Fruit/veg box delivery?

[notremotelyintofootie]

hi,

I used to have an Abel and cole box delivered but foun I wasn't using it much....and ended up throwing tons away...

I now have dd (17 months) and want to eat healthily and I think dh and ds(11) would benefit from it too!

I have started having my milk delivered to avoid expensive little trips to the supermarket where I cone out £50-60 poorer with bargains etc and am thinking getting my fruit and veg delivered might help with this too...

My question I guess is, has anyone else found that this helps save money and encourages healthier eating? Also any ideas on how to esnure I don't waste food?

Finally, we're in Oxford so any suggestions as to which company would be best?

[knottyhair]

Hi. We've had organic fruit & veg boxes for the past 10 years and I wouldn't do it any other way. As PrinceHumperdink does, I do a meal plan for the week based around the boxes so I make sure everything is used. It does take a little time to do this, but it definitely cuts down on waste and is the most efficient way of using the boxes. Another suggestion I would make is to have a selection of recipes to hand for certain veg that maybe you're not so keen on, or get alot of and can get bored of! In our case, things like swede in the winter. I live in Kent so can't recommend our supplier to you but I don't know if this might help?

[notremotelyintofootie]

That's great, thank you!

I need to sort my books out and I know I have a box if cookery books so I think I will dig them out, have a good luck at recipes and then give it a go again!

[Pinkglow]

I'm with Riverford and have been for the last few months and I love it.

I have to be organised and do a meal plan for the week otherwise I would never manage to get all the veg into our meals. I also get fruit from them which is good.

I think organisation is the key really (it is for me anyway)

[mashpot]

I'm with Riverford too and get a mixed fruit and veg box. I love it. I used to get Abel and Cole but found I was drowning in potatoes and carrots and they sometimes messed up my deliveries but I haven't had any problems with Riverford.

I like the fact I eat (healthy) things that I wouldn't normally buy - this week I got some rhubarb that I stewed and have been eating with yoghurt for breakfast every morning and its nice to have a change.

[Prunnhilda]

Tolhurst Organics - rather than getting it delivered, there's a local pick-up point for your bag of veg each week. Really good quality and variety.
Very friendly too. Highly recommend.

We do get a veg box and it does encourage us to experiment a bit with recipes. I wouldn't do it any other way tbh. But...we give away a lot of potatoes because we can't eat as many as we get. As dh points out, they are cheap - better to be giving away the cheap bit and eating all the rest of the local veg, than to go back to packets of supermarket veg from Peru or Kenya that we'd have to lug home ourselves.

[Prunnhilda]

Tolhurst Organic

[hollyoaks]

I'm finding this interesting as we've just set up a fruit & veg delivery business and it's going really well. We're in the NE though :) We stick a recipe in each week to give our customers new ideas otherwise I would suggest planning your meals in advance.

Change 4 Life also have sticker charts for kids if your dd needs help trying new foods.

[igivein]

Hollyoaks - whereabouts in the NE. I used to get a box delivered, but admitted defeat because of the amount of courgettes and chard involved, I might be willing to try again.

[wolfhound]

Abel and Cole give you little recipe leaflets in every box now, with ideas of what to do with some of the less usual veg. They're great!

[hollyoaks]

igivein - I've pm'd you.

[willali]

I have had A&C for a few months now and it really has transformed the way we eat for the better. Yes you have to plan ahead, and yes you will have to try new things but I have found this really interesting. And there is absolutely no need to throw out extra veg - make soup or pasta sauce etc and freeze it!!

[hollyoaks]

I would also reccomend purchasing a slow cooker to throw all your leftover vegetables in, you can use it to make a soup, casserole, curry etc..

[storminabuttercup]

PrinceHumperdink - do you have a fruit and veg co-op near you? we have one - they work closely with change 4 life etc and they accept the vouchers. dont know if this helps?

[AimingForSerenity]

I used to get one from a local organic farm. On a good week it was lovely but on a bad week it was just bags of unidentified leaves that could have been weeds for all I knew.

It's sad as I hate the tasteless stuff from the supermarket but live in an area without farm shops, etc

[extremelychocolateymilkroll]

Another vote for Riverford. Great quality at a great price but as was previously said you do need to be organised to use all the veg. I think the price - especially for the boxes - compares well to the price of non organic supermarket veg and the taste is way better.

[tanmu82]

I just signed up for Abel & Cole as I want to be able to get milk and meat/poultry too - I'm in Oxfordshire too....

How have you found having a box OP? Has it worked out for the better?

[Shazzystar]

We've been using Riverford for over a year and a half now and we love it! The veggies are so much tastier than what you find at the supermarket. And sometimes we get something we've never cooked before which can make dinner fun and exciting.

Riverford have amazing customer service too. Have been really happy with them.

[GemmeFatale]

I’m in Gloucestershire (close to, but not in, Cheltenham) and would love a recommendation for a veg box scheme.