Naked Naturals

This week I have been convening with my international fanbase. Otherwise known as hanging out with my Aunt Lynda, who lives in Canada.

Like those other famous British exports Simon Cowell and One Direction, I am big news across the pond. But unfortunately, unlike the aforementioned, my main fans are family. Lynda lives on Vancouver Island and her son John - my cousin - is in Phoenix Arizona. But they tend to visit Blighty about once a year to check that my grandma is still alive.

So Lynda flew in earlier this week and after reassuring herself that Grandma is still sailing towards her 100th birthday, we made plans to drag her out for lunch. 

Maple Buds

First things first, I'd briefed Lynda very carefully to make sure she stuffed a sufficient supply of Maple Buds into her suitcase. These little Canadian chocolates have been favourites of me and my brother since we were kids. Back in the 80s they used to come in little brown packets, made by Rowntree, and were seriously yummy, melt-in-your-mouth chocolate drops with a hint of maple syrup. 

These days Maple Buds have gone sadly downmarket and I'm told that Lynda now has to scoop them out of bargain bins at the Canadian equivalent of Woolies with one of those little plastic sweetie shovels. They have the cheapo consistency of cooking chocolate and actually hurt your teeth if you eat more than a handful. But despite the obvious downsides, my bro and I still have a soft spot for them. A couple of years ago Lynda made the mistake of entering the country without the Maple Bud contraband, explaining that she thought we were "grown up now", and never lived it down. I doubt she'll do it again, but just in case I sent her an email last week reminding her to bring the MBs.

My Naked Naturals bag

But she also bought me a little gift in the form of a bag-for-life from a Canadian store called Naked Naturals. Lynda is a regular reader of the blog so thought I'd be keen to hear about one of her favourite non-supermarket stores.

So of course I've had a little browse on the Naked Naturals website and discovered that it specialises in organic groceries and promoting food "the way food should be". The first of its three stores was founded in 2006 as a "one stop shop" for organic and health foods, including organic glass-bottled milk, antibiotic and nitrate-free beef (a term I've actually never heard of before), and bison! 

Sounds exotic doesn't it? Although you can probably just go out and shoot a bison in Canada!

The likelihood of me ever visiting this store is slim, it's always nice to take a look at other places promoting local and ethical food. Although I'm sure the health-conscious bods who run it would probably shudder at the thought of my affection for Maple Buds.