Vegging out with Riverford Organics
Just over a week ago I took receipt of a wonderful box of veggies from the good people at Riverford Organics (if you've not read the blogpost, do it now as this will make more sense!) with the intention of eating more vegetables and perhaps learning to love the dreaded cauliflower.
Well first things first, despite trying it in numerous ways I have to confess I still do not like cauliflower. Not one bit. What I have learnt to love, with the help of Riverford, are spring greens. See, I'm not a fan of brassicas in general but Riverford have helped convert me to the green stuff - shredded in stir fries, fried in butter with leeks and bacon, mixed with leftover mash and fried the Monday after a Sunday roast, I can't get enough of the stuff.
How did the other veggies fare? First of all the portions have been spot on. My problem with vegboxes in the past has been that you always end up with what seems like a tonne of beetroot and only 2 potatoes. Nobody can eat that much of one thing and, unless they are an expert with a pickle jar, most of it is going to go to waste. The only thing that did end up being composted was the lettuce which, the weather turning horrid and cold very quickly, didn't fit with our dishes of cottage pies, roasts and curries. If the weather had stayed warmer then I'm sure we'd have demolished the lot.
The courgettes were halved and stuffed with pilaf before being baked (I didn't use the best recipe I'll admit so it was a little bland - not put off though and will definitely try making it again but with my own, sliughtly bolder spicing), tomatoes were rubbed into garlicky sourdough to make Catalan-style tomato bread, whilst the spuds, onions, spring greens and carrots ended up in all manner of roasts, stews and pies and the cauli ended up in a vegetable curry.
We did have to buy some extra veggies for the week - mushrooms, peppers and leeks from our local greengrocer, but this was minimal compared to our usual spend.
I liked the fact that Riverford supplied a recipe card with their box with recommendations on what to do with your haul. This is backed up by a fantastic database on their website and a (slightly slow) app.
The price also stacks up well against Riverford's competitors:
Welsh Food Box Company (formerly Green Cuisine Organics) Organic Vegbox for 2-3 people £12.50
Riverford Organics Small Vegbox for 2-3 people - £12.85
Abel and Cole Medium Vegbox for 2-3 people - £13.00
Blaencamel Organic Boxes - Large box for 2 - 4 people £15.00 (Cardiff area only)
Would I place a regular order? I have to admit that with a good local grocer, possibly not. However there are always weeks where I haven't got the time, the energy or the inclination to go food shopping and the ability to order online and have fresh, organic and seasonal food delivered to my door is very, very tempting.
As stated in my previous post, Riverford have kindly provided this box free of charge for me to review.
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| Selection of veggies from Riverford Organics [Photo: Cardiff Bites] |
Well first things first, despite trying it in numerous ways I have to confess I still do not like cauliflower. Not one bit. What I have learnt to love, with the help of Riverford, are spring greens. See, I'm not a fan of brassicas in general but Riverford have helped convert me to the green stuff - shredded in stir fries, fried in butter with leeks and bacon, mixed with leftover mash and fried the Monday after a Sunday roast, I can't get enough of the stuff.
How did the other veggies fare? First of all the portions have been spot on. My problem with vegboxes in the past has been that you always end up with what seems like a tonne of beetroot and only 2 potatoes. Nobody can eat that much of one thing and, unless they are an expert with a pickle jar, most of it is going to go to waste. The only thing that did end up being composted was the lettuce which, the weather turning horrid and cold very quickly, didn't fit with our dishes of cottage pies, roasts and curries. If the weather had stayed warmer then I'm sure we'd have demolished the lot.
The courgettes were halved and stuffed with pilaf before being baked (I didn't use the best recipe I'll admit so it was a little bland - not put off though and will definitely try making it again but with my own, sliughtly bolder spicing), tomatoes were rubbed into garlicky sourdough to make Catalan-style tomato bread, whilst the spuds, onions, spring greens and carrots ended up in all manner of roasts, stews and pies and the cauli ended up in a vegetable curry.
We did have to buy some extra veggies for the week - mushrooms, peppers and leeks from our local greengrocer, but this was minimal compared to our usual spend.
I liked the fact that Riverford supplied a recipe card with their box with recommendations on what to do with your haul. This is backed up by a fantastic database on their website and a (slightly slow) app.
The price also stacks up well against Riverford's competitors:
Welsh Food Box Company (formerly Green Cuisine Organics) Organic Vegbox for 2-3 people £12.50
Riverford Organics Small Vegbox for 2-3 people - £12.85
Abel and Cole Medium Vegbox for 2-3 people - £13.00
Blaencamel Organic Boxes - Large box for 2 - 4 people £15.00 (Cardiff area only)
Would I place a regular order? I have to admit that with a good local grocer, possibly not. However there are always weeks where I haven't got the time, the energy or the inclination to go food shopping and the ability to order online and have fresh, organic and seasonal food delivered to my door is very, very tempting.
As stated in my previous post, Riverford have kindly provided this box free of charge for me to review.
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