Vegboxes?

vij

julie_d wrote: »

I tried Able and Cole for 2 weeks. A small amount of dirty/muddy herbs,fruit and veg arived mid week. You end up staying in and waiting for it or risk it being pinched from the door step as I live on a main road.
To begin you fill out a questionare of likes and dislikes and when the box arives you have to meal plan around what came in the box.
It was not for me and I returned to supermarket shopping for larger quantity and convenience.

My experience is the same as yours, and I found the veg was really quick to go bad as well. Even compared with supermarket organic and stuff from my allotment, as far as Im concerned - never never again

zfrl

I use a local one Eden Farms. Veg box once a fortnight. The quality and price are both good. They will change the contents to suit and are very flexible if you need to cancel on short notice. Have been with them for about 3 years now.
It does make you think & try out new recipes & ideas.

esmf73

Having worked for one of these companies - NOT mentioned here, I can say that although they try to give top class produce often the packers have no idea of how they should put things in the bags. Putting potatoes on top of tomatoes is great if you like your tomatoes squashed. Organic veg does seem to go off quicker despite it being kept in refridgerated storage. The boxes are often packed the previous morning and stored overnight - so there is the chance that veg that has gone over might not be spotted before being packed.

Personally I'd either farm it myself from my own garden or get it from a local farmers market. I wouldn't use a delivery company.

KarrieBee

We tried riverford and weren't impressed but now get one from a local woman who runs the scheme herself and it is very very good. We pay £10 for a mixed veg box and that is fine for OH and I for the week - we still buy fruit from the market as this tends to be more an as and when we fancy it type thing.
It gets delivered on a friday and we meal plan from then. I've found we eat more healthily as you plan meals around veg rather than meat.
HTH

anniemf2508

i've just taken the plunge and ordered a mixed fruit and veg box from a local company. It costs £20 for a large one (enough for 3-4 people). we'll see what turns up

misscousinitt

I have never used one of the bigger companies for my veg, but have been using a small local company for a number of years.

As I know him quite well, I can specify particular items I don't like - like celery, green peppers and celariac (yuk!), so that is a distinct advantage.

As there are only 2 of us I have a half bag (plus mushrooms) that is £5.50 which is delivered on a Wednesday so I get to plan the weeks meals and still have the opportunity to pick up any odds and ends I need extra.

It is a little expensive but the quality is generally very good - and again, as its a one man band, if there are any problems its easier to get them resolved.

Doom_and_Gloom

I really miss my veg box delivery . It was amazing to have as it tasted as I think fruit and vegetables should taste, the guy who ran it was amazing and would give me ideas for the food and even tell me the best way to cook/prepare the produce to get the best flavour. It's a shame they aren't around anymore (very recently) and that I've lived in the wrong area for a year as it was run for the local area the owners were in.

I used to get a box every 2 weeks that cost £15 (medium mixed box) and as a vegan I eat a lot of fruit and vegetables. I had more than enough potatoes but my partner loved coming home to home made chips thankfully :rotfl:(also saved us the buying of frozen chips, as he eats them a lot, so had more space in the freezer). I did have to top up on fruit and some vegetables around 4-5 days before my next box but it made it easier for me. I spent around £40 a month back then on food so it wasn't all that bad (obviously some months more as it would depend if it was a 2 or 3 delivery month). It kept me from going out and buying more food than I needed. I naturally gravitated to the green grocers instead of supermarkets for the top ups and when I needed something like rice or other staples I bought them from from the local shop such as a health store. Also as I wasn't out food shopping as much it let me use my time on things I needed to do; homework, cleaning, spending time with the mice I had at the time, research etc :T.

I've been trying to 'talk' my parents into letting me have a box from a local supplier here but they just aren't keen on the idea. They think it costs a lot but I found that as you know the veg box will be coming in x days you make do or only buy just enough to get to the next one saving you money.

I think you should try out a few (most let you do a one off to try) and see if you like any of them. If you don't you don't have to carry on. If you do you can work out a system with it that works for you.