Thursday, May 18, 2017

Cook by the box III: CERES Fair Food

May 3-17, 2017


In the past two months, we've tried three different services that home-deliver ingredient boxes for home cooking. This week we're running short reviews on our experiences with each one.
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We've been ordering organic fruit & veg boxes from CERES Fair Food for years. We pay $46.75 for a small mixed fruit & veg box. It's intended to last two people a week but we stretch it out for a fortnight, supplementing it with a few extra groceries and, of course, eating out.


What we received: apples, oranges, bananas, pears, carrots, potatoes, broccoli, onion, pumpkin, cabbage, spinach, lettuce.

What we made: salad on lentil tacos, roasted veges (with seitan chops, then sausage rolls), soup, chimichurri pumpkin bowls, okonomiyaki, fruit as-is for snacks and juiced into soda water.

Pros:
  • Everything is seasonal and organic
  • Total control over what meals you make of it
  • It helps me form a habit of eating fruit, which I don't have at other times
  • Minimal packaging - they'll even take your box back during your next delivery


Cons:
  • Menu planning and extra cooking ingredients are your responsibility
  • Staying inspired with the same ingredients in repeated weeks can be challenging (like, what's your fourth favourite recipe for cabbage?)
  • Risk of food waste due to poor menu planning, inspiration or timing (we lose at least one orange to mould every. damn. time)

Conclusions: A fruit & veg box has the convenience of home delivery and spotlighting what's in season. However, the rest of the work is on you - prioritising ingredients before they spoil, choosing recipes you'll enjoy, shopping for other ingredients, and cooking the food. Week to week, these are things us two food enthusiasts are content to do!
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That wraps up our recent experiences with food delivery. Do you subscribe to a service? How does it work well for you?

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