Eating well/healthily/ethically club - anyone interested?

[WK007]

Been getting fed up with buying nearly everything from supermarkets and eating out of tins and packets for ages and the programme about Sainsburys/Tesco has just tipped me over the edge. Now determined to buy fresh, ethical, local, raw stuff and not pre packaged supermarket gunk that's been meddled with in baffling ways.

Anyone want to join me (and stop me sliding back into the weekly Asda binge)?

So how far are you going? I have cut my Asda order down to once a fortnight and started getting a veg box and using a local farm shop for some of my meat.

Was thinking of aiming to only use Asda for staples like rice and pasta (and non food stuff) and trying to buy everything else locally. Part of my problem is I'm very picky about fruit and veg so end up buying the same stuff week in week out, which means most of the year I'm buying out of season. Would love to try and fruit and veg box to force me to eat whatever I get. How did you find the box - is the quality good? Was put off by a local shop that had half rotted stuff but still willing to give it a go. Have a fairly local farm shop I can get meat from too, just have to get myself organised.

Do you think it costs much more, if at all? Thats my major concern, don't have a bottomless budget.

I think it is costing more, but part of that is because I am still working myself into the new system. I was very efficient in my previous system. We have no local shops (well just a one that sells a bit of everything but v. limited range of fruit/veg). The veg is fine from the veg box but the fruit range is limited without spending lots. So we can get a fruit bag for about a fiver and this week it contained apples, pears and bananas. But DH and I are not keen on bananas and the DC have decided not to eat them this week. DD adores strawberries so I have been topping up on them at Asda still. I have been buying some meat at Asda and some at the farm shop. Also still dairy from Asda although I am thinking I might get a milkman.

i kinda do this i go through fazes i buy all local ethical far trade organic ect for a few months then get annoyed and start going back to supermarket!

So you've managed to get a bit of a mixed system then bozza. The veg box scheme here seems to do a reasonable price for fruit but it does just seem to be apples, oranges and bananas so not really a huge selection.

elclose - why do you get annoyed? Not being surly, just asking out of interest because I'm not always the best at sticking to things.

What really is the difference or pros/cons of buying from a local supplier compared to deliberately buying local (or at least UK produced) stuff from Asda?

dont know why i get annoyed really ! its in my nature i think
veg boxes always disappoint after a few weeks and i have tried 5 different ones, i am so picky also not any farm shops near by and i dont drive so tesco online just seem easy, got my second driving test in a fortnight so hopefully i will pass and be able to around a bit more

elclose - are there not any independent greengrocers/butchers that you can walk to? We haven't but I drive so I can manage. The box scheme we have gives you a bag of 3 varieties of fruit for £4.80 which is generally apples plus two others out of plums, bananas, pears, oranges so far. I am struggling to get through the oranges (we never eat them normally - too messy) and the bananas because DH and I are not keen. Everything else disappears quite easily. Or you can spend more on a fruit box and get 5/6 varieties which includes the basics plus extras like maybe melon, kiwi etc. This week I have ordered a mixed fruit/veg box for the first time. I don't want to have loads of stuff in because we are going off for a few days next Wednesday.

hi bozza i have changed my name to ELR from elclose anyway yes fruit and veg not too much of a problem as one round corner but quality not fab also like to get organic if i can we have got loads of turkish greek and asian food shops near by so get loads from them too but its all imported and not organic, local butcher not too far but again i like to get organic or free range meat if i can.
i am just praying i pass driving test soon

what veg boxcompany do you use

Hello, thought I'd join in. We get an Abel & Cole veg box each week, which has cut down massively on the amount we spend at Tesco. You can select veg/fruit you don't like on the site, so you don't end up with inedible food, and you can opt out of something just for the next week so if you end up with loads of oranges you can avoid them the next week (we've started squeezing ours for the juice, can't be bothered peeling and eating either!). You can order specific fruit/veg as an extra too, and they supply other types of food as well.

Do you have a local market? I get extra fruit from ours as the box is quite basic.

I think the benefits of ordering a veg box or buying local rather than buying UK produce from the supermarket is that you're supporting the local economy, you don't get a mass of unnecessary packaging and you know it's not mass-produced, treated with chemicals etc.

katy i used to get able and cole but after a few months got a bit fed up with quality they are one of the more expensive too but quite good with customer service also the fruit bread is delish

Hi katybird!!!

ELR - thats me as well, I'm very picky about the quality of my fruit and veg so if its not ood I'll probably be tempted back to Asda.

I've ordered a veg box from a company local to me, won't be here for about a week but I'll see if its any good!

ooohh am going to lurk but am skint

is buying from a local greengrocer ok if its not organic?

well its supporting local bussiness i suppose but even they get all their stuff from abroad well alot of it anyway

I think a local greengrocer is better in principle but you have to eat in season, so they don't have to import it all the time.

oh i do eat in season

normally buy from local organic farmers market guy

but am going to have to stop that as he costs lots of pennies

My box if from River Swale (I live in the north) but there are sister farms, Riverford and another that serve other areas of the country. I have been happy with the delivery and service so far. The only thing is tht you can't substitute items. I look through the various options and choose which one suits me for that week. I often get a small or mini veg box and a fruit bag. But last week I got a medium box and so have loads of potatoes and carrots. So this week I got a fruit and veg box which didn't contain either. I am having to change my ways slightly and havent't totally got into the swing of the new system.

fillyjonk - yep, pity it has to cost so much more. There's a lady at our farmers market who sells gorgeous veg really cheap but she only ever has cauliflower, leeks and parsley - I can't live off that

bozza - the Riverford one is the one I've ordered, I wasn't too bothered about substitutions but I hope its not going to be overloaded with one thing like yours - have to wait and see. Its all so complicated!!!

hi i used riverford for a while quality of veg quite good but fruit wasa little dissappointing at times plus i did not like the driver but they have changed now so may go back to them, the best i used was uk5organics just a one man operation he was good and veg was good too but again fruit was dodgy!! i am really badi must change and cancel my order about 5 times a week

I think if you are going for seasonal stuff you are going to tend to get a glut of one thing. I posted a while back about leeks and what to do with them but they seem to have settled down now. I have only met my driver once - he leaves it in the playhouse when I am at work.

I gave up supermarkets about a year ago and haven't looked back. We get veg/fruit from Riverford box scheme and we are v. lucky to have an ethical shop near us (if you're anywhere near Melksham please go to Who Cares - a wonderful shop who aim to make ethical living affordable).

Filly, how are you? Will your allotment help soon?