You will find here answers to the questions we get asked a lot. If you can't find the answer here, or if you'd find it easier to talk to someone, please give us a ring (numbers below). We always like to hear from you (or even to see you if you are ever near the farm).
Making your account work for you, changing orders
ordering, finding out what's in the box and changing your order
No, you can have a delivery as often as suits you (we’ll need two working days notice). Lots of customers find that alternating between two boxes suits them, eg. a large box with a fruit box one week and a fruit and veg box the next. You can always add an extra bag of whatever you eat a lot of (potatoes, onions, apples etc.).
We post
box contents on the website every Friday. We can also email you the box contents each week, so you can check whether you would like to stay with the same box, change to another one, or add any extras. We try very hard to stick to the contents, but unpredictabilities in the weather and nature mean we do occasionally have to change at the last minute.
We suggest the boxes are suitable for the number of people shown below, based on a week's use. If you are vegetarian we recommend going up a box size.
Mini box
6 items
1 person
£8.35
Small box
8 items
2-3 people
£10.45
Medium box
10 items
3-4 people
£13.65
Large box
12 items
4+ people
£15.95
Fruit & Veg box
7 veg + 3 fruit items
2-4 people
£14.75
Mini Fruit & Veg Box
4 veg + 2 fruit items
1-2 people, ideal if you eat out a lot
£9.95
Summer Box
10 items (potato-free)
3-4 people
£12.95
Winter Box
8 items (potato-free)
2-3 people
£to be confirmed
Favourites Box
8 items
2-3 people (small size) £12.95
4-5 people (large size) £17.95
As often as you like. We really want you to get the box that suits you each week. Customers generally find it better to set up a regular order (which can alternate between boxes) and then cancel when they are away or going out a lot. This is a great help to us in planning the crops, but we much prefer you to swap between boxes and miss the occasional delivery than build up an onion mountain or have cabbages taking over in the fridge.
We need two working days notice before your delivery day to amend or cancel orders. You will need to phone or email your local distributor by 5pm, or by 8pm if you go online to make the changes.
i.e.
Delivery date Via local distributor Via website
Monday Friday 5pm Saturday 8pm
Tuesday Friday 5pm Sunday 8pm (tbc)
Wed Monday 5pm Monday 8pm
Thursday Tuesday 5pm Tuesday 8pm
Friday Wednesday 5pm Wednesday 8pm
You will always get better value with one of our veg or fruit & veg boxes but if you’d prefer to choose from our ‘extras’ only there is a minimum spend of £12.50. Though you may not always need to order a box, our boxes do usually represent the best value as they are full of seasonal produce, most of which we grow on our farms.
You can cancel up to 4 orders in a row online through ‘my future orders’ or by contacting your local distributor.
If you are going away for more than 4 weeks, you can either remove your regular order via the ‘my regular order’ page or contact your local distributor with the dates that you will not need deliveries. Make sure you also remove any one off orders you may have made from the ‘my future orders’ page.
Please remember that we need two working days notice before your delivery day to amend or cancel orders. You will need to phone or email your local distributor by 5pm, or by 8pm if you go online to make the changes.
Our boxes have fixed contents for a few reasons. It means that we can get our produce to you as quickly as possible, resulting in fresher veg, keep our prices low, so as many people as possible can afford organic veg and it also helps to minimise waste, so we can use everything we grow. Most importantly, it means we can keep our commitment to the farmers in our co-op who help us make the boxes varied and interesting.
Our core boxes usually contain potatoes, carrots and onions, but we also offer boxes without these ‘staples’. Contents change every week and you can swap between boxes to suit you and add any extra items you like.
there are no delivery charges
No, delivery is free.
You will always get better value from our veg, fruit & veg or meat boxes but if you'd prefer to choose from our ‘extras’ only you can order to a minimum value of £12.50 (without meat) or, if you want to make up your own meat box a minimum of £45 for meat. Though you may not always need to order a box, our boxes do usually represent the best value as they are full of seasonal produce, most of which we grow on our farms.
You can pay by logging into your account, clicking on ‘my account’ and then ‘make a payment’. We accept Visa, Visa Delta, MasterCard, Maestro and Solo. You can choose to make a one off payment or sign up to a regular payment agreement (FuturePay). This will debit your card each time you have a delivery and saves you needing to remember to pay each time. You can also make a card payment by phoning your local distributor or Customer Services. We can also accept cash or cheque on arrangement with your local distributor but please contact them to arrange this in advance.
If your card has expired or there is a problem taking payment please contact your local distributor, Customer Services or visit the WorldPay Shopper Management website http://www.worldpay.com/shopper/. You will have received your login details for the WorldPay site via email when your FuturePay agreement was first created.
For reasons of security, please do not email us your credit card details.
To check your account activity, log in and select ‘my account’. You will also receive a payment confirmation each time you receive a delivery from us.
The ethical and environmental lowdown
it's at the core of our business
To give a fair deal to farmers, customers, staff and the environment. This means not going for easy answers (which are nearly always the ones that would be better from a marketing point of view), but really looking for an informed and balanced solution – and trying to take growers, staff and customers with us.
Thinking about it constantly, is the short answer, and taking action in all sorts of unglamorous but important ways. We have done this since we started packing boxes in 1986, but our thinking has become a lot more structured in the last 2 years with a study we are funding with Exeter University. We have set up a
website to report on this work, where you can find the long answer about everything from hothouse tomatoes to packaging and transport.
You can help a lot by keeping boxes dry and sending them back. We aim for them to do ten trips, but need to get them back in good condition. We will soon be asking you to send back plastic bags, as our environmental study has caused us to change our policy on these, revealing that recycling is the best route. On our website and weekly newsletter you can look at our ‘carbon counter’ which will tell you which boxes have the lowest carbon footprint. Best of all you can introduce friends and neighbours to the scheme – density of van rounds is the thing that will have most impact on our carbon footprint.
We have always minimised packaging, designing re-usable boxes, and only using bags and punnets where necessary to maintain moisture (eg. greens) or protect the product. Our punnets and paper bags are compostable. We are now asking you to send back the small number of plastic bags we use, in your returnable boxes, so we can recycle them efficiently. For more on this see our
environment website.
In 2007, 78% (by weight) of the fruit and veg in our boxes was grown in the UK. (This was a bad year for home-grown crops – we aim for at least 80%). We use as much home-grown fruit and veg as we can and encourage customers to make the most of local and seasonal produce, without being so dogmatic that we drive them back to the supermarkets. The small percentage we import includes all the citrus and tropical fruit that won’t grow in this country. The proportion of imported vegetables is around 10%.
We strive to make the most of what can be grown in the UK; extending the UK season, experimenting with less familiar veg, and encouraging customers to recognise the environmental cost of much imported produce. Enthusiasm for seasonal and local eating is growing, but very few people are satisfied with a UK-only box, particularly in the “hungry gap” of April and May. Some items – such as tomatoes – have become year round staples. We’ve discovered that the
environmental cost of bringing them from Southern Europe is much lower than growing them under heated glass in the UK.
It is very difficult to give a categorical answer to this question. But we are confident that unless you walk to your supermarket and buy only UK grown, unpackaged produce, your shopping trip will very rarely have a lower environmental impact than having a River Nene box delivered. Most of our customers tell us that shopping with us has helped them reduce their other shopping trips. If we can only reduce shopping trips by car by one a month we will have had a significant impact. For more on this see our environment website.
We would love to say yes, because we have spent years developing our own paper and cardboard boxes, punnets and bags, in order to reduce our use of plastic. But we have now found that, from the perspective of energy and greenhouse gas emissions, plastic is generally better, often by a factor of two or three. The inescapable conclusion is that all disposable packaging is bad. Recycling helps, but only reduces the environmental impact by an average of about half, so it does not make packaging OK. To see how we use packaging see our
environment website.
No. With the exception of some used cooking oil (which is only available in very limited volumes), bio-fuels can take as much energy to grow and process as they produce. Some work has shown biodiesel to result in higher levels of exhaust particulates which are particularly damaging to the health of plants and animals – including people. Growing arable crops for fuel competes with food production, often of staple crops relied upon by third world countries. For more on this see our environment website.
There is little doubt that in the developed world we eat more animal products than is good for our health, for the environment and for the wellbeing of the less affluent. Pigs, poultry and intensively produced (grain fed) cows all compete with the world’s poor for grain produced on fertile arable land. In turn, this increases the pressure for deforestation and intensification of production on existing land. Grass-fed ruminants pose a more complicated dilemma. For more on this see our environment website.
There are no simple or authoritative answers to this question. We certainly do not feel qualified to give a definitive answer but there seem to be a lot of reasons for eating fewer animal products, making sure that we use all the animal (offal and all) and treating them with the respect that they deserve, both when alive and in the kitchen, rather than just wanting them to be cheap.
In almost all cases the answer is yes. Organic farming
• Promotes biodiversity within fields, in the hedgerows and, most importantly, in the soil
• Uses less energy per kg of food produced. Organic famers do not use synthetic nitrogen fertiliser that uses huge amounts of fossil fuels to manufacture
• Avoids pollution from pesticides and fertilisers
• Under organic management CO2 is normally removed from the atmosphere and accumulated as increased levels or organic matter in the soil, a process known as carbon sequestration
• No use of GM, so avoidance of the unquantifiable environmental risks
The argument often used against organic farming is that it uses more land to produce the same amount of food and therefore increases pressure to clear forest for agriculture. In simplistic terms this is true in developed countries with highly mechanised monoculture cropping systems. It is not true of developing countries where complex, integrated organic farming systems using local knowledge and inputs can be many times more productive than monocultures dependent on imported chemical inputs. Within the developed world simple calculations take no account of energy used to make nitrogen. If this energy had to be produced sustainably, for instance from biofuels, organic farming would often be more productive.
We have been working with Exeter University to find the least worst options for our packaging with surprising results: compostable/biodegradable, degradable and starch-based plastics create more environmental problems than they solve.
So we have abandoned our degradable bags and gone back to plain old oil-based polythene that is recyclable. Leave them out for us in your returnable box and we'll take responsibility for recycling them.
For more on the facts behind this decision see
http://www.riverfordenvironment.co.uk/Update.aspx.
How deliveries are organised and why
we deliver on rounds
We deliver between 6am and 8pm on your delivery day. To find out which day we can deliver to you, pop your postcode into the box on the homepage of this website.
You don’t need to be at home. In fact, more than 70% of customers are out when we deliver. Deliveries are made by your local distributor (not a courier), who works on a ‘round’ basis on a set day to maximise efficiency and reduce food miles. However if you have a regular order you will notice that delivery is often at a similar time each week – traffic and weather permitting!
Let your local distributor know where you would like them to leave your box. We are used to all sorts of requests and can usually accommodate them. This could be anything from leaving your box with a neighbour, in a shed or garage, to tucking it under a hedge, behind a dustbin or under upturned recycling boxes. We can also deliver to your work place if this is more convenient. If you are an existing customer please contact your local distributor, or if you are a new customer enter your work address details when you place your order for the first time.
We are currently designing a storage unit that works as both insulation and as a mini-garden. They can be planted and are designed to live on the doorstep or in the garden. They will be available later this year – and are a lot more pleasing to the eye and the environment than Hippo boxes.
Although we are growing quite fast, Riverford River Nene and River Swale is not huge and we don’t cover the whole country. We are working with ‘sister’ farms so we can grow and deliver locally, and we cover quite a large area from our original farm in Devon. If we don’t deliver in your area yet, please fill in the registration form and we will let you know when we start deliveries in your area. Some customers who live just outside our delivery areas have boxes delivered to their work address or to friends or family.
what we sell and where it comes from
mostly from our farm & grower group
Organic veg boxes are at the heart of what we do. Each week we put together the best of seasonal produce, mostly from our own fields. You get the benefit of a varied, fresh, seasonal organic diet, delivered to your door. You can choose each week between a range of boxes to suit your household. It can take a few weeks to get used to life with a box, but customers generally find they cook more, eat more healthily and feel more of a connection with where their food comes from.
Everything that goes in our veg and fruit boxes is certified organic, as are all the products on our extras list. There is one very occasional exception; in-conversion produce that we very occasionally get from farmers who are in the process of converting to organic (again, rather than go abroad). In-conversion produce is only available on our extras list and will always be clearly labelled. Our imported produce is certified by IFOAM (The International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements) who ensure that the produce is grown in active soil and meets similar standards to those set out by the Soil Association.
'Organic' is a term defined by law. All our vegetables are grown under Soil Association certification, meaning that they are grown to exacting standards and stringently inspected. The letter of organic 'law' means avoiding pesticides and chemicals, but we see organic as going far beyond and essentially being to do with working with nature rather than against it, ensuring the way we grow and operate is sustainable in every way.
We are great believers in sticking to our onions and doing what we do well – growing great-tasting fruit and veg. However if we are trying to save trips to the supermarket and get the most out of our delivery vans, it makes sense to deliver more per trip. We offer a whole range of fruit and vegetables to top up your box. But you can also get milk, cream and yoghurt from a local dairy, organic wine, beer, spirits, cheese and quite a lot more. All organic, much of it from local suppliers.
All our eggs are Soil Association accredited. We took the decision some years ago that the welfare standards of some other organic certification were not acceptable (eg. flock sizes were too large and the practice of de-beaking was still permitted). We are also trying to exceed some of the Soil Association standards by, for example, using suppliers that use much smaller flock sizes. Our suppliers’ hens are fed on an organic diet approved by both the Soil Association and the Vegetarian Society. Our suppliers do not use any fishmeal, only natural ingredients. It is important to give the birds a balanced diet and this is achieved by varying the diet depending on what natural ingredients are available or in season. They do not use any chemicals or artificial yolk colourants - everything is natural. From time to time one of our suppliers may feed their hens organic vitamins, the content of which is derived from organic fruit only. The Soil Association does certify this practice.
We appreciate that many of our customers have different dietary requirements. Be it a vegetarian or vegan lifestyle or food intolerance, we try to provide as much information as possible about the products we sell on our extras list. We aim to source wines that are suitable for both vegetarians and vegans. Any products that may include nuts, dairy or gluten are clearly labelled. If you need a bit more information about any of our products call Customer Services on 0845 600 2311 or email mail@riverford.co.uk
Over the year around 90% of the vegetables are homegrown (80% if you include fruit – but obviously we cannot grow bananas and citrus fruit ourselves). The proportion of homegrown produce rises to near 100% in late summer and early autumn and dips to nearer 60% in late spring. Most is grown by our local grower group of family farms. We import as little as possible (never by air freight) to keep the boxes interesting all year round and to cover the ‘hungry gap’ around May when our own fields offer little variety. We always tell you where the produce comes from on the weekly newsletter in your boxes.
To become certified organic by the Soil Association, farmers have to take their land through a two year conversion process. During this period they cannot sell produce as organic, but can sell it as ‘in conversion’ which helps them through the process. We occasionally offer in conversion produce (apples are the most common example) – usually when the choice is between in conversion produce from a home grower or going abroad. It also means that we can help secure a market for smaller growers who have turned to organic farming while they wait for their produce to become certified. We have found that most customers strongly support this policy, but know that some feel strongly about everything being fully organic, so we only offer in conversion produce as an extra (clearly labelled), not in the boxes.
We do not air freight any produce and have never done so. Most of our imports come from growers in France and Spain with whom we have longstanding relationships. The carbon impact of imports – especially by sea – can be lower than growing in this country. If you would like to find out more visit our environment website www.riverfordenvironment.co.uk.
What is distinctive about River Nene?
we're a little different and here's why
Riverford was one of the pioneering organic vegetable box schemes, founded over 20 years ago by Guy Watson, who still owns and runs it. Riverford, the Watson family farm in Devon, is at the heart of Guy’s vegetable box scheme, and various other Watson family enterprises: a dairy herd and award-winning dairy which produces our milk, cream, and yoghurt; a farm shop, kitchen and bakery; the meat box business and the Field Kitchen restaurant. The farm has a 25 year history of producing high quality fresh seasonal food and building the connection between consumer and grower (Riverford was the first farm in the country to open to the public back in the 1970s).
We are one of the larger box schemes, which enables us to offer varied box contents, flexibility, good value and service. We grow the vegetables ourselves, which gives our customers a real connection with the farm, which you are welcome to come and visit. All deliveries are by our local distributors, not couriers. As well as our original farm in Devon, we now have sister farms in Cambridgeshire, Yorkshire, Hampshire and shortly Cheshire and Kent – so that vegetables can be grown and distributed more locally. There are a few outstanding local box schemes that grow a good range and distribute locally and should be supported. For a bigger box scheme, we believe ours is a really good model.
A subject we could give too much space to…
• Our produce is fresher than almost all supermarket veg; it comes straight from us to you, not via packers and distribution centres
• We can choose the varieties we grow for flavour not cosmetic perfection or handling properties
• We can tell you exactly where it comes from and you can come and see it growing
• We give a consistently fair deal to the farmers who grow with us and work with them over the long term
• We have looked after the environment since day one – by the way we grow, by minimising waste, minimising and recycling packaging, and paying close attention to every aspect of our carbon footprint
• And we generally are cheaper – we do regular price comparisons with three major supermarkets
• Delivery is free
As Riverford has got bigger and more popular, it is also getting smaller and more local. Rather than grow any bigger from our Devon base, we have joined up with farmers in other parts of the country so that the vegetables can be grown close to where they are eaten. We now have a sister farm near Peterborough, River Nene, serving the east of England, and River Swale serving Yorkshire and the North East, and a third one in Hampshire. We hope very shortly to have two more sister farms; in Kent and Cheshire. The timing depends on finding partners who share our ethics and want to do things in a similar way, as well as having the right land for vegetables and the right skills. If you are lucky enough to have a local farm shop that actually grows its own veg (a rarity) or a local box scheme that is both organic and grows locally, then you may get your vegetables more locally. Otherwise they are very unlikely to have travelled less distance or be fresher than ours.
we like to hear about anything you're not happy with so we can fix it
We very rarely miss a delivery, so don’t panic if it is a bit later than usual. If it is very late, please ring your local distributor or Customer Services on 0845 600 2311. We will find out what has happened and try to put it right.
Occasionally box contents do not match those listed on the newsletter because weather or crop yields mean that we have had to make a substitution. So first count the total number of items against the list. If something is missing, please let us know and we replace the item free with your next delivery.
Our whole team strive to provide fresh, high quality produce. With fresh organic fruit and vegetables, the odd thing can inevitably go wrong. We try to catch any problems and grade out anything that is substandard or doesn’t have enough shelf life (the staff and the cows get to eat this). If you have a problem please don’t suffer in silence – let us know so we can put it right (by a credit or a free replacement), and investigate so it doesn’t happen again.
We usually put newsletters in the box, but if you are out we usually post the receipt through your letter box to let you know your box has arrived. You can also
read the newsletters online and see your statement.
If you have not placed an order for a long time we may deactivate your account. You can have it reactivated by contacting your local distributor or calling Customer Services on 0845 600 2311.
