Our first Riverford Fruit and Vegetable box along with the additional Salad Bag that I ordered, arrived as promised last Wednesday.
Sadly, being poorly I couldn't chat with the delivery guy and find out his name etc in case I was still in any way contagious, I hope to remedy this next week when he brings our second one. We may decide to change to a different box next time, once we have gotten around to browsing the website again.
You can chop and change your orders as often as you want and add things to any delivery right up until the day before delivery, and I think it will be good while I still have the value of my prize vouchers to use up, to shop around the website a bit.
It all looked amazingly colourful and in brilliant condition.
I almost felt guilty that I couldn't get stuck in straight away with cooking and tasting everything, but I was not eating any food at all even by the Wednesday delivery day.
The contents of our Small Seasonal Organic Fruit and Veg Box. £17.95
As I've written below for the salad bag, I did a trial order of organic produce from Sainsbury's to see if we were getting any value by ordering from Riverford. I was able to almost get the same items in the same weights for just over £11, including a couple of 'Nectar price' offers.
This was the contents of the Salad Bag.
It was all beautifully fresh, and that cucumber was the first thing that I did eat when I was back on food. It was as tasty as a homegrown one ... which in a way I guess, it is going to be. At first we both thought that the price tag of £11.50 for this amount of salad was a bit steep, but then I sat and did a trial organic order of the same things from Sainsbury's and the cost even with Nectar discounts came to over £7.
So when you consider the ethics of Riverford, the supply chain, home delivery etc we both decided that that the small additional amount for both items was totally fine.
I felt almost guilty that I couldn't set to and make good use of everything straight away, but the mere sight of food was making me feel worse, so my half of the delivery was very quickly stashed into the vegetable and fruit drawers of the fridge out of sight. Alan was made of sterner stuff and he made himself a big pot of soup to start with, and then a lovely looking pot of vegetable curry.
Here is a link to the Riverford website - Riverford Organics UK
And here is my referral code if you would like to place an order - Share the Happeaness.
Using my code means that I get a referral fee ... and you get £15 off your second order with Riverford.
Now I'm just looking forward to seeing this van pull up outside our house again next week, and being able to enjoy the contents of whichever box we decide to choose much more quickly.
Sue xx
All your items look in lovely condition.
ReplyDeleteYears ago I had an organic box from a local provider but there comes a point when you can only cope with so much potato, carrot and swede . . . maybe one day Riverford will be able to extend their deliveries up here. 🤞🏻
They were all in perfect condition and the flavour of everything was amazing, until I started on some temporary tablets and now everything except water tastes of aniseed. I really didn't do this first delivery full justice did I. ;-)
DeleteHope you are on the mend now and able to use all your fruit and veg. We have been eating organic foods now for 20 years and seem to have absorbed the extra costs into our budget. I always notice the difference in taste and texture when I eat my daughter's much cheaper Aldi carrots as opposed to the organic ones I cook, even if I had to make big savings on my shopping I still wouldn't go back to non-organic produce, I would just eat less. It is interesting to see the veg boxes from Riverford - the quality looks good.
ReplyDeleteWe noticed a huge difference, so I will be making much more of an effort to buy organic from now on, both from Riverford and in the shops.
DeleteIt all looks good. I have thought about them several times and DD has had veggie boxes. My fruit and veg from Aldi is pretty good, I spent £8 on British wonky carrots and parsnips, a large cauliflower, and pears, half price Italian piccolato vine tomatoes, bananas, wonky grapes, and oranges. I like Aldi British cold pressed rapeseed oil.
ReplyDeleteIt was all really good, and the flavour when compared to our usual Aldi or Sainsbury's purchases was out of this world. It was like having homegrown vegetables again.
DeleteI have considered these boxes in the past but have always decided against, for whatever reason. I will have another look.
ReplyDeleteIt's definitely worth a look.
DeleteI've often seen the "Life on the Veg' van around in our neck of the woods without realising what company was behind it. Will investigate further....
ReplyDeleteThe vans are brilliant aren't they, I have only ever spotted one once before in our area, so I was glad they delivered here.
DeleteYou get a goodly amount, but that would be too much for me on my own. it all looks lovely and fresh though and I am sure you will both really enjoy these boxes every week. The salad did seem pricy though. I am used to trying to get best value for money these days, and organic is out of my range. Looking forward to seeing what you do with it all for meals and soups. I'm just doing a big pan of ratatouille type mix for pizzas and soups and pasta sauce.
ReplyDeleteIt was definitely enough for us both to share, and we are only getting a box every other week to make sure we can make full use of everything. The salad tasted so much better than anything that I've had for ages, so the extra cost was justified.
DeleteIt all looks top notch and it’s supporting a UK company that isn’t a giant, almost faceless, supermarket.
ReplyDeleteAlison in Devon x
I also like that all the employees of Riverford actually have a share in owning the company, it seems to be a really good business model.
DeleteI been getting my Riverford delivery for a few months & still haven’t met my driver. He delivers between 6:30am - 7am ( luckily the vans are electric so don’t wake the neighbours!) - I’m normally awake, but in no state for a meet & greet! I’ve bought organic fruit & veg for years & the more I read into it I don’t think I’ll ever go back. The “clean 15 & dirty dozen” list is great place to start - it lists the fruit & veg that contain the most chemicals & the non organic ones that are ok to eat.
ReplyDeleteI've got print outs of the Clean 15 and the Dirty Dozen from a few years ago, I will have to dig them out again.
DeleteEverything looks so fresh and good.
ReplyDeleteGod bless.
It was beautifully fresh and wholesome. That cucumber lasted me about ten minutes, it was delicious.
DeleteI'm fortunate in having a brilliant fruit and veg wholesalers nearby.. They supply most of the local care homes etc, but are now open to the public. You can buy a whole sack of baking potatoes, or just one. And it's all very fresh and a good price. And they carry your goods out to your car for you
ReplyDeleteThat sounds absolutely wonderful, you are lucky.
DeleteIt all looks good. Enjoy your fresh produce!
ReplyDeleteOh we definitely did, we are now ready for our next order. :-)
DeleteIt does all look pretty fresh and appetising, doesn't it. Hopefully, you'll feel well enough to do the taste tests this week. Gosh, Alan is definitely made of sterner stuff!
ReplyDeleteAngie
Sadly my taste tests were done in dribs and drabs as I have been in hospital. But everything has now been sampled by both of us and approved. :-)
DeleteIt all looks wonderfully fresh, do they guarantee it all to be organic? Where do they get the non British produce from as Super markets sell organic veg and fruit considerably cheaper?
ReplyDeleteIt is all guaranteed to be organic, it's mostly from their own organic farms. The non-British components are all listed and have full accountability and everything travels by road and sea so there is no air freight. As I checked out the organic in one of our local shops is not that much cheaper, and is just about comparable in the other shop.
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