Value for money or not? Veg box buyers opinions needed

gazza975526570

I think they do sound very expensive - tbh that amount of veg wouldnt last 2 minutes!

The one listed above would last 2 meals max - guess i need to understand more how this part of the board works hey!!

Telute

I think the cost is partly due to them being delivered, partly due to them being organic and probably also down to 'what the market will bear'.

I've just run the contents of my box through mysupermarket and it gave prices ranging from £11 (Waitrose) - £8 (Sainsburys). This didn't include black salsify since nowhere stocks it. The waitrose trolley was all organic, but the sainsbury's one wasn't so wouldn't have been a fair swap. I think the organic side of things is probably responsible for most of the cost of what i get.

In terms of how i make it last - I've only got me to feed !

Boatie_Bird

I think mine represents pretty good value at 8.99.
My box is delivered to my place of work on a Friday lunchtime and 90% of the time it's all been picked that morning.
It's super, super fresh and always very tasty - no comparison to supermarket veg.
it also has the added advantage that 90% of it has been grown within a 20 mile radius of where I live.
But, each to their own I guess!

prettypennies

I get a weekly mixed box from Abel and Cole for £22.

http://www.abelandcole.co.uk/ThisWeek.aspx

My next delivery on Monday will contain (I will update with quantities when it arrives)

Arran Victory Potatoes
Bananas (Fairtrade)
Blood Oranges
CarrotsCauliflower
Celeriac
Courgettes
Green Pointed
Cabbage
Kiwi Fruit
Kohl Rabi
Larry Ann Plums
Leeks
Radish
White Onions

I also get my dairy stuff from them



I used to get mine from Low Leases farm which was slightly cheaper but the variety wasn't as good and I didn't know what I was getting til it arrived so harder to plan the week's meals.

HopeElizzy

I've been looking at the box schemes too. I think it's the lazy person in me as I usually go to the local market on saturday mornings to get my fruit and veg which means a walk with my wally trolley

Price-wise though the local market is really good. I can ask Ian, the greengrocer, whether it's local produce and make a decision based on that. Though it's not necessarily organic it's teaching me what is seasonal. I don't know about anyone else but because most produce is available all year around in supermarkets I don't know what is seasonal when!

So, last week I bought

• 5lb potatoes
• a large piece of broccoli
• a cauliflower
• a lettuce
• 3 baking potatoes
• 2lb onions
• 2lb carrots
• 3 bananas
• 4 Royal gala apples
• 10 satsumas
• 6 tomatoes
• and a lemon

this cost me a total of £7.60. Unfortunately no receipt so I can't tell you individual prices.

So, I'm not sure whether this is any help for comparisson or not :rolleyes:

lil_me

Thanks for the replies. I have not thought to price up at the local market, like was mentioned it wouldn't be organic but always good to give an idea of costings etc.

I'm still not convinced it'd be good for us, to be honest we'd need a larger box if it was to last us a week, going through about 12 pieces of fruit between us a day if not more........I'll keep debating with myself, probably get one to try at some point..

Lib001

Hi

I get a weekly oragnic box delivered through abel and cole. It has just recently gone up in price to £15.00 per week. This is a mixed fruit and veg box for 2-3 people (my husband and I always have left overs which I make soup with). All the goods are as local as poss, those that do come from abroad is shipped rather than flown in so feel a bit better doing our bit for the carbon etc!

This week we got
6 fairtade bananas
8 satsumas
6 apples
cherry tomatoes
Cabbage
2 broccoli
8 medium - small potatoes
aubergine
6 carrots
1 large red pepper

I once complained about the quality of the onions they sent and they replaced them no quibble the following week.

studentgirl_2

I to have thought about get a fruit and veg box delivered, so I went for the able and cole large mixed box at £22.00 for it.

This was no were near enough for my family of one week I think there was only a hand full of spuds!!!!!!!! one dinner.

Think ill stick to the market for my vegs only £1 per bag of about 1kg. Also some lovley goods like vine toms at 1.60 per kg. Got 2 punnets of strawberrys for £. not allways wonderfull quality but well edable and cheep.

Atalanta

I have an organic fruit and veg box + eggs delivered by a local company. When I first started having it about 5 years ago I compared prices to the cost of the same things organic in the supermarket and found the cost was the same - but unlike the supermarket organic things the ones in the box were not covered in packaging and were much more local. What I get is not enough for the whole week but I supplement it by going to local greengrocers/markets and buying stuff there, some organic some not. Our market does have an organic fruit and veg stall but it is quite a lot more expensive than the regular stalls. So overall I think the cost with box schemes comes from the fact that the produce is organic but that it is not any more expensive (with mine anyway) than buying the same organic stuff from a shop. I am very happy with my box scheme - the quality is excellent and if there occasionally is a problem they always send extra the following week.

C1aire

I know there are a couple of other veg box threads on here, but having read them I am a little confused. Some people seem to be able to find veg boxes for less than a tenner, but i can't ! I live in North London (N19) and am only feeding myself. Can anyone recommend a good veg box service for less than a tenner a fortnight or am I being totally unrealistic in this?