Where do you deliver?

What makes you different to other schemes?

Where does it come from?

How do I place an order?

What's the £1.50 for?

How do I pay?

When do you deliver?

What if i'm not in when you deliver?

When is the best time to order for a same week delivery?

I have a Standing Order set up - what do I do if I'm going away on holiday?

What do organic fruit and vegetables look like?

How long will the fruit and vegetables stay fresh?

I have a Standing Order set up - how do I make a change to my regular order?

 

 

 

 

 

Broadly speaking, we will deliver anywhere within Co. Durham, Washington and Sunderland. We also cover some areas of Gateshead. If it's close enough to one of our existing customers we will deliver to you.

If you are a business and your requirements fall outside that scope please do contact us on 01388 817085 as we can be very flexible.

 


Originally we were three busy people that wanted to integrate buying healthy goods and supporting local businesses into our lives ourselves but we found other schemes just didn't deliver.

Unlike many other box schemes, we are not a national franchise or a southern company expanding into the north. We are local ladies, sourcing from local producers and serving local customers. We have no desire to take over the world. We just want to meet the needs of and provide an exceptional service to, our bit of the world.

We also recognise that not everyone wants to go the whole hog and doesn't want, or cannot afford, organic goods. We feel the next best thing is traditionally farmed produce; it retains the spirit of farming - no chemicals, no additives, no artificial fertilisers or feeds - but is much more affordable. It is also fresh and very local.

Our aim is to supply a full range of fresh foods and groceries, covering all aspects of your shop and all organic or locally produced.

 

We work with many local farmers, growers and producers; they supply to us and we operate as a single point of purchase. Often they do not have the desire, time or necessary skills to market their goods to the widest audience. They just want to get on with doing what they do best - farming, growing or producing their goods - and we want to make it easy for local people to access.

The definition of local is "within 35 miles".

ORGANIC PRODUCE

The vast majority of our organic goods are farmed in County Durham - for us, the closer the better - but a small proportion comes from further afield in the UK and some organic fruit and vegetables do come from abroad. Origin is clearly stated.

Our aim is to source our produce only from local farmers and growers but there are limitations to the supply available. As more farmers make the transition to organic we hope to become truly 100% local.

TRADITIONAL PRODUCE

100% of our traditionally grown and reared produce is truly local.

We have taken care to see for ourselves how each of our suppliers operate and we have ensured they share our commitment to traditional farming.


Where there are a number of suppliers able to supply the same produce, it is our commitment to work with those in County Durham first and foremost.

If you want to know more about our suppliers, please do contact us.

 


You can order at any time through the on-line shop or by phone during office hours (Monday to Friday 9.30am to 5.00pm) on 01388 817085.

We do hope you will make it a regular order - either by setting up a Standing Order, calling us with you card details or by placing your own order each time.

The more we know about your future requirements, the more we can plan with our farmers, growers and producers.

PLEASE NOTE: IF YOU PLACE YOUR OWN ORDER EACH TIME, THE SITE WILL AUTOMATICALLY ADD A ONE OFF CHARGE OF £1.50. THIS IS FOR THE JUTE BAG.

IF YOU HAVE ORDERED BEFORE AND NOW WANT TO ORDER REGULARLY BUT PREFER TO VARY THE FREQUENCY AND CONTENT, WE CAN TAKE YOUR ORDER BY E-MAIL OR PHONE AND WE WON'T CHARGE YOU FOR THIS.

What's the £1.50 for?

If you place a "one-off" order on-line, the site will automatically add a charge for the jute bag. It assumes we will not be coming back to collect it.

If you order from us regularly but don't want a recurring order as you want to retain control over when and what you order, just contact us - either call or e-mail - and we can make alternative payment arrangements that do not include this charge.

 

Payment can be accepted through the website using PayPal or Google checkouts or by calling us with your card details. 

Our website accepts payments from Credit and Debit Cards or through PayPal Accounts.

If you choose to pay by phone you can submit your order on the site before you call us to make payment. Your order is treated as confirmed and will be acted upon so please call us to make your payment as soon as possible.

To set up a Standing Order, please call us and we will put a form in the post to you.

 


We deliver 7 days a week. 9.30am to 9.30pm during the week and 10.00am to 7.30pm at weekends.

If you use our Free of Charge delivery service we will choose the day of your delivery. This will be chosen to fit in with availability of your ordered items, the time you placed your order and our existing confirmed deliveries. The delivery will be made at any time during that day.

This can mean up to a weeks delay between placing your order and delivery (sometimes longer if it includes Highland Beef!)

For a little extra you can choose a timed delivery slot and decide exactly when we deliver.

 


If you think it is likely that you may not be in please do let us know where best to leave your delivery.

If you have not given us instructions, we will leave it at a spot our driver thinks best suitable.

We ALWAYS drop a note in to confirm when and where we have delivered.

 

 

 

 

If you use our Free of Charge delivery service there is no gaurantee of delivery day or time. However, if you order before 10.00am on a Monday, your delivery will be with you by Friday.

 


Hope you have a lovely holiday!

If you tell us your holiday dates in advance, we can automatically skip your deliveries.

Please contact us to give us your instructions and we really appreciate as much notice as you can give - at least 3 days is required.

 

 


Organic food is grown to taste good according to Mother Nature, not according to EU regulations on the required bend in a banana.

Your organic produce may sometimes look a bit peculiar compared to the usual supermarket variety - you may get a carrot you could send to This Is Your Life - but it will always be of the highest quality.

We will never discard something just because it has a surface mark or is covered in mud and nothing is wasted that is good to eat, no matter how much it looks like a witches nose.

But bad quality, inedible food is bad quality whether it's organic or not and you won't find any in our boxes.

 

How long will the fruit and vegetables stay fresh?

Both local and organic produce is delivered to you only days and sometimes hours, after being pulled from the field.

Our fruit and vegetables do not contain artificial preservatives and are never irradiated.

This does mean that the produce will have a shorter shelf life than supermarket goods.

However, this means that your produce will be eaten when it is fresher and has a higher level of nutrients.

You can find out how to store your fruit and vegetables to maximise their freshness by visiting our Hints & Tips page.

And you can always further extend the life of your fruit and vegetables, completely naturally, by investing in a FreshPod.

 

 


That's no problem - a change is as good as a rest.

Please contact us, by phone or e-mail, to give us your instructions and we really appreciate as much notice as you can give - at least 3 days notice is required. We will send you a new Standing Order form or you can call us with your card details for future use.