Updated on 21/02/23 to reflect changes in the pricing of the boxes.
ODDBOX is a rescued vegetable and fruit delivery service that rescues fresh, seasonal surplus fruit & veg at risk of becoming food waste. Read my review of their service and find out how you can help save food from waste and support small independent farms.
ODDBOX is a rescued vegetable and fruit delivery service which rescues fresh, seasonal surplus fruit & veg which are at risk of becoming food waste. The reason for this? They're simply seen as 'too oddly' shaped, 'too oddly' sized, having cosmetic defects, or even excessive amounts of products than needed.
I wanted to give this a try as I like the idea of helping save food from waste, as well as helping out small independent farms financially, which I think is incredibly important, as so many farms have to close as they can't be competitive with the 'big boys'
I signed up for a £17.49 large vegetable box and had a £10 off my first order voucher, so I actually paid £7.49 (More on that in a minute). The box was delivered sometime between when I went to work at 6 pm and when I got home at 11 pm; they tend to deliver between 7 pm and 7 am. The box was in good condition and well-packed.
So what did I get?
In the box was a range of more unusual and interesting-looking veggies! I received:
2x Packs of Rainbow Chard
Assorted coloured carrots
10x Red onions
Bag of purple radish - probably around 600g worth
Head of celery
5x large potatoes
2x Squash
Cauliflower
Living lettuce (Still has the roots and soil attached still will stay fresh longer in the fridge)
All the veg was lovely and fresh and in decent condition. I was concerned that I would get a load of tired, lower-standard products, but I'm pleased to say my concerns were totally unfounded.
I like the more unusual selection of products supplied, there is something quite fun about having vegetables that are outside your comfort zone, and you need to Google to find recipes for. I'm certainly looking forward to trying the chard, as that's not something I've had before; plus have found a recipe for roasted radish, which looks lush! So value for money, it is more expensive than popping to the supermarket for vegetables. That's to be expected; after all, it's straight from the farm, has to be delivered, and everybody needs to be able to make some profit. I reckon in the supermarket, it's probably around £12 - £14 worth, undelivered, so a little more money, but I would be happy to pay the extra, knowing the sustainability benefits of the service, plus have the benefit of it being delivered to my door, at no extra cost. I'm very happy with my box, and I will be ordering a fruit box for next week to see what I get! Pricing starts at £11.49 for an extra small box, and the biggest size box they offer is £22.49.
If you use this referral link, you can grab £10 off your first order and so could receive an OddBox, for just £1.49 (Extra small veg box priced at £11.49 before the £10 discount), so you can give this service a whirl for next to nothing!