Top Tips for Veg Box Schemes

May 13, 2011 - PRLog -- Menus4Mums, the online family meal planners, are celebrating the launch of their Summer Vegetarian Meal Plan by investigating veg box schemes, which have grown in popularity in recent years.  

We trialled two veg box schemes: Abel & Cole, market leaders with nationwide delivery; and Kelly’s Vegies, a smaller, regional scheme.  We were impressed by the quality of produce, and found our overall fruit and veg intake went up and we became more creative with how we incorporated vegetables into our diet.  We did though struggle on occasion with a couple of the more unusual vegetables though.  Overall, it encouraged us to think outside the box a bit more!

For anyone thinking of joining a veg box scheme, here are our top tips:

Tip 1:  Type of produce:  Is it important that the produce is organic?  Or that the fruit has as few food miles as possible?  Whilst bananas are clearly never going to come from our shores, if food miles or organic status are important to you check your veg schemes policy on these.  Want to support local farmers?  Then a regional scheme might be best for you.

Tip 2: Opt-Outs:  Whilst it might get you thinking creatively, we don’t think we could cope with not being allowed to opt-out of certain vegetables.  If your family are at all fussy, you might wish to check whether your scheme allows this.  

Tip 3: Delivery: check what the delivery policy is.  Do you have to be at home, or can the box be left in a safe place?  We particularly liked Kelly’s Vegies policy of leaving boxes on the doorstep overnight.  Also, what notice is needed if you wish to skip a delivery?

Tip 4: Trialling:  Can you trial a scheme to see if it’s for you before committing yourself to weekly deliveries?  

Tip 5: Read-up on your veg: The produce in a box scheme can wilt faster than you’re used to – it’s less likely to have been chemically treated after all!  So it pays to read up a bit on how to store vegetables to get the longest shelf life.  Google any unusual veg to find out what to do with them – unless you know 101 things to do with kohlrabi.  And check out some soup recipes too!


Alison Pinto, founder of Menus4Mums (pictured below) says:

‘Veg box schemes can be a great way to eat seasonal fruit and vegetables.  We do recommend looking around though for one that suits your own circumstances.  If you’re interested in upping your family’s veg count, why not purchase our 4 week Summer Vegetarian Meal Plan for just £8.50?’


When you’re regularly cooking for the family, it’s all too easy to get stuck in a rut.
Menus4Mums (www.menus4mums.co.uk) has been created to make family life easier, providing a weekly menu planner of family dinners along with easy-to- follow recipes and a shopping list sorted into supermarket categories. For a free weekly menu plan, visit: www.menus4mums.co.uk.

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Menus4Mums is a fabulous meal planning service which helps busy parents save time and money in the kitchen and serve up delicious dinners for their families.