River Deep, Mountain High

Everyone starts the year with good intentions - be it going to the gym, giving up smoking or cutting down on the pies (probably quite sensible given the impending pasty tax!).  This year it's a little closer to my heart as I turn the big 3-0 - not a big deal for some but that, along with a few minor health quibbles, have seen me on a mission to get healthier.  Don't panic, I'm not going to lecture you on nutrition (I still like the odd pie) and I'm not suddenly going to start spamming you with miracle diets which promise to change your life (and your body) in a month. Instead the gym has become a regular passtime, along with eating more of the green stuff.

So a chance email from Riverford Organics asking if I wanted to review one of their veg boxes couldn't have come at a better time!  Like a lot of children, growing up I was a bit of a salad dodger.  If it was a vegetable and not pureed to within in inch of its life I would find it and systematically begin removing it from my food.  Yep, even foodies can be picky.  Luckily for you I've since grown out of this and this year am focussing on growing and eating more veggies than ever before.

My box of goodies [Photo: Cardiff Bites]

My box of goodies arrived today and I'll be trying them out over the next week or so - using recipes from the Riverford site as well as trying some vegetarian recipes from Yottam Ottalenghi's "Plenty".

So what did the box include?

Selection of Riverford Veg [Photo: Cardiff Bites]

The box I was sent is a Small Vegbox (£12.85) for 2-3 people, perfect for myself and my partner.  This includes staples of potatoes (Valor, grown in the UK), onions and carrots (also UK grown) as well as lettuce, spring greens (UK grown), cauliflower (UK grown), tomatoes and courgettes.  Also included was a handy recipe card designed to bring out the best of your new vegbox.  Despite my palate improving since childhood I'm still not a fan of cauliflower so was delighted to see a delicious sounding cumin-roasted cauli recipe with a tahini dip included.

I can't wait to get stuck in so check back and see how I'm getting on with my veg challenge!

Alongside the vegboxes, Riverford also stock fruit, meat, dairy, eggs, storecupboard ingredients, wine, plants and many many more things. Find out if Riverford Organics deliver to your area by checking their website. Riverford have kindly provided this box free of charge for me to review.