Food and lifestyle with a dusting of magic
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A Riverford recipe box contains organic and seasonal ingredients allowing you to prepare tasty meals at home. Everything you need is in the box. You just need to cook and enjoy.
I am a great believer in cooking and preparing seasonal food. Not only does it have more flavour but it saves money. Riverford Organic Farmers have the same belief. They supply meat, vegetable and recipe boxes which are full of seasonal produce grown organically. Organic farming is kinder to the land, avoiding the use of harmful pesticides which helps wildlife flourish.
Read more: What is in season in September
Recently Riverford got in touch to ask if I would like to try one of their recipe boxes. These boxes contain all the ingredients to make either two or three meals for two people. They come with clear step by step instructions, all you need to do is cook and serve.
The original Riverford farm is in Devon. Now Riverford source all their food from small organic farms and growers across England. Deliveries of the vegetable, meat or recipe boxes are made once a week. An email is sent ahead of time letting you know the delivery day and the time slot. If you are going to be out you can let Riverford know where they can leave the box. The email comes from your local veglady which adds a nice personal touch to the delivery. I got my box on Tuesday morning, well within the timeslot. Delivery is free.
Riverford supply a number of different recipe boxes. You can choose between a box with 3 meals or a box with 2 meals. Both boxes will feed two people. The different types of boxes are:
My box was the quick and light box with 2 recipes for two people.
The Riverford recipe box is a cardboard box with lovely pictures of fruit and vegetables on it. Inside the box each recipe has its own compartments. This allows you to quickly work out which ingredients go with each of the meals. There is also a cold bag which is clearly marked. This works really well at keeping the meat fresh. It also makes it clear that you need to put this in the fridge straight away.
The boxes are recyclable. Riverford like to reuse the boxes, each box can be used up to ten times. When you order your next delivery you just leave the old box out for collection. There is no over packaging either. Everything fits nicely into the box.
As well as the ingredients for the recipes you get two recipe cards which explain how to make the meal. There is also an A-Z of fruit and vegetables. This tells you what all the different fruit and vegetables are and when they are in season. This is a really useful booklet which I have kept for reference.
Inside my box were recipes for Spanish pork with sweet and sour pepper and miso mushrooms with kale, green beans and sticky rice. On opening the box my husband saw the picture for the Spanish pork recipe. He asked me to try that recipe first.
First I got the ingredients from the box and the recipe card. The ingredients are clearly labelled making them easy to find. The fruit and vegetables are easy to identify. The peppers were really fresh. I tried a little bit before cooking it and the taste was incredible.
The recipe booklet gives step by step instructions which are really clear and easy to follow. There are also hints to help improve your cooking. When following a new recipe it is often hard to get the timing right. The recipe booklet really helps with this. You know exactly which steps to follow and when to start cooking each different part.
First I got the potatoes boiling. A little saffron and salt goes into the water. Simmer for ten minutes and then leave them off the heat with a lid on to continue cooking. The saffron adds a lovely yellow colour to the potatoes. The peppers were next. Fry these gently with some red onion and garlic and then add some red vinegar and other flavourings to make the sweet and sour taste. Finally sprinkle the pork with salt and paprika and gently fry on each side.
The final meal took less than thirty minutes to prepare. It was really delicious and full of flavour. I think the fact that everything is organic really enhances the flavour. It was really hard to believe this meal was under 500 calories. The whole family said this meal was lovely.
I am a great mushroom addict so was looking forward to trying miso mushrooms. My son is not keen on them so I did wonder what he would make of them. The mushrooms came in their own box and really were a great size. I got the ingredients ready.
Again the meal was really easy to make. First you need to boil the rice. While it is boiling coat the mushrooms with a mix of miso paste and water. These then go into the oven to bake. The kale and green beans are fried with some chilli. To serve add the rice to the plate, top with the kale mixture and then the mushrooms. Sprinkle with sesame seeds and top with sushi ginger.
The finished dish looks really exotic. The mushrooms are full of flavour. The miso adds an exotic depth to them which the kale and green bean mixture lift perfectly. The jasmine rice is the perfect finish with its subtle flavour providing the ideal backdrop for the dish. This is not something I would have thought of cooking but it works really well. My son ate everything, I don’t think he noticed the mushrooms.
Read more: Mushrooms a la Greque
If you are looking for a quick and easy way to try new recipes the Riverford Recipe box is ideal. It contains everything you need to make two meals. The recipes are simple and easy to follow and very tasty. I love the way that Riverford source most of their ingredients from organic and local farms. This makes it really easy to trace the food. It also improves the taste of the food. I found everything in the box to be much more flavourful.
The recipe box is meant for two people. I found the servings were very generous. There are three of us in my family and both meals fed us adequately. I would definitely try the recipe box again. It is not something I would get regularly but would get as a treat for a special occasion.
The Riverford Quick and Light box is £29.95 for two meals for two people.
Having tried the recipe box I have to admit to being very tempted by the fruit and vegetable box. I like the fact you get a selection of seasonal fruit and vegetables. I know that they will be full of flavour, unlike the vegetables that you get in the supermarket.
Visit the Riverford website to order your own recipe box or to try an organic fruit and veg delivery or meat box.
Have you tried Riverford boxes before? What did you think? Let me know below.
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I was sent the Riverford recipe box to try. My opinions are honest and my own.
I have read very good reviews of Riverford, though never tried it myself. I have been buying food boxes from its competitor, but stopped as they could only deliver on a day, which wasn’t convenient for me.
I didn’t realise they delivered here until recently. I am definitely going to have to try a fruit and veg box.
we have just tried out a box and we were really impressed x
It is such a great way to try new recipes. Everything you need in the box