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Welcome to Mumsnet's shopping board. Whether you are after a new family car or a great new coffee machine this is the board for you. Share product recommendations and reviews here. Related: Discuss clothes and fashion on our Style and beauty forum. Check out Swears By to find the products Mumsnetters love and our reviews section to see the best baby and child products put through their paces.
Shopping
Does anyone get fruit and veg boxes delivered to your door?
BubblesDeVere · 05/04/2005 18:06
Has anyone tried, or does anyone buy fruit and veg boxes which are delivered to your door.
I have finally found an organic fruit and veg supplier in our area that delivers (thanks to the You are What you eat dvd).
I have placed an order which will be coming on friday and i wonder if anyone has any experience of buying their fruit and veggies this way
NotQuiteCockney · 05/04/2005 18:09
I do this - Abel and Cole.
It takes a little while to get used to, there have been a lot of vegetables I didn't really cook before, and all of a sudden, I've got them in my kitchen! So I wait a week and throw them out ...
But now I use 90%+ of the veg we buy. And I've found out how much I love a lot of vegetables I didn't really eat before, like cabbage!
Does your scheme let you exclude certain vegetables and fruits?
BubblesDeVere · 05/04/2005 18:13
NGC, yes it does, can also buy fresh herbs, seeds, milk, bread, eggs, meat, jam, etc and the list goes on and on and on, most of it is organic, do you tend to find that its better quality and works out cheaper.
snafu · 05/04/2005 18:26
Yes, I've just had my first Abel & Cole box today - great excitement (see thread lol). It contained the world's biggest swede, amongst other things.
I'm hoping that I'll have a bit of staying power and not end up throwing 75% out and then cancelling in a few weeks. I am a bit crap like that. But so far today I have made some delicious soup with the jerusalem artichokes - something I'd never even eaten before - and am full of good resolutions. I think it's a great idea.
cori · 05/04/2005 18:30
We have just cancelled our Abel and Cole box. We had it delivered for four weeks. We found the quality poor. On each occassion we had to throw someting out because it was rotten, crushed ,or about to go off. Also we didnt think it was value for money.
However we may resume our order after if there Quality control manager gets back in touch with as promised in two weeks time.
bensmum3 · 05/04/2005 19:56
When we lived in Devon we used to get an organic veg box from Riverford farm, we always found the quality very good and used up everything in the box, a great inspiration to us as we now grow most of our own organic veg.
OldieMum · 05/04/2005 20:19
I have had a few, small gripes with Abel and Cole over rotten fruit and veg, but they have always dealt with complaints (sent by e-mail) by putting in a replacement the following week. I have also had no problems like this for a while. Sorry you had this disappointment, Cori.
whatsername · 05/04/2005 20:34
I use Abel and Cole too, and I'm very happy with them (expecting a delivery tomorrow). I am having a 'box' for the first time, I usually just order from the extra's selection. Have had a couple of things go off pretty quickly - mainly because the quantities are a little unpredictable - 15 tiny apples one week, 4 huge ones the next - but I've had far more problems with food from Tesco's.
My plan was to get my veggies delivered and just do a Tesco shop very infrequently to top up, thus lowering my spending. Unfortunately it's backfired big time so far, mainly due to me forgetting to place an order and running out of stuff. My own fault for being disorganised really.
motherinferior · 05/04/2005 21:02
And Abel and Cole is of course delivered by muscular, occasionally semi-clad, Antipodeans. Which is IMO not to be sniffed at.
Unless sniffing, of course, is your thing.
Bellie · 05/04/2005 21:07
We have abel and cole too - found them to be really good - although I do know what you mean whatsername about the quantities - one week we had 11 oranges!! However I have now gone from someone who only liked mushrooms and carrots to someone that eats cabbage, broccoli, jerusalem artichokes and cauliflower - draw the line at sprouts though
whatsername · 05/04/2005 21:11
MI, sadly, my box, is delivered by a short fat grey haired bloke...
BubblesDeVere · 06/04/2005 08:05
Thanks everyone for your input.
I have ordered my first fruit and veg boxes from The Organic Pantry which is to be delivered on Friday, but, due to all the recommendations from mumsnet especially, i have registed with abel and cole and will order a box from them next week so that i can compare the two, i like abel and cole especially because we can get fresh fish and soya milk etc.
meysey · 06/04/2005 22:48
I get Abel & Cole too and have found the food always tastes better than supermarket organics. Am now getting more and more stuff from them, good meat and the eggs are cheaper than organic eggs from Sainsburys. It's fun to try new recipes. And no I don't work for the company!
arwen · 07/04/2005 08:58
Riverford organic deliver to quite a wide radius. I've never met anyone who had any complaints about them, (loads of my friends get a box delivered) and they are quite a bit cheaper than abel and cole.
www.riverford.co.uk
whatsername · 07/04/2005 21:01
Just to add to this - I had my box delivered yesterday, and for the first time I had a complaint. Three courgettes, in a bag, all gone bad. I emailed them last night to complain and had a reply first thing apologising and offering a refund. V impressive, I thought.
BubblesDeVere · 07/04/2005 22:19
Well, my first fruit and veg box is being delivered tomorrow so we will have to wait and see, looking forward to it though
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