The rising cost of fruit and veg

kingfisherblue

Have a look to see if there are any food co-operatives near you. Our local social housing company have one, and they run it in several areas of the town. You don't have to live in social housing to buy from them. You order and pay one week, and collect the following week. You don't get a choice of contents, but it is excellent value.

For £3 you can order a fruit, veg or salad bag. Typically, a veg bag contains a bag of potatoes, three or four large or medium carrots, plus four other items - examples are a cabbage, turnip, large head of broccoli, three onions, two leeks, or small pack of green beans.

Again typically, a fruit bag contains four each of apples, pears, oranges, bananas, plus two other items such as a melon, pineapple, punnet of strawberries or raspberries, a mango.

Salad bags contain lettuce, tomatoes, peppers, spring onions, cucumber and another item.

The food cooperative also sells six free range eggs for £1.

My local branch closed because of the lack of volunteers, but I've just joined another one nearby. I have to pass the venue - a primary school - sanyway, so it doesn't cost me any more on petrol.

Fire_Fox

Maybe eat more seasonally and price stuff up per kilo in a paper notepad or on a smartphone. Fruit is generally more expensive than veg, fresh more expensive than frozen, highly perishable items like salad and fresh berries are more expensive than longerlife like root veg.

Value/ Smartprice mixed dried fruit, whole fresh pineapple, frozen rhubarb (Farmfoods), frozen vegetables including leeks (Farmfoods) broccoli and green beans (discounters), frozen sweetcorn, whole red cabbage (Aldi), whole savoy cabbage (Aldi), bulk red onions (Tesco), fresh whole carrots, vacuum pack beetroot (Tesco), fresh parsnips, fresh swede, canned tomatoes are some of the cheapest stuff at present. Tesco also have a seasonal vegetable selection pack which is four of: carrot, swede, leek, parsnip, onion, turnip or Brussels sprouts at 67p a kilo so very reasonable.

All between 4p and 10p for an 80g to 100g serving at regular prices (taking trimmings/ waste into account where relevant, 30g serving for dried fruit) and there is the full rainbow of colours there. Instead of white potatoes which don't count towards your five to nine a day, you might eat more beans, lentils or sweet potato all of which do count.

Seanymph

Farm shops rather than farmers markets are cheaper. I too am buying 25kg bags of potatoes, and onions by the sack.

It works out much cheaper for anything seasonal.

[Deleted User]

I am another one who uses the local greengrocer ,especially on a Monday morning as he will often reduce stuff,carrots,greens etc.OK they may not be packed as prettily as the SM but I don't eat the packaging, and when peeled and chopped the shape of them is irrevelant.
Now and again I will go to the Hempstead Valley shops (only a bus ride away) and buy M&S fruit and veg Usually on a Tuesday morning as they have spledid reductions then and a 50p M&S cabbage is far superior to a SM one even when reduced.If fact M&S reduced F&V are great and excellant value.I spend about a third of my budget on F&V so I like stuff that will last and taste good.At the moment in my conservatory I have a mango that I will chop and use in a tub of plain yohurt today, and a pineapple that I bought last week for 50p that I will chop and put in the fridge to nibble on over the weekend instead of chocolate because of Lent :)

I have noticed potatos have gone up quite a bit over the past few weeks and now I look for a decent bag of Maris Piper and hoepfully there are a few in there that can be used as bakers.Last bag I bought I had at least three that were ideal for baking, so they get sorted apart from the rest.

I do have a bag of mixed veg in the freezer for times when the prices get too steep in the late winter,but soon hopefully we shall have some good weather and the farmers can get their stuff growing again They have had an awful year of constant rain flooding their fields and it must be heartbreaking to see all your work destroyed. I do try to stay away for the big SMs if I can , but I am lucky that I live in an area where I can get to the farm shop quite easily My local farm shop also does huge freezers full of loose veg so you can grab a bag and help yourself to whatever amount you need and it will be weighed up for you,great idea as there is no advertising to pay for and it helps local farmers sell their stuff.I do like to help local suppliers if I can

VfM4meplse

frosty wrote: »

Tesco have 3 tins of John west strawberries in fruit juice for a £1.I decided to buy a dozen tins.

Thanks, will make a handy addition to my baking goodies.

I'm so lucky that I live within walking distance of a reliable fruit stall. There are plenty of grocers around, but they are more expensive and the quality is variable.

cutestkids

I have been buying the 12.5 kg sacks of potatoes in Morrisons at the moment they are £5.95 (this time last year they were £2.00 for the same size).

I buy the 5 kg bags of onions from Lidl as they last really well I think I have only had about 3 bad ones out of 4 bags ofthem.

We also have a fruit and veg van that comes round, you can either order a veg box which they make up but you don't get to choose or you buy what you want direct from the van, he also does free range eggs, cheese, bacon, fresh orange juice and fish so I get as much as I can from him and the rest at the market or Morrisons.

Towser

Even if they are getting more expensive what is the alternative? I can't get everything from the market.

Aren't they still the cheapest of the cheap? If not do tell 'cos I could do with reducing my bill more.

I definitely think ASDA is more expensive if not the same price for most things. Their quality is better in Aldi. For my basket anyway.

It sounds as if it does depend on the management of the store as to freshness.

welshee

Aldi is terrible for veg or at least it was this week.
Pack of stew veg, 3 rotten carrots and 2 dodgy onions Pre-packed.
6 bananas 2 went in the bin Pre=packed.
Couldn't check the pre-packed stuff although did try to.


but the meat was excellent 1.5kg chicken £3.29 eating today and stewing steak was great (no fat or gristle).
But very disappointed with veg.

HappyMJ

welshee wrote: »

Aldi is terrible for veg or at least it was this week.
Pack of stew veg, 3 rotten carrots and 2 dodgy onions Pre-packed.
6 bananas 2 went in the bin Pre=packed.
Couldn't check the pre-packed stuff although did try to.


but the meat was excellent 1.5kg chicken £3.29 eating today and stewing steak was great (no fat or gristle).
But very disappointed with veg.

Make sure you take it all back. Aldi have a money back guarantee on all their products. Even if you cooked the product take the packaging back and maybe take a photo using your camera on the phone. They will happily refund any purchase you are disappointed with.

You said 2 bananas went in the bin...if you returned them they would have refunded the whole pack. It's well worth doing.

welshee

HappyMJ wrote: »

Make sure you take it all back. Aldi have a money back guarantee on all their products. Even if you cooked the product take the packaging back and maybe take a photo using your camera on the phone. They will happily refund any purchase you are disappointed with.

You said 2 bananas went in the bin...if you returned them they would have refunded the whole pack. It's well worth doing.

The taxi would have cost me £7..:rotfl: