Abel and Cole

[oldjerry]

Got this flyer through the post yesterday. These people provide veg boxes 'fresh,seasonal,organic food delivered to your door'.
The phrase 'grown locally' seems to have been missed out.I may be wrong,but they would seem to be T---o in a van.Check out the website,conmen are everywhere.



The ultimate deception.

[becks77]

TBH I wasn't overly impressed a lot of imported produce and took very little notice of any of the instructions regarding substitution and delivery, sorry to be bearer of bad news

[becks77]

PS Riverford on the otherhand were fab...just too darn expensive for my pocket!

[Milims]

I once tried to enter a competition in a BBC magazine to win a years supply of Abel and Cole fruit and veg boxes - the problem was that they only deliver in a small area which meant that the majority of the country couldn't enter the competition!

[Keaniebean]

I've been using them for sometime now, I know quite a bit of their stuff comes from overseas, but I have been really happy with the service they have provided.

We get regular freebies, with our delivery and the quality of the meat I have found to be exceptional. The fruit and veg has always been fresh and they do not try to hide the fact that they sometimes get produce from overseas. I do not see why you think they are conmen Oldjerry

[Susie]

We have a veg box from a very local supplier (I think they just do Cambridge) so all the farms are named and I know where they all are, BUT we still get quite a bit of fruit and veg from the rest of the UK and overseas - isn't this the nature of the veg box beast to an extent?

[chickenchargrill]

Is there anywhere that do all local veggies? Our local green, ethical shop sources organic, seasonal veg 'as locally as possible' yet here's the list of this weeks veg box..

Vegetables:

Potatoes from Lincs. REGIONAL

Carrots from Spain European

Onions from Holland European

Spinach from Lincs. REGIONAL

Little gem from Lincs. REGIONAL

Celery from Spain European

Red cabbage from Holland European

Cucumber from Holland European



Fruit:

Oranges from Italy European

Bananas from Dominican Republic

Apples from Argentina

Plums from Argentina

[mrsflibble]

we had to give up our veg boxes, not for ethical reasons but financial.

[MKG]

Well, I just took a peek at their website. They don't, as far as I can see, make outrageous claims. They say that they never airfreight, but they say they do ship in veg. from continental sources if there isn't a British source currently available. But they make the point that their first choice is British. I suppose that there's an argument to say that if it isn't available in Britain then leave it out of the box but, to be fair, that would result in a few pretty boring boxes.

In any case, this applies only to veggies - they state categorically that all of their meat is British. Overall, then, they seem to be up front to me.

But then I've never really understood veg. boxes anyway.

Mike

[chickenchargrill]

Yep, I had a look at where the veg and fruit come from and they tell you a bit about the farms on the site and do say upfront when they are non-UK. The Kiwis come from a guy in New Zealand who apparently works hard to offset any carbon footprint created by shipping. I like my bananas too much to complain about non-UK sourced food.

Plus they only deliver on the days they are in your area, which makes the delivery charge low. I might give them a go, not many places deliver and not driving + having to cart bubs...

[mrsflibble]

In any case, this applies only to veggies - they state categorically that all of their meat is British. Overall, then, they seem to be up front to me.

but is their meat BRITISH born and raised, or born in the uk, shipped somewhere else to grow up and then re-imported for slaughter in the uk?

not that i am complaining about abel and cole, i loved them but even when we were getting a weekly box, we couldn't afford their meat.

[MKG]

In any case, this applies only to veggies - they state categorically that all of their meat is British. Overall, then, they seem to be up front to me.

but is their meat BRITISH born and raised, or born in the uk, shipped somewhere else to grow up and then re-imported for slaughter in the uk?

not that i am complaining about abel and cole, i loved them but even when we were getting a weekly box, we couldn't afford their meat.

I don't know about the other stuff - but their buffalo certainly is

Mike

[Keaniebean]

well I know that the pork and the chicken is raised here in the UK.

This is taken from the 'shop floor' descriptions:

' We get our sausages from Laverstoke Park in Hampshire. The pigs have acres of glorious of room to roam around in as well as sheds in which they can shelter from the sun and rain. In summer, to ensure they don't get sunburn, they have wallows for them to cover themselves in mud. When night draws in, they sleep in cosy straw-filled huts. Laverstoke Park is a Grade II listed park of approximately 275 rolling acres which include the upper reaches of the River Test. The farm is a haven of biodiversity and forward thinking organic farming. They have complex grass leys containing over 30 different grasses, clovers and herbs as well as a diverse mix of hedges, trees, animals and crops which all contribute to furthering the biodiversity.'

Even the non organic meat has a pretty good life in comparison with T£$(0 crud, although I should at this point say that when finances require it I will buy what I can afford and if that means shopping in a big supermarket then I just have to. This is an 'ish' board afterall.

If I had the money then I would never use anything that wasn't either homegrown or ethical in every possible sense of the word, but needs must when you have three children and only 1.5 incomes and live in London with a postage stamp sized garden

[mrsflibble]

If I had the money then I would never use anything that wasn't either homegrown or ethical in every possible sense of the word, but needs must when you have three children and only 1.5 incomes and live in London with a postage stamp sized garden

I love you.

1 income, high rent, crap garden (back contaminated with salt from seaside sand used as a foundation for the paving, stupid landlord and from has no fence) child and minor debts.

[scrap]

I love you both