Who gets an organic veg box?

[Sackville]

I'm trying to find the ultimate provider of an organic veg box -- needs to be someone who will deliver to central London during working hours.

I have so far tried Farmaround.co.uk and Organicdelivery.co.uk

Both have been okay but I find the quality variable. One week I'll great really great stuff like organic artichokes and another I'll get a glut of turnip, parsnips and white cabbage. Also, I know organic produce doesn't last as long as normally farmed stuff, but last week I got some greens that were already going slimy in the bag from Farmaround.

Perhaps this is par for the course or are there some really top providers out there?

I mean to try Riverford.co.uk in the next week or so as I've heard good things about them.

[Suzi Edwards]

Have a look at these threads...

Organic Circle of Hell

Home Delivery In London

I've recently stopped using Farmaround and am currently supplier-less. So I also look forward to any suggestions.

Don't forget www.solstice.co.uk for when you're having a dinner party. Not sure it's feasible to have a weekly delivery from them.

[fisherman]

never found a good 'box' supplier, as you say, quality wasnt reliable enough. now i use a few different suppliers to get what i want.

[Sackville]

Sigh, was hoping for a brilliant suggestion! Have either of you tried Riverford? I have a friend in Southhampton who is very pleased with them but I still have to convince my husband to take delivery for me. He's not thrilled by the idea of lugging veg home, they don't deliver to my work area and getting it delivered to our flat won't work as there's nowhere to leave it.

[jennahan]

I have used Able and Cole in the past. They have a variety of fruit/veg boxes you can choose from, and they list the contents of the upcoming week's boxes on Thursday so you can amend your choice. They also have a place where you can list things you like and dislike so that your dislikes can be substituted automatically. I have always found them reliable, and delivery is free. You can also add fruit/veg/pantry items a la carte to supplement your box.

[PoppySeedBagel]

I use Abel & Cole and am generally very pleased with them - sometimes the mangoes & avocadoes haven't been ripe, but that has been my only complaint about quality- generally it's been good to very good. The mix of produce is good too, and you can always add seasonal items. Have a look at the web site.

The ability to say which items you don't want works well - so you can avoid things you don't like, or know won't be at their best at this time of year (I'm not currently getting tomatoes for example). The drivers arrive when they say & generally I would recommend it highly.

[Sackville]

Right-o. I will try Abel and Cole this week or next.

[PoppySeedBagel]

Try the dates - the nicest fresh dates I've ever had - all fudgy and delicious - and consistent.

[Sackville]

Try the dates - the nicest fresh dates I've ever had - all fudgy and delicious - and consistent.

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They're on my list

What do you do with them? Just eat 'em or do you have a special recipe for them?

I just ordered for next week and am trying out their meat as well. I really do like the idea of that likes/dislikes list, as long as they stick to it and the quality is good!

[apshelbourne]

I've been using Riverford for over four years now. Their veg is excellent, but I stopped getting their fruit because so much was imported, especially in winter. If they deliver in your area, I'd recommend them highly.

- Tony -

[charliehicks]

I'm trying to find the ultimate provider of an organic veg box -- needs to be someone who will deliver to central London during working hours.I have so far tried Farmaround.co.uk and Organicdelivery.co.ukBoth have been okay but I find the quality variable. One week I'll great really great stuff like organic artichokes and another I'll get a glut of turnip, parsnips and white cabbage. Also, I know organic produce doesn't last as long as normally farmed stuff, but last week I got some greens that were already going slimy in the bag from Farmaround.Perhaps this is par for the course or are there some really top providers out there?I mean to try Riverford.co.uk in the next week or so as I've heard good things about them.

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Restaurant suppliers secrettsdirect.co.uk are setting up a home delivery service. Not all organic though. Edited April 1, 2005 by charliehicks (log)

[offcentre]

I was in the Riverford shop in Totnes last week and was very impressed with their range and quality of goods on display. Had a chat to the nice ladies in the shop and they now deliver all over the country and assured me they will deliver to Brighton free of charge. Not sure how environmentally friendly this is though.

see here - they tell you whats in the box this week, which is a great idea.

Bought an organic ham hock for 99p.

[Sackville]

Thanks again for the thoughts! I have placed an Abel & Cole order for Weds and will report back. Plan to try them and then Riverford for a couple weeks before sticking with one or the other. The only problem with Riverford is I'd have to convince the husband to carry the veg home as they don't deliver to my work.

[Suzi Edwards]

It's not clear from the site if they deliver in London. I tried inputting my postcode and don't get a message they don't deliver, nor do I get a message saying they do...any North Londoners get a box from them?

[Sackville]

It's not clear from the site if they deliver in London. I tried inputting my postcode and don't get a message they don't deliver, nor do I get a message saying they do...any North Londoners get a box from them?

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You mean Riverford? I was able to put in an Enfield postcode and a SE1 postcode with luck, but not a WC1X postcode.

[Suzi Edwards]

Can we merge this thread with the one about home delivery? Seems to be a lot of duplication.

[Sackville]

Just wanted to report back on my Abel & Cole delivery.

I was actually quite pleased with the quality.

Got some gorgeous cherry and normal tomatoes, which look just right in terms of ripeness (the ones I got from Farmaround last time were slightly green), a large cucumber, lots of big, leafy spinach, jerusalem artichokes, carrots, lemons, courgettes, red and green peppers. There might have been a couple other things too but I can't remember

I also ordered some meat from them too, braising steak and sausage. We had a few of the sausages last night and I was happy with the quality/quantity of the meat.

It comes from Wootton Organic.

[offcentre]

Got some gorgeous cherry and normal tomatoes, which look just right in terms of ripeness (the ones I got from Farmaround last time were slightly green), a large cucumber, lots of big, leafy spinach, jerusalem artichokes, carrots, lemons, courgettes, red and green peppers. There might have been a couple other things too but I can't remember

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So where does all this lovely organic un-seasonal veg come from originally? Flown in from Spain?

[Sackville]

Got some gorgeous cherry and normal tomatoes, which look just right in terms of ripeness (the ones I got from Farmaround last time were slightly green), a large cucumber, lots of big, leafy spinach, jerusalem artichokes, carrots, lemons, courgettes, red and green peppers. There might have been a couple other things too but I can't remember

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So where does all this lovely organic un-seasonal veg come from originally? Flown in from Spain?

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According to their website:

Cauliflower (which I requested to leave out of my box as I had tons already): Kingston, South Devon

Carrots: Yelland Croft in Devon

Jerusalem Artichokes: Herefordshire

Leeks: British (from various suppliers)

Spinach: Devon (again)

The rest does not specify so it is presumably imported.

[CheGuevara]

Got some gorgeous cherry and normal tomatoes, which look just right in terms of ripeness (the ones I got from Farmaround last time were slightly green), a large cucumber, lots of big, leafy spinach, jerusalem artichokes, carrots, lemons, courgettes, red and green peppers. There might have been a couple other things too but I can't remember

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So where does all this lovely organic un-seasonal veg come from originally? Flown in from Spain?

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fresh produce from spain is not flown in - it comes in trucks. as does produce from france, italy, portugal......

-che

[Sackville]

Got some gorgeous cherry and normal tomatoes, which look just right in terms of ripeness (the ones I got from Farmaround last time were slightly green), a large cucumber, lots of big, leafy spinach, jerusalem artichokes, carrots, lemons, courgettes, red and green peppers. There might have been a couple other things too but I can't remember

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So where does all this lovely organic un-seasonal veg come from originally? Flown in from Spain?

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fresh produce from spain is not flown in - it comes in trucks. as does produce from france, italy, portugal......

-che

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I'm not sure which would be worse. Either way is pretty bad for the environment. But, you know I'm not going to feel bad about buying the occasional thing from overseas. Already I've stopped buying from supermarkets (apart from the odd trip to Waitrose), made most of our veg organic and the majority of that sourced from Britain. I think that's pretty good progress for someone who was in Tesco or Sainsbury every second day not so long ago.

[CheGuevara]

I'm not sure which would be worse. Either way is pretty bad for the environment. But, you know I'm not going to feel bad about buying the occasional thing from overseas. Already I've stopped buying from supermarkets (apart from the odd trip to Waitrose), made most of our veg organic and the majority of that sourced from Britain. I think that's pretty good progress for someone who was in Tesco or Sainsbury every second day not so long ago.

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air travel is significantly worse for the environment, as it has much higher associated CO2 emissions. certainly in developed countries we have come accustomed to year round availability of most fresh produce - who is to blame is debatable. however, the decision to avoid buying produce from overseas may have a negative social impact in less developed countries; ie kenyan beans. it's not an easy decision, at it is not a black and white argument - in my opinion.

i have a terribly difficult time going into supermarkets - which i barely do anymore other than as a research exercise.

-che

[Sackville]

air travel is significantly worse for the environment, as it has much higher associated CO2 emissions.

That's what I thought too, but a study recently made me think twice. It pointed out that because so much food is transported by road, and relatively little by plane or sea, we would do better to focus on minimising road transport as opposed to being concerned about buying one package of green beans from Kenya.

Here is the story, first out sometime in March:

By Jeremy Lovell

LONDON, March 2 (Reuters) - People should buy their food as much as possible from local sources as part of global efforts to stop potentially catastrophic climate change, British environment experts said on Wednesday.

They stressed this did not mean shutting down world trade in food -- comparatively little of which travels by air or sea -- but radical reform of road distribution in developed countries that sent even carrots hundreds of miles to reach consumers.

"Food miles by road are far more important than we had thought. In environmental cost terms, buying local is even more important than buying green -- although we would like people to do both," Professor Jules Pretty of Essex University said.

In a groundbreaking study of food distribution patterns and hidden costs, Pretty and co-researcher Tim Lang of London's City University said food in Britain now travelled 65 percent further by road than it did two decades ago due to centralised storage.

Added to the fact that local shops were closing and being replaced by huge hypermarkets that meant people more often than not drove to get their shopping, this was taking a huge toll on the environment.

Cycling to the shops or even shopping online was better than the current unsustainable system, Pretty said.

Vehicle exhaust emissions along with the widespread use of fossil fuels like oil and coal to generate electricity are blamed by environmental scientists for producing greenhouse gasses like carbon dioxide and choking the atmosphere.

The scientists warn that global warming will push average temperatures up by at least two degrees centigrade this century, melting ice caps and leading to extreme weather events like floods and droughts, putting millions of people at risk.

Lang, who said he had coined the term 'food miles', said that while the study focussed exclusively on Britain it had relevance to the rest of the world.

"This is a global issue. It cannot be resolved by Britain alone," he told a news conference. "This is the first study of its kind. The figures are shocking. Other countries need to follow it up. The European Union needs to tackle this now."

Pretty noted what he called food swaps in which large quantities of apparently similar foods like milk and meat were both imported and exported by the same country.

One the face of it this did not seem to make economic sense and certainly did not make environmental sense, he said.

At the same time, centralised distribution networks in the developed world often meant that even staple foods like potatoes and beans travelled hundreds of miles to main depots only to be packaged and sent straight back.

"This whole centralised system has to go. But what will replace it is uncertain," Lang said. "This study asks some searching questions."

[Sackville]

Just wanted to add a bit more feedback, in case anyone reads this in future to make a decision. DO NOT USE FARMAROUND.

I canceled by email two weeks ago and received a confirmation. The following Wednesday the bag still arrived. I called them and they said they would credit my account and stop all future orders. This Wednesday the bag arrived again. I called again and they promised once more to sort it out, but said they were "behind with their credits" which I never take as a good sign.

It has been a hassle to sort out (doesn't look like it's sorted yet, either) and the two bags I have wrongly received have continued to have poor quality produce in them (slimy greens, cauliflower already going very brown).

By contrast, I have been most impressed with Abel & Cole. Both Farmaround and A&C had purple sprouting broccoli this week and the difference in quality between the two was stunning.

[curlywurlyfi]

went online just now to order my inaugural box from Abel & Cole (largely because everyone on this thread has been so happy with them), and see that for them, asparagus is 'out of season'. In JUNE??? think that's a bit rubbish. so will not, after all, be ordering from A&C.

Edited June 14, 2005 by curlywurlyfi (log)