As the Wellness Generation continues to gather momentum – with its clean liquor, sober raves and mid-week gong baths – the concept of going on a cleanse is no longer just a novel January challenge.

Weight loss aside, practices like intermittent fasting and juice cleanses are working their way into our routines also because of the effect they have on a cellular level; we look for rejuvenation and energy – enhancement, rather than starvation and quick fixes.

Companies like Press London are concocting cleanses that are more generous to the body and soul, and more practical to do while holding down a job or any sort of responsibility that requires function.

Square Mile test drove seven days on a Press London cleanse to see for ourselves how one fares.

What’s the story?

Ed Foy and business co-founder Georgie Reames set up Press in 2014, initially selling juices out of a bathtub pop-up in Old Street station. After living in the States they were inspired by the popularity of cold-pressed juices and set up Press to deliver a pure, raw, unpasteurised, additive-free and (importantly) delicious range of juices to the UK market.

After striking a game-changing deal with Selfridges to stock in their store, further partnerships followed and wholesale became the bulk of their business, as well as a burgeoning online presence with a focus on cleanses and resets.

The Cleanse

We test drove Seven Days to Enlightenment. A seven day cleanse is no mean feat. However, the fact that there are seven fairly substantial juices a day made it easier and, dare we say, actually pretty delicious. At just over 800 calories a day we wouldn’t recommend any strenuous exercise, just light walks to work and a bit of meditation to keep calm. Definitely try and keep veggie/vegan for 2-3 days before and wean yourself off caffeine with green tea.

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Here’s how the juice train goes down each day: Start the day with a Daily Celery Juice (crisp and refreshing), move on to a spicy little Ginger Shot, then an 11am Super Greens Smoothie (thick and delicious), a sweet 1pm Super Glow Smoothie, a 500ml beast of a Lean Green juice, a 5pm Fiery Apple with a ginger kick, another 500ml flood of Easy Green and finally a sweet treat end with a Super Berry Smoothie before bed. It’s a nice balance of switching between sweet and savoury to fight the monotony of flavour that many cleanses induce. Smart.

The Effects

It’s impossible not to lose weight on this. However, arguably more exciting was the effect it had on our skin. Glowing, plumper, frankly five+ years younger. Even off the diet, you can see why you might be tempted to weave a couple of their juices into your routine (ideally the celery morning kickstart and a large green juice later in the day when slumping).

How much?

£240 for the seven days.

What comes next?

We absolutely do not recommend going straight back to heavy food on Day 8. Stick with soups and chunky veggie winter stews for a few days after. The new soup range is also a good next step if you’re now a brand convert (which we now are), so a couple of super-green soups with spinach and black garlic, paired with chunkier chickpea and garlic broths to ease you back into a healthier eating routine for 2020.

For more info, see Press London