Anyone use Abel & Cole?

[SpeedyGonzalez]

If I buy a large fruit and veg box for 3-5 people, does that sound too much for a family with 2 adults (medium appetites), a 4 yo and a baby?

It does, doesn't it?

hmm. depends. i had that last week, and found not enough fruit, too much veg. much as i love abel and cole, i've had to be pickier than i expected about what i don't want. while i'm keen to try new things, most of the odd stuff is uncommon for a good reason! i'm struggling to use black salsify and jerusalem artichokes this week.

i'd go for a small or med veg and same fruit.

i do love using them. you always get nice treats too!

oh and we are 2 adults, 2 children 11 and 9, pretty big appetites.

Thanks for that - we eat quite a lot of fruit, and actually we're guzzling salads at the mo. Think I'll try making my own veg box.

Cheers for the tip!

i have been ordering a weekly basics from them too - eg milk, eggs, bacon, sausages, a loaf of bread; their chicken legs/wings are totally delicious and not much more expensive than supermarket stuff (i buy organic anyway). the boxes arrive really early in the morning, and i haven't had to do a tediously long supermarket shop in weeks. i'm really happy with them.

Yes, I was impressed to see how much their range has expanded, Judy. But I think overall the cost is going to be a lot more for us if I do my whole shop with them. Pity.

I LOVE A&C!!

I would say a Medium fruits and veg box would do you as they give you quite a lot of each veg. I often top up with extra fruit depending on what is in the box each week as my DC;s love the apples and pears!

RE jerusalem artichokes - chop and fry in garlic and have instead of potatoes - delish! Haven't had to deal with salsify yet (thank GOd!)

I prefer riverford, though they are very similar. For our family of 4 adults, 2 children and a baby we order 1 large veg box and one medium fruit and veg box which gives us the basis for a vegetarian week. I use Lakeland green veg bags to keep any leftovers fresh for longer. I've had the odd week of 16 huge beetroot and currently have 20 leeks so you have to be organised and motivated. I think it is well worth the money and my veg works out 20% cheaper than via ocado.

couldn't agree more Parsnip - LAkeland bags and a good soup recipe book for the leftovers . I signed up for a veg box because we decided to eat less meat for health reasons and I needed to be taken out of my comfort zone as far as veg was concerned. And on the whole it has worked - I have really enjoyed tasting and cooking with new things, getting in touch with seasonality for the first time ever and we feel so much better for it.

Having (nannied for families who) used both able and cole and riverford i prefer riverford.
I know thats not your question, but if riverford deliver to your area as well i suggest trying them both for a few weeks, as you may prefer the other one!

Nannyl - yes, it's relevant because I'm thinking of trying them! Why do you prefer Riverford - friends of mine rave about them too, but have not tried a&c.

Ummm.... hard to put my finger on it really.
My charges (who had able and cole) were NOT at all fussy, they ate almost every thing including most normal veg.
But A&C always managed to send us wierd stuff that they just didnt like. We seems to get LOADS of cabbages / greens / onions, but maybe only 2 carrots. We ordered a (xkg) bag of jacket potatoes and the potatoe we got were almost football size!... Not ideal for jack pots for a 3 year old!
The grapes were always seeded.. just an extra hassel you dont need when you have to deseed every grape 1st!

Riverford seemed to give us more normal type stuff. It seemed to last longer (not be soft and squidgy after a few days) like stuff from A&C. The sizes were more normally nearer to "normal size" than A&C. I realise that size doesnt really matter, but carrots smaller than your little finger or almost as big as your lower arm, are less easy to use IMO

Nannyl, I can see how those things would cause irritation. Not a disaster, but as you say, extra unnecessary hassle when you're looking after young children.

Thanks for your thoughts!