Alternatives to supermarket re: fresh foods

Jo_R_2

Hello!

Am in process of overhauling our shopping habits... Have been reading some of the threads to get a feel for what others here do.

Currently do weekly shop at supermarket, with a midweek top-up of fresh stuff (fruit, veg, chilled.) This has worked to save us throwing away fresh stuff we don't use by end of week.

However I am looking to now refine further and investigate different options re: frequency of shop, places to buy from, bulk buying and so on. Am keen on idea of freezing in bulk so want to look into best places to buy from (ie not just supermarket), also where to buy fresh fruit/veg from.

I must confess that much as I hate the whole principle of supermarkets, we do use the online facility mostly simply because it's most convenient for us (or should that be me - I drive, work full-time and handle our budget, boyfy doesn't do any of these :rolleyes:

We do eat as a family very often (us two plus two-year-old), and quite like idea of looking into veg boxes, farm shops, but not sure where to start really as am a bit of a novice! Also bulk buys - we have been to cash and carry a couple of times, I wouldn't know where to start with meat stuff as both me and daughter are vegan/veggie!

Any little tips or experiences welcomed, just trying to get a feel of alternatives out there.

Cheers!

muddled_midget

I get a veg box delivered to my bf's house every weekend, I use what I need while I'm there, and when I go back the w/e after, anything that's left I make a soup with, so it works out quite well for us. (I pay £3.50/week for potatoes, carrots, onions, leeks, parsnips and then 2 'mystery items' such as cauliflower, swede, kale or beetroot, which I think is good value) When I'm at uni I try and use our local greengrocer (part of a chain in the West country) as they try and source as much local produce as possible, and I can normally get 2 or 3 carrier bags of veg for less than a fiver.
Other options would be local markets, which I think are better value towards the end of the day as they reduce their prices to try and get rid of it. I buy a lot of veg reduced, and then come home and cook pasta sauces or bolognese with it, and then freeze in individual portions, a kind of homemade ready meal using the cheapest ingredients. I think soup can also be frozen like this although I've never tried.
Asian shops tend to be best for bulk buying of lentils and rice, but I also have no idea on the meat as I'm also a veggie.
Basically I think explore all the options in your local area, but I definitely recommend the box sheme. https://www.bigbarn.co.uk will help you find out about schemes in your area, and also has some other advice about buying locally
HTH

Dora_the_Explorer_5

Check out your local farm shop and farmers markets. If boyfy isn't up for shopping give him a spade and packets of seeds - the cheapest and best fruit and veg is what you grow yourself and you know what it's been sprayed with which I guess is important to you.

Iona_Penny

I try and get my fruit and vegetables at the local (small) market thet comes to town every Friday and Saturday. It is lovely quality produce (yes you can pick your own if you want) and the value is great compared to the supermarket. I even found that if I go when they are packing up for the day they offer you even more for your money (18 green/yellow bananas for £1 and a small netted bag of onions for £1 !)

The only thing I have to do is plan it into my day; I need the car to carry the stuff home and if I have something else on after work on Friday then it is much harder to get there. However the savings are huge and it does keep really well.

Gingham_Ribbon

We have an excellent greengrocers near us that sells organic fruit and veg. It opens late some nights.

We save money using this partly because we don't buy things we don't need pottering round a supermarket.