Shoppers can now pick their own vegetables and get them delivered to their doors and Mirror readers can get 50% off their first box
With Christmas just around the corner, shoppers are scrambling to secure their orders for festive dinner ingredients. Major supermarkets like Tesco, Marks and Spencer, Morrisons, ASDA and Sainsbury’s are the go-to for many, but delivery slots are filling up quickly and there’s always the risk of receiving last-minute substitutes for out-of-stock items.
Lidl’s viral ‘wonky veg’ boxes are now favoured by budget-conscious shoppers as a cost-effective, bulk alternative for your Christmas dinner vegetables. However, due to their skyrocketing popularity, these can also be hard to snag and leave a lot to chance.
There’s a lesser-known method to purchase cheap fruit and vegetables in bulk without even stepping foot outside your home. Oddbox is a service that delivers an array of fresh produce straight to your doorstep and our readers can try it for as little as £8 – and although the food might be a bit misshapen, it tastes just as delicious.
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Costing from £8, the Oddbox delivery service collaborates closely with farmers to bring produce that is ‘too odd’ in shape and at risk of being wasted by not making it to supermarkets to your dining table. It might look a bit peculiar but it’s still perfectly good to eat, and once it’s chopped up you’re unlikely to notice.
Oddbox is shaking things up with their tailored ‘pick your own’ box option, allowing customers to dodge the foods they’d rather not find on their plate. On their website, they offer various sizes to perfectly match household needs, reported Manchester Evening News.
For those who have food dislikes or allergies, there’s room to substitute items, making it a fantastic chance to play with new recipes and stumble upon your next food love. Emma Bennett, Senior Brand and Content Manager at Oddbox, mentioned, “Our research shows that a significant portion of the population is actively trying to change their minds about certain veggies but struggling to succeed.
“With our new pick-your-own boxes, we’re giving our community the option to experiment with new ingredients or completely avoid those they dislike – all while staying true to our mission of reducing food waste.”
Emma followed up with: “95% of our community said having more choice made them waste less at home. And as our mission is all about fighting food waste, it makes sense for us to give people greater control over the fruit and veg they rescue in their Oddbox each week.”
Plus, there’s an exclusive deal for our readers – use code REACH50 for a 50% discount on your first Oddbox, taking the initial price to under £8.
The fresh produce service is on consumer site Trustpilot, where it has an average rating of 4.5 stars out of 5 based on 18,285 reviews. 81 per cent of all customer feedback with shoppers praising the quality of their food and ease of ordering.
One happy customer described it as ‘just brilliant,’ adding: “Our local greengrocer ceased business so we tried Oddbox as opposed to supermarket fruit and veg. It’s been fantastic, and 3 months in we’ve loved every box, tried some new things, and look forward to seeing what’s in the next box every Saturday. Couldn’t recommend it any more!”
A second said: “Oddbox’s customer service is amazing and very personal so feels special. I have received nothing but perfect produce, except for wonky carrots, which I really love. The savoy cabbage I received last week was better than anything I have seen in the shops.”
A third said the service was a ‘great idea and reasonably priced’ and described it as better than the supermarket. They added: “I’ve bought odd veg from supermarket but this is better and more varied. Sometimes I get more than I chose/swapped so make veggie soup to give to family. I’ve had some fruit and veg I haven’t had before, like kiwi berries, long stem broccoli and a few more. It’s good to save fruit and veg also have the boxes recycled too, keep up the good work I love it.”
A fourth said: “I was unsure about these boxes when I ordered the first one but I was totally amazed at the freshness of the produce and being able to swap what is in the box to something you would prefer is excellent. Have only had the veg boxes but when I have added some fruit that has also been good.”
However, one three-star reviewer wasn’t impressed by all of Oddbox’s offerings, explaining: “The vegetables are really great but some of the fruit doesn’t last very long at all. Had a delivery on Sunday morning (great delivery service as didn’t hear them come in the early hours). I had strawberries and a honeydew melon and both were thrown away by Tuesday morning as they’d gone bad.”
Of course, Oddbox isn’t the only place to find budget-friendly vegetables. Lidl’s cost-effective Waste Not Boxes are another option, although they can be hard to find in store. and you’ll need to pop to the shops to pickthem up. Elsewhere, Too Good To Go is a great way to pick up bargain leftover food from a host of shops and restaurants thanks to their mystery bags, but – as the name suggests – there’s no guarantee of what you’ll get.
If you’re not a fan of hitting the shops, you can also try The Veg Box Company on Amazon with six fruit variety box for £27.45.
