organic food boxes

[ohsotirednic]

What do people think about the organic veg/ fruit boxes that you can have delivered?

I think they're great. We get an organic vegetable bag from Farmaround. It's always really good quality and because you don't choose exactly what's in it, you don't get into a supermarket rut of buying/cooking the same things all the time. It's good value too compared with what you would pay for the same in say, Sainsbury's.

We previously used Abel and Cole. I'm not such a big fan of theirs as the vegetables often weren't that fresh but lots of people seem to like them.

we get a veg box from river nene organics (think they just cover east mids/east of england but hav sister farms elsewhere), it costs £8.50 a week for the smallest box which usually does us ok (me, dh and ds who is 14 mo) the veg are always really good and fresh - you get emailed a couple of days before delivery so you know what you are getting. There are always spuds, onions and carrots tho! Sure i would pay more for what i get from a supermarket.

We get them every 2 weeks or so. We use Northern Harvest who cover north west England. There's loads of choice or fruit, veg, meat, fish etc and works out better value than supermarkets

Bit mixed from me. We had a veg box from Farmaround North for about a year but have stopped getting it.

The veg was good quality, tasted lovely, fresh, etc.

It was very convenient for it to be delivered weekly toot was cheaper item per item than buying the same produce at the supermarket

But

When menu planning it was hard to do in advance as I didn't know what was going to arrive

I found we got the same kind of thing all the time, esp within the same seasons - so variety was lacking at times

We sometimes recieved things we don't like, which was a pain - fennel and sprouted beans. Despite telling them we didn't want them they still came

It doesn't last as log as some other veg; so we did get waste

A fair bit of the items receieved came from afar, so air miles were a concern

should also have said, in sparse weeks they do top our box up with stuff from elsewhere/overseas but it is never air-freighted.

I don't know whether to go with a local scheme (food miles?) or with a national?

We get a Riverford box - they're FAB There is loads in the box - lots of extras to choose from and easy to do on the web. Definatley couldn't get organic stuff at the prices they charge down at the local supermarket. Used to get Abel and Cole - very unimpressed - hardly anything in the box and found that the root veg were often all soft in the middle.

any on know of any that would deliver in the northants area please x

A huge vote for Abel & Cole here. Good produce, really efficient service and helpful staff and a brilliant website - dead easy to change orders, add stuff, add dislikes if you're sick of something etc.

I really like everything I've ever heard about their ethics too.

I think I would be tempted to try a local scheme first if you can find one, simply because it IS local, but if you go national I wouldn't hesitate to recommend Abel & Cole.

I use River Nene and get a minibox deliverd fortnightly (as it's all my budget will allow at the moment). But they do the tastiest blood oranges ever and I get two bags (14 oranges) delivered with my box which are usually devoured within 2-4 days just by me

I've been using Abel & Cole for over a year and they have been excellent. Everything really fresh and you know in advance what is going to be in the box so you can menu plan.

I've found it has really broadened the variety of fruit and veg we eat. Also I get cheese, butter, milk & yogurt. Although individually things may be more expensive I find I save money because I don't go to the supermarket so often.

The stuff does go off a little quicker but that is because it hasn't been sprayed with goodness knows what.

I've also tried Farmaround North and they were very good.

I think that there are too many bleeding parsnips, both in my box and in the entire cosmos. Other than that, I'm in favour.

Nic you should ttry a local scheme first. Fewer food miles and always good to support your local farmers.

Abel & Cole and Riverford are massive operations.

Love ours! Tastes soooo much better. Winter can be a little too many potatoes and parsnips, but there are lots of recipes out there!

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