Bold Street just got a new, tasty and guilt-free tenant.
Say hello to Nat’s Natural Nutrition – a place to satisfy your sweet tooth without losing some along the way. Down Petticoat Lane on Bold Street a vast range of clean and healthy treats have now become available. They are all free from refined sugars, gluten and artificial ingredients/sweeteners with some great vegan options too. The best part? They taste better than the rest. A jewel in the crown of Bold Street’s foodie kingdom. We sat down with Natalie Shilton, the young entrepreneur behind it all to hear about her truly wonderful and inspiring journey.
Hello! So tell us, how has the journey been so far?
This has been an amazing journey for me as it started off as a hobby in my Mum’s kitchen a couple of years ago. Since around age 17, I have been interested in fitness and nutrition. I started to enjoy cooking healthy meals for myself and my family. The only problem was you could never find a healthy dessert that was satisfying enough to enjoy like a traditional dessert. So I decided to do some research online regarding the best ingredients to use and I made a strawberry cheesecake, which turned out a disaster. Nevertheless, I tried again and this time it turned out amazing! I gave it out to all my family and friends to try and they were amazed at how nice it tasted.
After a couple of months of trying out recipes and giving samples to family and friends, everyone told me I would be stupid not to start selling them and sharing my so-called ‘talent’ with clean treats. So I took the leap, created the ‘Nat’s Natural Nutrition’ Instagram and started to test trade. Before I knew it, the business took off and everyone wanted clean treats! I couldn’t believe the feedback I was receiving from customers, I was really overwhelmed by it all.
I started to outgrow the kitchen at home, and having a little brother James who is severely autistic, it wasn’t always easy. James is very sensitive to noise and hated the sound of the food processor, so as you can imagine we had a lot of obstacles to overcome along the way. After searching for a location, I moved into my very own unit, which I have now transformed into a commercial kitchen (or as we like to call it ‘HQ’) to create all my goodies. The unit was the first step in creating my empire, but I always wanted something more. I loved the thought of a shop to showcase all my clean treats and meet customers every day. I think this happened quicker than I expected as we never planned for anything.
From your home to Bold Street, that’s so amazing. How did that happen?
My partner and I were walking down Bold Street (we go there quite often for food) and he said ‘I know the perfect place where you could open a small shop, it would be amazing as Bold Street is such a great location’ and he took me to Petticoat Lane, neither one of us expecting what was about to happen next. As we walked in, the owner of the kids-wear boutique was actually moving her stuff out and she said to us ‘this has just become available’. We couldn’t believe our eyes, it was destiny! I knew right away that I had to take the risk and go for it. I couldn’t contain my excitement, the next day I rang the landlord to enquire and he said he would meet me the following week. We signed the contract and turned the shop around in less than a week (there was obviously a couple of melt-downs along the way but that’s to be expected I guess).
What’s your best sellers and where can we come taste them?
It’s all been such a surreal experience and every day I am taken aback by the amazing feedback I receive from customers. Our best-sellers have definitely been the Vegan Cookie Dough Slabs and the Peanut Butter Jelly Bars. We have a wide range of treats available to buy over the counter, and they are all made from the finest natural ingredients. We can cater to any dietary requirements and have refined-sugar free, gluten-free, dairy-free and vegan options. We are based inside Petticoat Lane Shopping Arcade, 100-102 Bold Street. Our opening times are: Mon-Sat: 11-6pm and Sunday: 11-4pm.
Next time you’re around Bold Street pop in and speak to Nat, it’s very important we support young local risk takers. Keep up with her tasty treats here.