Address: Platform 8 York Railway Stations
Prices: From PS1.65 for a coffee to PS7.95 for a hot salmon lunchbox.
Opening Hours: Daily 6am-8pm
Filmore & Union prides itself as 'The Health Kitchen', and its latest offering at the York Railway Station definitely lives up to its name. The outlet is tucked behind W.H Smith at Platform 8 and offers a wide variety of wholesome food and drinks to go on for commuters leaving York. Everything is freshly prepared at the shop, with their specialty bagels and remedy juices being made to order, but if you're in a hurry, you can always just grab a pastry, sandwich or lunchbox to go. The all-day breakfast pots are also great for those who love their porridge and granola at any time of the day.
I visited Platform 8 en-route to a weekend trip down to London after a long day of seminars, and was pleasantly surprised by the choices available, from toasted cinnamon bagel (PS2.25) to strawberry polenta muffins (PS2.45) and even a Moroccan lamb tagine (PS6.95). I eventually decided on a soy hot chocolate (PS2.50) and a union street veggie sandwich (PS4.25) for my two-hour journey. I was not expecting too much from the sandwich, after all, how impressive can roasted veggies be? But after settling myself down on the train, I quietly ripped open the sandwich bag and bit through the thick pumpkin bread before reaching the very tasty caramelised onions and roasted squash. Maybe I was just hungry, but it was just about the best sandwich I've had in a long while. Filmore & Union took the ordinary sarnie to a whole new level with its homemade spinach hummus and perfectly roasted veggies. Even though I usually prefer wraps, I finished every last bit of the fluffy sunflower & pumpkin bread. The hot chocolate on the other hand, was less impressive as it was slightly too sweet for my palette, but rumour has it that Filmore & Union is searching for a new cocoa supplier, so things should change for the better!
The next time you're leaving York on a train, don't forget to pop by platform 8 to fuel up for your ride. It is definitely better and more value-added than the stale baguettes from upper crust or the calorie-laden pasties that greet you as you enter the station, and its good for you too! I'm already looking forward to a 'fire me up' remedy juice on my way back to York next week.