a month without supermarket - new challenge for 2011 starts at post 1013

belleabi0405

I've managed to order a vegetable box from a local supplier, hoorah, thank you to all for wonderful help. I'm now going to order some meat from (I think) Donald Russell and I was thinking of buying one of these to help keep the fruit and veg fresh for longer, any views?

http://www.freshpod.uk.com/

I've heard someone mention vegetable bags but this seems a little easier and more cost effective to me.

the_optimist

I should really be working but just spent a lovely morning wandering round the market, buying fruit and chatting to some stall holders and other customers. Then I bought some meat from the butchers, and also worked out what the weird green thing in my veggie box was (Cavelo Nero, until today never heard of it. I love my veggie box!)
And on top of all that, it didn't rain, what more could one wish for!

kscour

Dameon1024

Never seen the pods before

these are the bags
http://www.lakeland.co.uk/product.aspx/!1932_1094_1092

you can reuse the bags but then the pods seem simpler. Although the bags may work out cheaper depending on how many you use at a time - you can wash them and reuse them several times so if you didn't need many at a time they would last an awful long time.

Then again I've found by fruit and veg is lasting longer anyway now - must be miles fresher than supermarket! We had muchrooms today that I bought on Saturday and they were still like freshly picked, if I'd got them from tescos they'd have been dead a couple of days ago.

So in short my views are - no idea sorry:o

Optimist
Sounds like you had a lovely morning bet you feel like you're floating on a little cloud at the moment! You don't get that feeling from shopping in Tescos:D

Right I'm off to bake a trillion welsh cakes at school to raise some much needed money for the school funds:eek: - wish me luck, they are a very critical if very very appreciative bunch of children and I have to break the news to them I haven't made smartie welsh cakes this year_pale_

rach

well, mainly from storecupboard ingrediants plus eggs and marg from one of the corner shops, i made 36 chocolate buns and a tray of brownies. it probably wasn;t that much cheaper than buyin donuts, but healthier, and the local shops got the cash instead of the supermarket!!

am going to have a stab at making some cereal bars now. my friend says she just chucks everything in so i will do the same!!!

little_miss_thrifty

kscour wrote:

Then again I've found by fruit and veg is lasting longer anyway now - must be miles fresher than supermarket!

Just bought loads of veg at the local farm shop - including some leeks and a cabbage for the dragon (no not the MIL!!) - both grown by the farmer and probably not even 2 miles from my house! Bought cheese and ham from the butcher (and even my 4 year old commented on how 'scrumcious' the ham was!!) I always buy farm shop ham anyway, but this from the butchers was even better.
Got some store cupboard things from a large, non chain 'superstore' (funnily enough, it used to be a Tesco's!!) and the SMUGNESS continues in my house because even if i didn't save a few £'s, i am so pleased at what i have bought as it was local!:T :T
Gonna have a cup of tea now, then chop up all my veg and freeze it.
Thanks all xx

lil_me

The fruit and veg selection is great. The meat is another story.

I ordered all these fresh sausages x 2, bacon, mince, pork loin chops, chicken. The total for that was £34. The sausages - one pack frozen solid, other pack half frozen which stink and nasty brown colour, bacon the same half frozen horrid colour and stinks! mince half frozen, chicken half frozen, loin chops half frozen.

I ordered fresh as I wanted fresh due to lack of freezer space, they said it's packed with ice pack and should arrive fresh. Ice pack - there wasn't one. Icepack wouldn't freeze sausages solid, the sausages are full of ice looks like freezings been done badly. Not in the slightest impressed! She said 'It's ok just freeze it' Problem - no freezer space, so now what I have is dramatically reduced in shelf life as is previously frozen. They are supposed to be refunding these items. First experience, not a good one!

Thankfully fruit and veg lady arrived as 3 carrots for example won't last me long, good variety included just not many of what we usually use and isn't worth the £25 they charge for it usually IMO. No apples, bananas, onions etc for example.

What I got in the box that is usually £25- 3 parsnips, 3 carrots, 3 cooking apples, 6 kiwis, 4 courgettes, mango, celery (friend has this) 2lb potatoes, 3 pears, 4 boiled beetroots, cos lettuce, cucumber.

little miss thrifty my dragon likes cabbage too, his faves strawberries but he gets covered in the juice.

catznine

Really sorry that your order wasn't up to scratch. Luckily mine was ok the meat turned up today and was chilled rather than frozen. The only thing that puzzled me was the 3lb chicken was a 2lb pork loin joint but looks very nice. I guess the proof will be in the eating!

I am surprised that your fruit/veg order was so different to mine, maybe it came from a different distribution centre Luckily I like pumpkin (soup) and I eat celery like sweeties!:D

Hope you get your refund asap.

I also got on the same delivery the meat order from Jimmys and that all looked good as well. All but the bacon hock is now tucked up in the freezer.

I am sorry but I am feeling very smug and content as I now do not have to go anywhere near the shops :j I hate the whole supermarket experience, the lighting makes me feel ill and the noise doesn't help. Now I am so much calmer. My spending is down as well!

Catz x

little_miss_thrifty

lil_me wrote:

little miss thrifty my dragon likes cabbage too, his faves strawberries but he gets covered in the juice.

Ooo, i'll have to pm you or it may turn into a pet thread!!

lil_me

I really don't know what difference there was catzine, but not impressed one little bit! The veg box I was puzzled with too as I would have expected them to be the same. She said all sent from same place, maybe luck of the draw someone nasty packed mine! But anyway, I now have to find out what to do with the bits I've never used myself before which will be fun. Back to local F&V lady & farm shop for me, but was worth a try, like I always say don't knock it until you've tried it.

Popping out with my sister to a different area tomorrow as I need to take her to order her carpets and pay for them, so I am going to be a little nosey while I am there with independant traders, markets etc.

catznine

Hi Lil_me! If you get stuck with the beetroot I can recommend the chocolate beetroot cake recipe that is somewhere on here, it really is better than it sounds!;) Most things will freeze but I know you don't have the space in the freezer. Our favourite recipe for courgettes (wish I had got some of them) is to slice them and lightly fry in olive oil and garlic, put into an ovenproof dish and top with a tin of chopped tomatoes. Sprinkle on some breadcrumbs and some grated cheese and bake in oven until cheese is golden brown.

Enjoy your exploring tomorrow!

Catz x