Fruit and veg boxes - are they good value for money?

Penelope_Penguin

Ballerinacaz wrote: »

Hmm yep, just had a look at the list and you're right, the sweet potato, aubergine, garlic and red pepper all come from spain, the lettuce is from france and the tomatoes are from italy...

None of those things are in season in North Yorks at the moment, so they'll all be imported at this time of year.

Penny. x

Ballerinacaz

Penelope_Penguin wrote: »

None of those things are in season in North Yorks at the moment, so they'll all be imported at this time of year.

Penny. x

Yep, I think we're agreeing on that one? xx

chrisico

I had a box delivered from Riverford for a couple of years and initally the quality and quantity was great but sadly it deteriorated over time,and as vegetarians we eat a lot of veg! The last straw was bendy carrots, a cucumber you could almost fold in half and cabbage already going yellow! Three onions for 5 people for seven days was also a bit mean.

As I was paying 'top dollar' I decided to see what I could get locally for a similar price and in my area the best quality by far was Waitrose and the price (for non-organic) was cheaper. I only buy what's in season and grown in this country so that also brings the price down.

Chris

Penelope_Penguin

I used to use Farmaround, but now find that buying locally from the farm shop gets the best balance between quality and value for money

As this has fallen from the front page of OS, I'll add it to the existing thread.

Penny. x

pinklover

Hi all, been away this site like forever as has moved abroad for a while..now we're back here with me not working at the mo, We're keen to lower our monthly grocery spend..from a crazy £400/month for just two adults!( I know, I know!) to maybe around £250?! Or less?!

I cook almost everything from scratch, enjoy baking and cooking. I'm thinking of trying the meat and veg boxes option as that will stop me popping into shopes all the time ended up impluse buying other junks! Besides, I do think the quailty are better but how much the cost compare to shops? I'm thinking of ordering a monthly box for family size and freeze it to be used throughout month (£100) and fruit and veg boxes weekly(£15). Milk and bread etc just top up at local shop.

Can anyone recommend a good supplier for either both meat and veg box or separately? I'm in Swindon/oxford area.

Thanks for any help or advice!

redlady_1

Riverford Organics. Meat boxes are slightly different though as you will be paying alot more for your meat. There is a thread about the veg boxes on here somehwere but I am pants with a PC

vintagebrighton

They really aren't cost effective. Could you do a monthly online shop with a supermarket and then just get your fresh food daily? We have a fairly high shopping bill at £300pm for 3 adults but this does include all household cleaners and cat food for 2 big cats (and wine) and we aren't gonna cut down just yet. We budget the £300 and put whatever's left from the online shop into a separate pot and spend that throughout the month on fresh food. It does focus your mind seeing that money dwindle!

We did try the veg boxes for a month but although they're organic and the quality was good there wasn't enough even for £16-£18pw and we ended up shopping for extra after about 4 days.

pinklover

Thanks a lot for the advice. I did tried the fruit and veg box once a few years back and also find the portion is a bit on the small side even though I don't eat an awlful lot of veg! Yes, I might try the option of one big shop online monthly and top up with little weekly. I'm really rubbish at budgeting, so only just learning. We also have 2 dogs, food and treats are £100 for them! They're on premium brands as one got sensitive tummy and wont take in the supermarket brands..so really we're eting like a family of 4!! Haha..

rinabean

If you buy organic in the supermarket, an organic box is cheaper. But if you're buying conventional, it won't be. I don't know if non-organic boxes are cheaper than supermarkets in the same way the organic ones are.

I can recommend Riverford's vegetables, though the boxes are always a bit cabbage-heavy for my liking this time of year! I can't tell you about the meat as I'm vegan. I can recommend more meat-free meals, or meals with smaller meat portions, as a good way of saving money, though

Alison_Funnell

I have a real local one here in Kent, only local food, which is great but there are the season limitations. Used to use A&C and Riverford, I found them too expensive.