Abel and Cole organic vegetable and fruit box. Review.
Posted by Fiona Nevile in Reviews | 11 comments
Photo: Able and Cole mixed organic box
When we were offered an Abel and Cole organic fruit and vegetable box to review, I jumped at the chance. Ever since we started to really cut back on our spending I’ve been intrigued by these boxes as many people recommended them as saving time and money. A couple of years ago just a couple of companies delivered in our area. Now there are nine to choose from.
Abel and Cole don’t actually deliver to our area yet but they do deliver to my mum’s street in Cambridge so we aranged to have the organic box delivered there. They also sent some chilled ready meals to my mum. Reviews of these in a few days time.
I was impressed with the veg and fruit box. It was packed full of exciting things. If you are very busy and if you add up the cost of motoring to the supermarket and the time involved I reckon that a weekly delivery is of fresh seasonal fruit and vegetables is good value. But if your life is time heavy I believe that you could achieve a reasonable weekly harvest with a well planned allotment and greenhouse.
Abel and Cole offer a lot of flexibility. You can elect never to receive the fruit and veg that you dislike.
Our bulging organic box contained:
Vegetables:
- Broad Beans – this were a bit older than the ones that we harvest and eat straight from the garden and had to be de-skinned but they were tasty albeit a little floury.
- Lots of mini Courgettes – these were in competition with our own courgettes but they were sweet and we tried them in Joanna’s lemony courgette salad and put the rest into our low meat spaghetti sauce.
- New Potatoes – these got the thumbs up from me (sweet and a perfect texture) but D the Potato King gave them the thumbs down. Talk spuds with Danny and you are almost into the realms of vintage wine tasting.
- Carrots – I have no idea what variety these were but they were the best carrots that we had ever tasted. In fact these encouraged me to buy some autumn planting carrot seeds.
- Cucumbers – these were the outdoor ridge variety. Lovely and crisp. We gave one to my mum and made tzatziki with ours, also cucumber sandwiches (my favourite) and cucumber batons in salad.
- Little Gem Lettuces – We gave one to my mum. These were on a par with our own. Good flavour and crisp.
- Spring Onions – Lovely strong ones which meant that they went much further. I was ecstatic about these. Just one added a tremendous zing to the tzatziki. We ate these in salads and Danny made champ.
Fruit:
- A ripe melon – delish
- Bananas (Fairtrade) wonderful for snacks
- Apples – these were far the best apples that we’ve tasted for years. Crisp, sweet and every bite a delight. These bought out the selfish gene in me. I hid the last one to savour alone.
The box was delivered on July 9th and I ate that last apple this afternoon. A tiny bit woolly but still a full of flavour.
Three people in my mum’s street have a weekly mixed organic box from Abel and Cole. One of them makes a lot of soup to use up the veg and I’d advise her to invest in the superb Jane Grigson’s Vegetable Book. This was recommended by Kate(uk) way back when. Seraphina lent me her copy a couple of months ago. Having read it I decided to expand growing our own vegetables big time. Steaming and simmering are just first steps.
So we’d give the Abel and Cole mixed organic box the thumbs up. If we didn’t have a large kitchen garden we’d would definitely join a vegetable and fruit box scheme.
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I was really interested in your A & C review as I have just had 2 boxes from them – I am pleased your experience was so good, unfortunately I found the medium mixed box really poorly filled. a handful of potatoes (yummy though they were) and a couple of courgettes, no onions etc. I so wanted this to work I tried the week after but alas, once again a poorly filled box which meant I had to nip to the shops for extra veg. We don’t gorge ourselves but, like Linda mentioned above a cook 3 meals a day from scratch. There are other schemes local to me so I shall now try someone else. Fingers crossed!
About 8 years ago I used to get an organic veg bag delivered and swore by my JG veg book. I liked the fact that I didn’t choose what I was going to get and that it made me look for alternative ways of cooking veg I did know and seek advice regarding veg I had never dared to buy before.
I think organic veg boxes are great, I use the same comapany as Tamara and their fruit, veg and meat is all great quality and I can make up the contents of the box myself if I choose to.
I used to just have a set box sent to me which was a great way to try out new veg, the sort I wouldn’t normally buy in a supermarket. Before joining the veg box scheme the veg I ate was limited to greens, carrots and spuds, now I am way more adventurous with my meat and veg! 🙂
Incidentally this company as now reduced the minimum buy for meat to £25 which is fantastic, though I have a freezer full at the mo 🙂
We use the same vegetable supplier as Tamara and have done so for many years. I look forward to coming home from work on Wednesdays to see the delivery. We vary the size of the box according to what is growing in veg plot. Meat we buy direct from either Devon or Somerset. We have stayed on farm in Somerset so have seen how animals should be treated( farmed organically) and eggs from our own hens. I wouldn’t have it any other way.
I’m so happy that you have had a positive reaction to Abel & Cole. I love their boxes even though I don’t order from them very often. I’ve not yet been disappointed by the contents of the boxes.
I started a vegbox scheme over a year and a half ago and have not looked back. I thought at first it would be more expensive but I actually save money because I don’t have to go to the Supermarket so often, I used to be in there every other day if not more and you always come away with more then you intended.
I now have a delivery every 2 weeks and just as I start to get low there the next one arrives. I’m not going to say which one on here as this post is for the Able and Cole one but you can have a look at the link on my blog. I highly recommend them as they are also local, they should be able to deliver to you too. The Able and Cole farms I don’t think are based in my area.
I ever want to change or add to the order I can as frequently as I want. The food is fresher and so much tastier. I had a friend over this weekend who says he did not like carrots and could not believe how tasty these ones were, I said it’s because they are proper carrots and not just a watery tuber.
We have tried the meat boxes which have also been very good, but I don’t eat too much meat so would not have a regular order. I like to stock up the freezer from the meat box; my local butcher is great so I go to him for the fresh stuff.
I think it is a must for anyone who loves food and enjoys a challenge in cooking. Instead of saying what shall I have to eat tonight I think what have I got in the veg draw and what shall I make tonight.
I might have to get a copy of Celia’s suggestion by JG though I have heard a lot of people recommend that one.
Ever since dedicating ourselves to organic produce, we’ve found the easiest way to get it is through a deliviered box. Luckily we found a company which delivers to our small Austrian village, and it’s been such a wonderful addition to our kitchen and diet! We also get our organic raw milk from them, and I am ever so grateful that such a service exists.
Yay for organic veg boxes!
snap, Celia — these are 4 of my favourite books! I’ve owned the E David ones since the 1970s. The JG ones are really useful if you get a veggie box, there are loads of ideas for pretty much any (British) veg or fruit you can imagine!
We have tried these boxes around here and were sadly disappointed in nearly everything except the organic cows liver. The cost was nominal but they said that the contents would feed a family of four for a week and it didn’t feed my family for two days. We cook at home three meals a day after all.
When I hear of wonderful experiences like yours, I want to keep going until I find a really good box because I don’t mind supporting local farmers. However, in the area, a farmer that I know asked me why I didn’t just visit him early in the morning and he would put together a box for the same price as the services do and he said that is how those companies work anyway. They visit the markets early and deliver later in the afternoon. A plus to this is that because I have been shopping with him for years, he always throws in extras. I suggest that people at least ask at the farmers market and cost compare.
Jane Grigson’s “Vegetable Book” is my bible in the kitchen, especially during summer month’s when the plot’s in full production. I recommend investing in her “Fruit Book” too.
I recently bought, from a downsizing artist’s yard sale, Elizbeth David’s “French Provincial Cooking” and “Italian Food” – both well used 1970s paperbacks with a lot of pedigree in themselves.
All four books can keep me happy for hours and are full of delicious and adaptable recipes 🙂
Celia