As regular readers (all three of you 🙂 will know, we have a weekly fruit and veg box from Riverford.  The price has recently gone up one pound, to  £14.75.

I understand this – their costs have increased a lot due to fuel increases. But it seems that the box, for us at least, is giving less value.  I also really object to having to choose between paying online, with a (admittedly small) surcharge, or paying by cheque and having to use a stamp.

Last week’s box contained: 1 bunch black grapes, 5 bananas, 2 large sweet potatoes, 1 cabbage, 4 (I think) courgettes, tomatoes, a lettuce (which we hate), 2 red peppers and 4 apples (I think this is right – don’t have the list any more).

Yesterday, we went to the greengrocers in Bedminster, and £14.54 bought us:

4 pears
5 small plums
1 bag spinach
1 cauliflower
3kg organic potatoes
1 punnet of blueberries
1 red pepper
2 bulbs of garlic
1 bag carrots
1 large handful of green beans
2 sweet potatoes
1 bunch spring onions
1 aubergine
1/2 red cabbage (all they had)

I have suspended the Riverford order for now – that sort of saving is too big to ignore, really.

I’m still not going to plan meals – that would be very restrictive!  I shall just buy what looks nice in the greengrocers.