How to Order & FAQs

Step 1 - Check if we deliver to you and create an account before you start. If not, you will be able to collect from in store.

You can do this by clicking the little round person icon at the top of the page, and then "sign up" - or, try and add something to your basket.

Once you've created an account it's a great time to take a look around, add delivery instructions, likes and dislikes, and any holidays coming up. But you can do this later too!

Step 2 - Add to your basket whichever organic veg box & extras you'd like - either just once or every week/fortnight.

Note: if you decide to just buy individual items, there is a minimum spend of £15/£25 (collection/delivery).

We're adding new items every week so remember to keep browsing every time you visit!

Step 3 - Make sure you're happy, and swap out anything you need to from the boxes

You have until Monday 11pm each week to do your swaps, for a delivery on Thursday that week. (We'll remind you!)

If you have updated your likes and dislikes in your account, this will automatically swap out your dislikes after the first box - do keep checking as we add more veg varieties each week.

Step 4 - Receive your delivery or collect from Plentiful on Thursday, then browse our recipes!

You don't need to be in for deliveries - just make sure you've updated any delivery instructions on your account page. We recommend leaving out an ice pack if you have milk and are out for more than a couple of hours/hot day,

You can update holiday dates on your account page too.

We have a page of both TIPS if you're needing some veg advice, or RECIPES published in line with what's in the boxes.

FAQs

Ordering & General Questions

How do I order?

Create an account - It's simple - make sure we deliver in your area and create an account using the little person icon at the top of the page.Then, once you've added your payment info & address, you can add a veg box to your basket.
Add your items - Add the veg box and choose whether you'd like it as a one off, weekly or fortnightly. Once added, don't forget to also add in any other grocery extras such as bread, juice, yoghurt, loo roll etc. Again, one off, weekly or fortnightly.
Check your basket
- make sure it's all correct. Make any swaps you like, and make sure that by Monday 11pm that it's exactly as you fancy.
Monday 11pm you will be automatically charged.
On Thursday, you will receive your box or you can collect from Plentiful!

When will my first box arrive?

Our delivery runs are all on Thursday (same for collection). As long as you have an account created, with your order in the basket by 11pm on Monday - you will receive the box on Thursday.

What if I go on holiday?

As long as you let us know by Monday, 11pm - you're all good. To do this, press your account button at the top of the page and then 'Holidays.' Add all the dates where you are AWAY (not the other way round!) and we're all good.

Do I have to get a fruit &/or veg box?

No! You can also just do an online shop, picking and choosing whatever you like. There is however a minimum spend (as there is for most online grocery sites). At the moment, it's a £25 minimum spend for delivery if you don't get a box, and £15 for collection. We may trial other amounts or removing this.

Can I get something just once, or does it have to be weekly?

You can get any of our products as a one off, weekly or fortnightly. When you add to the basket, a pop up will ask which you'd like.

Can I change box size?

You can change your box size any time at all. Life happens - some weeks you may want more, some weeks you may want less. Sometimes lots of fruit, other times not. You can change your veg box size up to 11pm Monday, 3 days before your box is due.

Payments

How do I cancel, how much notice do I have to give?

You're not tied in to anything at all. To cancel, all you need to do is open your basket and remove any reoccuring items. You can also hit 'pause' on your basket, and restart another time.
At 11pm on Monday night, the payments and orders are all finalised and completed for that Thursday. So, as long as you remove the items from your basket by that time, it's all done! No need to let us know - unless you'd like to offer feedback - which is always welcome.
If you want us to double check and you're not sure if you're cancelled, just pop us an email on [email protected]. (Please note - we check this email every Weds AM so may miss the deadline if you ask us to empty your basket for you so we always recommend doing it yourself).
If you are cancelling temporarily as you're going on holiday, just go to your account (person icon at the top), press 'holidays' and tick all the dates you DON'T want a box.

What happens if I miss a payment?

Currently, we are conducting a trial where customers can still receive one veg box after a missed payment, as long as they have completed two or more payments with us before. However, if this approach proves unsuccessful, we may need to implement a "no payment, no delivery" policy. We will implement this if too many payments are missed, or if anyone doesn't pay the amount due.
We appreciate there is a short window between payments and the boxes, so please do ensure that your payment goes through each week at Monday 11pm if you would like a box that week. Pestering takes lots of time, and no-one likes reminders!

Box Contents & Swaps

When will I find out what is in the box?

On Wednesday through 'til Monday night you will be able to log in and see a list underneath your chosen veg box of every item in the box next week and what country it comes from. You are welcome to make changes up until 11pm Monday.

Where does the veg come from? Is it local?

Under every box there will be a list of countries and flags to indicate where the boxes have come from. If it says 'locally grown' then it's from one of our favourite organic farms in the North West. Otherwise, we aim for as much British as possible and supplement with food grown in Europe and beyond. To keep our carbon footprint low, we never use air freight.
Our most commonly used farms in the North:

Organic Pantry, Tadcaster, Yorkshire
Glebelands Organic Growers, Sale, Greater Manchester
Burscough Community Growers, Burscough, Lancs
Shorts and Shovels, Burscough, Lancs
Royal Oak in Scarisbrick, near Ormskirk
Polybell Farm in Doncaster
TJ Simpson, Scarisbrick, near Ormskirk
Growing Well in Kendal, Cumbria
Sheffield Organic Growers

How weird and wonderful are the boxes? What if I don't know what things are?

We don't go too mad with the boxes, as we appreciate that often children want to eat familiar veg, and we don't always have the time to experiment. Saying that, we don't stick to carrots and broccoli either. You might get something less common, like kohlrabi or celeriac, but not every week - if you're not sure on what to do with something, take a look at our TIPS page. We've explained what to do with some veg on there!

What if I want to make occasional swaps?

No worries! You can make 3 swaps with every veg box. We keep them to this so we can pack our boxes quickly and to a high standard, and to make sure we can predict what produce we need to order. Plus - the joy of the boxes for many people is tasting what's in season. If you want to make more than 3 swaps each week, you can always create your own order (minimum spend applies).
If you know there's an item you never want in you box - you can add this to your 'dislikes' page on your account, and it will automatically be removed from something you DO like each week. We recommend going through this list, selecting your preferences, if you know you don't want a couple of items. This list will be updated regularly during the first 12 months of using this website - as each vegetable or fruit gets added as it arrives in store each week. So do keep an eye on it every now and then.

What if I dislike a certain fruit/vegetable or have allergies?

If you know there's an item you never want in you organic fruit and veg box - you can add this to your 'dislikes' page on your account, and it will automatically be removed from something you DO like each week. We recommend going through this list, selecting your preferences, if you know you don't want a couple of items. This list will be updated regularly during the first 12 months of using this website - as each vegetable or fruit gets added as it arrives in store each week. So do keep an eye on it every now and then.
You can also swap out items each week from the contents list.

Are swaps free?

Most items you will be able to swap for, with no extra charge. Some items however are expensive for us to buy (such as asparagus and strawberries). If this is the case, the website will automatically calculate the difference in price and add this on. That way, it's fair for everyone and you get to make the final choice!

Can I add extra fruit & veg on?

Why of course! If you go to the fruit & veg pages, you can add on single items of organic produce. Add on as much as you like!
You can also choose to add on an entirely new veg box if you're expecting visitors etc.

Can I add on bread, juice, dairy, eggs etc?

You can do this easily by browsing our product pages. Click what you'd like, and choose if you'd like it as a one off, weekly or fortnightly. You can change this any time.

What if you can't provide something?

If for whatever reason there is an issue with our delivery, or something isn't up to standard - we will let you know and credit what we owe. We may ask if you are happy to swap for an alternative item. Either way - we'll do our very best to keep you happy. We're at the beginning of using this new system so there may be the occasional teething issue (we do our ordering a week in advance and have to predict the future!).

Delivery

What time do you deliver?

We always deliver on a Thursday at the moment, usually between 10am and 5pm. It depends whereabouts on the route you are.
You will receive an email once we have delivered your box.

What if I'm not in?

You don't need to be in for MOST deliveries, unless ordering wine. You will need to have an adult over 18 in to receive any alcohol deliveries. Otherwise, we'll always leave the box in the safest, most sheltered space we can see and cover anything that may get wet. If you have a safe place, please add this to your account.

How much is delivery?

There is a small charge for delivery, as we want to be transparent with pricing. Many big, well known groceries and box schemes don't charge for delivery - but they do charge more for their veg. It all works out the same price wise. Also - we choose to use our own team to bring the veg to you. We know that they will be checking quality and contents right up until it reaches your door, and they'll always be trusted. You'll be greeted by one of our own team members and can say hello if you're about, rather than a stranger at the door who could leave it anywhere. The delivery charge pays for staff time and fuel - as we get bigger, we hope to reduce or remove it.

Where do you deliver to?

We deliver to the following postcodes, and there's a map at the bottom of this page - scroll down to view.

BL0 (all)

BL2 3, BL2 4, and BL2 5

BL7 0 and BL7 9

BL8 (all)

BL9 (all)

BB3 0, BB3 1, BB3 2 and BB3 3

BB4 (all)

OL13 (all)

What if i'm JUST outside the radius?

If you're within a couple of minutes drive from the edge of the map (see bottom of page) then please email us at [email protected] as we can add in specific postcodes if we are able to make the delivery run work.

Can you deliver to a friend's address or my work, to pick up later?

As long as they are in the list of postcodes above, and give consent for a delivery to arrive Thursday before 6pm (unless something has gone awry!) then we can deliver to whoever you like.

My address is hard to find or I have a specific safe place, can I tell you?

Please do - this can save us lots of time and ensures your box gets to you. If you leave your instructions in your profile, under 'delivery' our driver will receive this information when they deliver to you. Once we know the spot, we can drop a pin on our driver app so we'll always find your door or safe space!

Who delivers to my house?

Our own Plentiful veg box team will deliver to you.

Where do I leave my old boxes?

Please leave your last empty veg box in a sheltered space that we can see, or on your doorstep if the weather isn't due to rain. Please check the weather before you do this, as wet boxes usually don't survive! We reuse the boxes at least 5 times before they start to give up.

Collection

How do I collect?

To collect, come to Plentiful Wholefoods (46 Bridge St, Ramsbottom, BL09AQ) between 10am-6pm on the Thursday your box is due. Let us know your name, and we will gather your box and extras for you. You don't need to bring anything other than yourself and your last box, so we can reuse it.

Can I collect on Friday/Saturday instead?

In some cases, we may be able to keep hold of your box for an extra day or two. Please email us at [email protected] if you need to collect more than 1 day later.
Please be aware that sourdough will be fresh on Thursday, so will be one day older if you come on Friday. The reason we don't hold on to the veg boxes indefinitely is because we have limited fridge space and we want you to receive the freshest veg. The sooner you get it home - the better!

What if I don't collect?

If you don't collect your box, we may send you a reminder (but this is not always guaranteed). We will keep it refridgerated for as long as we can, but we have to prioritise the fruit and veg we sell in store - so we don't lose stock. If you don't collect at all, after a week has passed we will donate your fruit and veg to Ramsbottom Pantry or Bleakholt.

Packaging & Ethics

What packaging do you use?

We aim to be as plastic free as possible, and if we can, we will put your veg straight in the box loose. If an item is easily damaged, or small, we will bag them in paper bags or tie with twine. Often, we do sell produce that is pre packaged. Most of our suppliers understand the importance of plastic reduction and use compostable packaging or paper. If this is the case, we encourage you to home compost, reuse for your food waste bin, or chop up and bury in the garden.
Sometimes, understandably, our produce arrives to us in plastic packaging. This is usually items such as leafy veg which stays fresh far longer when wrapped. Farmers have to make a touch decision between food wastage and plastic use, whilst knowing compostable packaging is often 10x more expensive. If you have a collection of plastic bags which you cannot reuse, please bring them to us. We can either reuse them in store to keep things fresh, reuse them to keep veg box items dry on doorsteps, and eventually recycle through our private recycling firm.

Is everything organic?

All of our fruit, veg, eggs and dairy is 100% organic. Everything else will say on the product page. As a whole, we are around 80% organic and strongly believe in this way of farming.

Can I return my packaging?

Boxes: Yes! Please bring your boxes back to us each week/fortnight. We reuse these at LEAST five times, so please look after them and don't put them outside if it might rain. They fold up nicely if you end up with a couple saved.
Egg Boxes: Unfortunately at this time we cannot reuse/return egg boxes
Glass Bottles: We cannot use these for food, or send back to the farm - however we can use them in store to filll with cleaning products. If you are happy to wash them first, we'll be happy to use them in store.
Stretchy Plastic: Stretchy plastic bags are always useful at Plentiful, whether it be for keeping produce fresh, keeping deliveries dry, or helping customers with leaky shopping. We're always happy to take in tact stretchy plastic bags. At the end of their life they are recycled with ISM.
Anything else: We may be able to take some jars, but we cannot send these back. They would be used for cleaning refills at Plentiful Wholefoods.