Latest features The cheapest way to eat your greens

Date Published:

26/05/2009

Is the cheapest found in the supermarket, on your doorstep... or do you have to dig for victory? 4Food looks at three different ways to credit crunch your way to the best value veg on the market

We're all feeling the pinch in our pockets but there must be an affordable way to your 5 a day. From growing your own to cruising the bargain bins, three different vegetable eaters tell us how they get their greens in.

Paola Cottrell has been growing her own on her West London allotment for seven years.

£Cash

"The longer you have an allotment, the easier it gets and the cheaper your food becomes. Seeds can be pricey when you're starting out, but over time you can harvest and use your own. Some plants give you better yields over time - we forked out £3 on a few strawberry plants seven years ago, they divided every year and now we have 30 plants. Seasonal fruits are where you really see the savings; blackberries are £3 a punnet in shops and they are absolutely everywhere on an allotment. You also benefit from other people's gluts. Allotment communities usually have a 'share table' where they leave their excess crop and plants. You could have an allotment and not spend a penny on it by using the seeds and seedlings from the share table."

Man hours

"This is really hard to measure. Being on the allotment is so pleasurable, once you get there, even if you just planned to go for one hour, you'll stay longer. If you compared how many hours you spend digging to how many you spend nattering with people there, it's not much!"

Additional value

"The education you get in terms of understanding food is invaluable. Your palate gets to know varieties and stages of different crops you wouldn't usually get to try, because they're right there. Take broad beans, when they're young they taste amazing; the children eat them, pods and all, straight off the plant. You'd be hard pushed to find them in shops, even in farmers markets."

Charlie Cottrell hits the aisles, supermarket style.

£Cash

"It's the ultimate combination of value and choice. Supermarkets carry pretty much everything you want and bulk buying on their part means bigger savings on yours. If you're happy to match your meals to what's on offer, a savvy shopper can keep their tummy and their wallet happy and, these days, that's vital."

Man hours

"You're in, you're out. At a push, moseying up and down the aisles and queuing at the checkout will take up to a total of an hour and a half of your week - and that includes flicking through the gossip mags."

Additional value

"Convenience is the strongest weapon in the supermarket arsenal. Get everything you need under one roof, then the rest of the week is yours to do what you ruddy well want with. Don't fancy munching your way through the ton of turnips in your veg box? At the supermarket you can pick whatever you want and keep your dinners diverse."

Hannah Williams gets a weekly veg box delivery from Riverford Organic Veg

£Cash

"A flat rate of £10.85 a week provides more than enough seasonal veggies for three housemates; that's just over £3.50 each for eight types of veg. There are lots of box selections to choose from so you can pretty much guarantee you'll be happy with what's delivered. Even when I've had to make a supplementary purchase, say for a special recipe, I can't remember the last time I spent more than a fiver on weekly veggies. And I eat a lot of veg."

Man hours

"Zero. The box gets delivered while we're at work on a Thursday and is there waiting when we get home. At first I was worried it might get nicked (the community vibe of inner city London not being what it once was), but the delivery man is very discreet and carefully tucks it out of sight. The money's paid by direct debit so I don't even have to strain myself reaching for the coins."

Additional value

"With the exception of the odd Spanish pepper, all the veg is organically grown in Britain. So without having to trawl the internet for a seasonal veg guide, I'm kept in sync with Britain's seasonal bounty. That did mean a lot of turnip in winter but that's a good challenge for the creative cook. I've also had veg I'd never heard of before - like sweet mama squash - so it's a real voyage of discovery."

Put your well gotten greens to good use with these delicious vegetarian recipes

Urbanites - get green fingered without a garden with our guide to feasting from your windowbox

Back to top