I’ve loved every minute of eating this summer. Give me a plate of picky bits, a bag of crisps and a cold glass of wine, and I’m happy. But now the kids are back at school and it’s cool enough to turn the oven on again, even I’ll admit I’m ready for a little more structure to my week.
The trouble is, this return to routine has exposed a fairly significant problem: the fridge is lacking excitement, the cupboards are uninspiring and I appear to have forgotten how to cook.
If your kitchen mojo has also gone missing somewhere between the last barbecue and the first school-run, Abel & Cole’s organic fruit and veg boxes could be exactly what you need to find it again.
Abel & Cole Organic Small Fruit & Veg Box
A box of dinner possibilities
The beauty of a veg box is that it gives you something to work with. Rather than staring blankly into the fridge at 6pm and wondering whether a half-used jar of pesto counts as a meal, you have a delivery of fresh, seasonal ingredients waiting to be turned into dinner.
Last week alone, a bunch of carrots became a traybake topped with feta and mixed with chickpeas; juicy tomatoes were turned into pasta sauce; cucumber was smacked and paired with tofu; and squash got a good roasting until golden.
And if you’re worried about receiving a box full of things nobody in your household will eat, Abel & Cole lets you customise your box free of charge – a feature we love in my family of fussy eaters. You can swap out anything you don’t fancy (mushrooms, no thank you) and double down on ingredients your family will actually eat, making it work for you.
That flexibility can also help cut down on food waste, because there’s nothing more depressing than watching ingredients go unused.
Abel & Cole The Best of Organic September Box
Abel & Cole The Best of Organic September Box
A simpler way to eat well
Abel & Cole’s approach is all about “unprocessing” food – something I'm always aiming for. Think fresh, seasonal organic fruit and vegetables, alongside organic groceries, high-welfare meat, dairy, bakery and cupboard staples (it's a real one-stop shop.)
With ultra-processed foods making up a significant proportion of the average UK diet, I know I’m not the only one looking for simpler, more recognisable ingredients. One clever option I particularly love from Abel & Cole is this Unprocessed Lunch Prep Kit. It contains everything you need to make three different lunches — or dinners — from one batch cook. Clever, right? It certainly beats another sad sandwich from a meal deal.
Elsewhere, the Eat 15 Plants Organic Fruit & Veg Box does exactly what it says on the tin. Packing 15 different plants into one box, it helps me work towards my lofty goal of eating 30 different plants a week.
The boxes are flexible, too. You can skip deliveries, customise your order and cancel at any time, so you’re not left with a fridge full of food when you've got a busy diary.
Get 50% off your first four Abel & Cole boxes
If you're ready to give it a try, use code REALFOOD at checkout and you’ll get 50% off your first four Fruit & Veg Boxes. That’s four weeks of fresh inspiration, just in time to revive your dinner routine and make the return to the kitchen feel considerably less painful.
Offer available until 31 January 2027 to new customers in an Abel & Cole delivery area. A £3.50 delivery charge applies. Use code REALFOOD at checkout. Full terms and conditions apply.
Stacey looks after all food and drink reviews — from coffee pods and veg boxes, to natural wine and tequila. Stacey is also founder of Crummbs, where she’s written nearly 2,000 restaurant and hotel reviews since 2013. Prior to this, Stacey wrote hundreds of in-depth buying guides for the Independent, i newspaper and BBC Good Food, as well as reviewing restaurants and interviewing celebrities in her column at Balance Magazine. Stacey has also appeared in BAFTA-nominated BBC documentary Blood, Sweat & Takeaways, where she investigated South East Asia's food production industry, appearing on both Newsnight and BBC World Service to share her findings. Regularly checking out the latest restaurants, bars and product launches, Stacey also loves experimenting with recipes at home, and is a WSET-certified wine and spirits expert, with over 10 years of experience in the business. You can follow Stacey on Instagram @crummbs_uk
