Quality home delivery?

[CheGuevara]

in an older thread tarka mentioned "farmaround" as a good source, primarily for produce. i'm interested in finding out what other similar options are out there, and if anyone has any feedback/recommendations.

thanks!

-che

[endless autumn]

I haven't tried it, but this site - The Organic Farmers Market - has some good producers, though its title is nauseatingly bourgeois.

[Janice]

I use Abel & Cole for an organic fruit and veg box - the quality and variety varies a bit, but is usually better than the supermarket and can be excellent. I haven't tried their meat or fish since I'm pretty well supplied locally but they sound like they could be good.

I also use Ocado for groceries on the basis of Waitrose being the least evil of the supermarkets, the site being easy to use and the service reliable.

[CheGuevara]

i keep hearing good things about ocado - but yes they are tied-in to waitrose.

-che

edit: do you find the weekly box convenient?

Edited August 10, 2004 by CheGuevara (log)

[Marco_Polo]

We use Riverford Organic Farm for a weekly organic vegetable and salad box. It's brilliant, located not far from where I live, and the produce always seemed just picked. Riverford is almost unique, I think, in having a virtually nationwide delivery network. Gets a little dreary in winter, though, all those damn root vegetables...

We've also used the Organic Farmers market - good selection of foods, including organic meats from the deliciously named Well Hung Meat Company. Lamb in particular is sensational. Good one stop organic shopping.

John and Nichola Fletcher's mail order venison farm Fletchers of Auchtermuchty offers wonderful humanely reared venison.

For outrageously good Cumberland sausage, traditional dry cured bacon and hams, the best we've ever eaten come from Bar Woodall's of Waberthwaite, Cumbria.

Esperya, the Italian web artisan food specialist, is not as good as it once was (when Antonio Tombolini was there), but you can still order mozzarella di bufala on a Sunday night, it's made on a farm in Campania on the Monday, despatched on the Tue, and you're eating it on the Wednesday. That still seems to me a bloody miracle. Fresh produce comes packed in a styrofoam box kept cool with dry ice. Hand-made mozzarella (as opposed to machine - 'mozzare' to tear), lusciously creamy and not remotely rubbery, is truly to die for and one of the greatest foods on earth. Go on, order some right now. I am.

(Obviously it goes without saying that I have no commercial links whatsoever with any of the above.)

Marc

[Janice]

I find the weekly box very convenient. I don't have car so it's great to eliminate the need to carry heavy items home. It also means I always have some fresh onions, potatoes, etc to hand and helps to keeps me focussed on getting my five a day.

The selection can get a bit repetitive in winter, but they allow you to exclude specific items on a temporary or permanent basis which comes in handy when you just can't face any more swede....

[CheGuevara]

marco_polo - is antopnio tombolini the guy who brought buffalo mozzarella to london restaurants and made a fortune in the process?

-che

[CheGuevara]

i completely forgot i had started this thread - funny thing to look at the date...i guess it was the subconcious

-che

[fisherman]

We use Riverford Organic Farm for a weekly organic vegetable and salad box. It's brilliant, located not far from where I live, and the produce always seemed just picked. Riverford is almost unique, I think, in having a virtually nationwide delivery network. Gets a little dreary in winter, though, all those damn root vegetables...

←

you're in devon, they're in devon, so if they deliver to you, then their service must be 'virtually nationwide'

to those of you not living in the south of england, dont bother with the link, as 'virtually nationwide' actually mean to parts of the south of england..............

[Sackville]

We use Riverford Organic Farm for a weekly organic vegetable and salad box. It's brilliant, located not far from where I live, and the produce always seemed just picked. Riverford is almost unique, I think, in having a virtually nationwide delivery network. Gets a little dreary in winter, though, all those damn root vegetables...

←

you're in devon, they're in devon, so if they deliver to you, then their service must be 'virtually nationwide'

to those of you not living in the south of england, dont bother with the link, as 'virtually nationwide' actually mean to parts of the south of england..............

←

That's a bit harsh. They don't deliver everywhere but they do deliver in Peterborough, for example so it's not just Devon ;-)

I am trying Abel & Cole on various good reccomendations this week and will try Riverford soon. I have a friend who is extremely pleased with their Southampton service. I have NOT had good luck with Farmaround and Organicdelivery.co.uk

[fisherman]

i'm only going on what they said when i asked their delivery range, they told me the south west and parts of the south of england.