Food boxes

Herbie

Herbie

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Location
Staffordshire, England
In the UK it has become quite a thing to get a food box delivered from specialist suppliers, so fish box, vegetable/salad/fruit box and meat boxes. Some from a single producer and some a local scheme, some organic.

These are generally good quality. My budget is far lower than it was so I now get a delivery form a local green grocer. Not specialist but I get a lot of my money and my fridge/cupboard is always stocked with fruit, veg and salad. They deliver three days per week and I just text him when I want a box. I usually get one every ten days. The quality is better than a supermarket especially the potatoes, carrots and sprouts I have found. This week for £15 I got:
  • apples
  • pears
  • bananas
  • oranges
  • spring onions
  • lettuce
  • tomatoes
  • cucumber
  • potatoes
  • onions
  • parsnips
  • swede
  • carrots (nice proper pointy ones with the greens still attached)
  • cauliflower
  • broccoli
  • sprouts
It makes be plan around what I have delivered. The only problem is if I want to cook Asian food so I sometimes take a break and go to the Chinese shop for supplies.

So do you get a box or two? Are they a 'thing' outside the UK?
 
We will never let someone else choose our food for us. It isn't a concept I can wrap my head around. There are co-ops that you can buy into here as well as complete meals that come in boxes. One company is called Blue Apron. The Co-ops pretty much give you what they have vege wise. Although I've never checked into the companies like Blue Apron, I'm sure I could make several meals for what they charge for one.:eek:
 
For our friends across the pond - services like Blue Apron, Hello Fresh, Home Chef Fresh Meal Kit and others ship a box of ingredients for a pre-planned meal. They have a menu of meals. The customer picks a meal and specifies the number of servings. DITTO @CraigC I have not used that kind of service nor do I plan to. The service is geared to busy families who do not have the time or inclination to plan meals but want to feel that they are eating home cooking.

Very different from what you are talking about @Herbie . I see where ordering a veggie box is very convenient especially if you trust your supplier and are satisfied with the quality. The price is right for the selection that you described. :happy:
 
CraigC said:
We will never let someone else choose our food for us. It isn't a concept I can wrap my head around. There are co-ops that you can buy into here as well as complete meals that come in boxes. One company is called Blue Apron. The Co-ops pretty much give you what they have vege wise. Although I've never checked into the companies like Blue Apron, I'm sure I could make several meals for what they charge for one.:eek:
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I think @The Late Night Gourmet once did a revue of Blue Apron. We have a couple of similar schemes in the UK where they send you everything you need, plus the recipes for several meals. They work out expensive!

The food boxes are different - they promote the best (often organic) produce. The kind of things you might not be able to find in a supermarket. I have used them for veg. once or twice. But I'm not sure they are that much a good value thing.

I shop using on-line supermarkets for almost all my food because I like the convenience. But with one on-line supermarket (Ocado) I can find produce I'm unable to get anywhere else - particularly vegetables. They do veg boxes too but I don't think they work out better value - and I'd rather choose which veg I want.
 
We used to get a Riverford veg box - it was always great quality and it was a good way to try new veg as there were often some of the more unusual veggies that you don't often see in the supermarkets. It was definitely more expensive than bog standard supermarket veg, though probably on a par with supermarket organic prices. I enjoyed it for the convenience and the fact that it forced you to experiment sometimes if there was something in there you weren't familiar with.

We cancelled it when we got the allotment and I do kind of miss it - I think having the veg box helped keep us out of a rut. We now buy our veg from Costco, the supermarket or the local market (when we have the time to get down there).
 
I get a Riverford box every week - most weeks it's one of their veg boxes, but I do get one of their fruit, salad or meat boxes occasionally for a change. I also get nearly all my dairy stuff from them as well as a few other bits and pieces. As @MrsDangermouse said, their prices are more expensive than the usual supermarket veg and are on a par with supermarket organic prices (and in some cases can be cheaper), but the quality is something else and there is rarely any waste. The milkman also does boxes but the veg boxes are the same basic veg every time and the fruit and veg boxes contain fruit I am allergic to. The difference in price is minimal, and they are not organic.
 
I state that it seems a very interesting thing, In Italy there is no such custom or at least not that I know. You can shop online with delivery but boxes of fish or vegetables or meat does not exist. Do you send a simple message or do you need a specific app?
 
[QUOTE=". As @MrsDangermouse said, their prices are more expensive than the usual supermarket veg and are on a par with supermarket organic prices (and in some cases can be cheaper), but the quality is something else and there is rarely any waste.[/QUOTE]

I don't have a Riverford box every week because I rarely finish the whole contents of the box in a week but I do like the variety of fruit and veg from them and their cheese range is rather good too. I do wish, though, that they would sell smaller quantities of the produce. The smallest bag of carrots a few weeks ago was 1.5 kilos!
 
hayitsme said:
This months spices are for a Louisiana themed menu so very excited for it as I just came back from the US on holiday :D
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Well, we have a few American members here who are very experienced in cooking this type of cuisine. I'm sure they will be able to give you some tips. What are the spices in the Louisiana spice box?
 
hayitsme said:
I haven't received it yet but very excited lol :D the last boxes 2 boxes were amazing and even come with a playlist so you can get in the mood fully :okay:
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I'm confused - I looked at the website and it says:
Every spice subscription box that is delivered through your door will have an exciting element of surprise as you will not know which country’s cuisine (name of website) is going to treat you to next.
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So when how do you know its Louisiana next?
 
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