack by having a clear selling-point and being mission-conscious in a bit to serve healthier food options. The food is tasty, wholesome and provides a speedy-option for lunch.

Crussh products are not cheap, but are comparative to other London food outlets and offer decent portion size. I will definitely continue going to Crussh for my lunches regularly and would definitely recommend them to anyone in London for a take-away breakfast or lunch.