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

Alison_Funnell

Spam reported

freyasmum

I also reported the spam.

However, to give credit where it's due signing up and waiting five years before being a pest takes some dedication :rotfl:

1jim

Spam reported also.. Which begs the question of how many spam clickies it takes to be removed?

Lizbetty

Hi everyone!

I'm planning a revolution in our house. I'm sick of being stressed over the state of the fridge, and the amount of meat my husband buys (which he says he really, really needs because he's a man) and I recently read on another thread about ordering veg boxes.

I hadn't considered it before as I thought it would be dearer and a lot would get chucked away, but it sounds like it's worth a try for us. We have 2 kids aged 5 and 6 and I would love for meals to revolve around veg instead of panicking over the cost of meat/whether we have any defrosted (and cooking it - I was veggie for years and am not used to handling it and cooking it, although I do), plus I find that buying bits of fruit and veg here and there means we forget what we have and a lot gets given to the rabbit/chickens.

We have had boxes given before as my husband has done some training for a firm who makes them up, and they were fab. I just wondered if anyone has any recommendations so I can compare prices, etc? Also, any suggestions on how to get organised once they're delivered? We have had it in the corner of the kitchen when we've been given them (still covered in mud), and some had gotten thrown away.. though we have used most! I'm not sure whether to go for one which includes fruit, or whether to try a medium one at first although there's 2 adults and 2 grown ups..

All advice/suggestions would be very welcomed.

TIA

Lucy x

Lizbetty

Oooh. Or is it the best idea..? I'm thinking it would give us a wider variety and force me to use different veg, as we're stuck in a rut with it. But then I'm doubting whether the extra money is actually worth it? What a dilemma...

daisy_butterfly

I toyed with the idea for a while but didn't want to spend the money just to test it out!!

I looked at a company called Riverford - it gives you a list of what is in their box this week on their website.

Instead of buying the box, I checked what they had in their box and then bought it in the supermarket! I did that for a few weeks just to test it out!

We did decide that it wasn't for us as my BF doesn't quite get the idea of cooking from what we have in the fridge already!! He rather decides what he wants to eat and then get the ingredients to suit!!

Might be worth a try for you though!!

cooking-mama

ive tried a couple of different Veg delivery companies i the past,and whilst they all started off very good i inevitably found the contents decreased and the prices increased,these were 3 different organic companies(more expensive right away due to being organic)..However at The Good Food show last October i discovered The little Veg Co(local to Glasgow and surrounding areas tho),and they have been terrific value and excellent quality,not organic,but all fresh and local,i get a £20 mixed fruit n veg box fortnightly(in between i buy from supermarkets as i still want some element of choice)..
my advice would be to try localy first and only choose organic if that is something you are specificaly intereted in.

attentionseeker1

I used to get one delivered fortnightly- tried Riverford and Abel and Cole. Riverford is slightly cheaper and no delivery charge but Abel and Cole allow you to opt out of having certain items in your box if you really loathe them so nothing wasted (they give you something else instead).

It is definitely more expensive than buying non-organic in the supermarket and quantities not always huge but we definitely thought it made us eat more vegetables and we tried some new things that you can't get in the supermarket (like rainbow chard- delicious!).

Due to the expense, we are now mixing between getting fruit and vegetables from the supermarket and going round the local greengrocers/Turkish shops to get fresh, ripe fruit and vegetables.

Toxic_Lemon

I've tried most of the veg boxes in my area and then stopped them and started again over the last 5 years. I've stuck with Abel and Cole now for a few reasons. Their service is excellent, they occasionally give you free stuff (free wild garlic this week, free parsley last week, Veggie cookbook worth £12.99 at Xmas, etc). Also, I can have a look what's in the various boxes each week and opt out altogether or say which veg I want to skip for a week or never receive. I haven't found that flexibility with other companies. The veg recipes they put in the box and on their website are really good and varied.

They take back the previous box for you when they deliver. All chilled food is stored in frozen packs and wool (great insulator). In general, I like the ethos of the company and am happy to support them. My weekly shopping has reduced from £80 per week at Waitrose to about £15-£30 per week, depending on what I order. I usually order a chicken as well as the flavour is simply outstanding and it comes with giblets! If I run short of the odd thing (loo rolls, milk, etc) I add it to my order and it's delivered a day later. (I order by Monday midnight and receive it by 7.30am on Wednesday, but obviously that's for my area.)

I would guess that if you Googled Veg Boxes in your particular area, you may find lots of smaller and cheaper local/co-operative schemes which may suit you. Personally, I don't like ending up with stuff I don't like, hence supporting Abel and Cole. And I am more limited in some ways, living in central London.

hex2

well worth googling for local schemes

I have tried two local organics and A&C. All are good but I now use local milk man at £13 for a huge banana box full of mixed F&V. Repetitive contents but v good value against Tesco.