A man, a woman and their veg.box.

I mentioned a few weeks ago that the aim for this year was to mix a sense of frugality with food ethics and good eating. Paradoxically, this challenge is being helped by a regular delivery of an organic fruit and vegetable box. I buy our veggie box from Abel and Cole who are probably the most famous provider of boxes in the UK.
The reason I stay with them goes back a few years: We had a box from them on a fortnightly basis when we lived in the inner city and we were very happy with it. However, it began to be stolen and we had to cancel. Not only were the sales people perfectly understanding, they also re-funded the stolen boxes. It was no surprise to learn, when we looked into getting a box again, that they had won awards for the quality of their customer service.
We get a weekly fruit and veg box for 2/3 people and it costs us less than £18 including delivery. Seen as a simple figure, this seems like a lot to pay for just vegetables but that would be far to simple a look at the issue. Since we have got this box we have eaten at lot less meat and we're both eating more fruit (usually chopped over cereal). Owing to the fact that this wonderful produce has been delivered to our door we feel sinful if we don't use it all, this means that two less meals in most weeks have meat as their star ingredient.
Abel and Cole also include leaflets and little books about the farmers who supply them and there's always a humorous card with recipes.
We don't plan our box - we simply take what we're given. I don't even check online as to what's in the box this week, I prefer to be surprised when I open it on getting back from work. The joy of not picking and choosing is that I have been "forced" to use fruit and vegetables that I would not ever buy (even if they were available). Jerusalem artichokes, Sharon fruit, Purple Sprouting Broccoli, Spring greens (oh how I love spring greens now) and Beetroot never look so good in the supermarket.
My dear readers I can't encourage you enough to become part of a box scheme - it is not an overstatement to say it has changed the way I cook and eat.