Fancy a weekly treat?

Every Tuesday morning, Michael comes to our house.  He often arrives before I’ve put my trousers on.  Sometimes I've left already.  

But it doesn't matter, as he always leaves a box full of goodies. 

It’s all rather exciting!  We have some idea what’s coming, but the exact combination hidden in the reusable cardboard carton is a sweet mystery.  A frisson of excitement rises as we cut the string and reveal the contents.

There’s always something for each of us: 

Katja was overjoyed to get beetroot last week, and is the only person I know to gush at the whiff of garlic.

I’m particularly fond of the deliciously fluffy Romano potatoes and sweetly ripe Williams pears. 

And don’t forget Foxy!  She was unmoved by our bank-crunching ‘feline home entertainment system’ (the balls, posts and whirly things were studiously ignored and returned, unloved).  But she clearly sees Tuesdays as her own treat day:  it’s when Michael delivers her weekly installment of special play-string! 

There are occasional raspberries (not literally, though that would be welcome).  Last autumn we had rather too many plums and put a stop to them (not a problem, just a click on the website); Katja got a bit edgy when the hummus went missing a couple of times; and at the moment we’re stringing up more onions than your average Provançale peasant.

But you get yummy, organic fruit and veg.  And let’s face it, given the choice, why wouldn’t anyone prefer organic?  Do you want your food with our without pesticides? 

The only real downside is that you have to be prepared for the occasional rude shape or beastly bug, though it’s rare.

It’s not entirely local – we order through Abel and Cole, who do make an effort, but I suspect some of boho east Oxford’s community box schemes may have even fewer food miles.  In fairness, nothing is air-freighted, and the only things we get from far away are fruit juice and bananas – surely they must be ok?

Cost is an issue:  money is tight, and good food isn’t cheap - I’m sure you can buy for less in Tesco.  Yet for £24.47 we got all the delicious fruit and veg we needed for this week:  carrots, potatoes, and cauliflower; lettuce, tomatoes, onions and mushrooms; oranges, pears and bananas  – plus our milk, eggs, hummus and orange juice.  All delivered to the door.  I think that’s pretty good value.

If, on the other hand, you choose to buy from Tesco’s, then you’re funding a bullying megabusiness rather than a friendly setup with respectful relationships with its suppliers.  In exchange you’ll likely receive generic, year-round blandness, with less taste and more nasty additives (including an undisclosed percentage of equine DNA).

But this doesn't have to be selfless!  The best thing about the weekly box is that it’s helping me to eat better.  My food is much more seasonal, and I’ve discovered a few more exotic fruits.

What’s more, I’ve also been gently re-introduced to things I just didn’t seem to buy any more – cabbage, turnips, greens – even apples – which can actually be jolly tasty.    

I now get my ‘5 a day’ nearly every day, and it’s surprising how few people can say that.  I can be a bit lazy about food, but when there’s fruit in the bowl and tasty veg in the crisper it’s really not so hard to eat well.

And it's all delivered to the door by Michael as a weekly treat – what’s not to like?