28/07/2026
Ben’s last veg box newsletter:
Well, that’s that then. Our last veg boxes have gone out this week. The end of an era for me (I have been designing, packing, administering and delivering veg boxes in one form or another for 17 years!) but, we hope, the start of a new phase for our shop.
We have plans for layout changes, new products, new bits of kit to make our operation a bit more efficient. And, from the new school term in September, we will be opening later on a Wednesday and Thursday – until 1800.
And anyhow, as we know, nothing ever truly comes to an end, it just changes form. Take a carrot for example. One or more of the carrot’s water atoms may have come from the outflow of a heat exchanger cooling a data centre a few weeks ago. One or more of the carbon atoms may have previously been locked into oil deposits deep under the North Sea, before being released under a drilling licence granted in 2023. One or more of the nitrogen atoms may have passed through Keir Starmer’s gut and come to that, may one day pass through Andy Burnham’s. What I’m not entirely sure of, and perhaps a qualified scientist or statistician can help me here is what the chances of the ‘or more of’ bit in any of those scenarios. Answers on a postcard please.
What I do know is that in your case, with your organic carrot, it is more likely that at least one of the carbon atoms was from composted matter spread on the land the previous year and that at least one of the nitrogen atoms had passed through a hedgehog. Again, if you feel strongly that any of the contents of that last paragraph is complete hog 💩 , feel free to let me know. I love to learn.
We did say that we will provide all you active veg box customers with a discount card for use in the shop. So if you have received our email – that means YOU! Your card will be ready for you to collect from the shop from Friday this week. It is valid until the 31st October 2026 whereupon, it’s discount atoms will change into a bat and flit off spookily into the night. It has a barcode that triggers the discount, so if you are one of these techy types like my darling wife who prefers to do everything on their phone, you can photograph the card and show us the photo. The card entitles you to 10% off any shopping.
On to last boxes contents then:
Small Veg Box
• Acoustic potatoes 🇬🇧 Lincolnshire
• Washed carrots 🇬🇧 Suffolk
• Yellow onions 🇪🇸 Spain
• Red cabbage 🇬🇧 Lincolnshire
• Perpetual spinach 🇬🇧 Yorkshire
• Courgette 🇬🇧 Suffolk
• Large heirloom tomato 🇫🇷 France
• Cauliflower 🇬🇧 Yorkshire
• Avocado 🇵🇪 Peru
🥕 Medium Veg Box
Everything in the Small Veg Box, plus:
• Rocket 🇮🇹 Italy
• Spring onions 🇬🇧 Yorkshire
🥕 Large Veg Box
Everything in the Medium Veg Box, plus:
• Spring greens 🇬🇧 Wibsey
• Chestnut mushrooms 🇬🇧 Armagh (Northern Ireland)
🍎 Mixed Fruit & Veg Box
• Acoustic potatoes 🇬🇧 Lincolnshire
• Washed carrots 🇬🇧 Suffolk
• Yellow onions 🇪🇸 Spain
• Red cabbage 🇬🇧 Lincolnshire
• Perpetual spinach 🇬🇧 Yorkshire
• Courgette 🇬🇧 Suffolk
• Large heirloom tomato 🇫🇷 France
• Avocado 🇵🇪 Peru
• Apples: Juliet 🇫🇷 France
• Apples: Co-op 43 🇫🇷 France
• Apples: Crimson Crisp 🇬🇧 Kent
• Bananas 🇩🇴 Dominican Republic
• Nectarines 🇪🇸 Spain
• White grapes 🇮🇹 Italy
🍏 Small Fruit Box
• Apples: Juliet 🇫🇷 France
• Apples: Co-op 43 🇫🇷 France
• Apples: Crimson Crisp 🇬🇧 Kent
• Bananas 🇩🇴 Dominican Republic
• Black Splendour & yellow plums 🇪🇸 Spain
• Nectarines 🇪🇸 Spain
• Pear Guyot 🇫🇷 France
🍏 Medium Fruit Box
Everything in the Small Fruit Box, plus:
• Blueberries 🇪🇸 Spain
🍏 Large Fruit Box
Everything in the Medium Fruit Box, plus:
• Charentais melon 🇪🇸 Spain
Contents may change, subject to availability.
Whatever you make this week, you could accompany it with a carrot, red cabbage and apple slaw. Some finely shredded spinach or greens will work well too. And if you have a beetroot left over from last week, grate it in to send your mayo a delightful shade of pink. Come to think of it, I reckon you could use everything in a mixed box, raw, in a colourful slaw, except perhaps the potatoes. And on a purely personal level, I draw the line at adding bananas to salad, but you are your own unique and slightly twisted individual self and don’t let me tell you what you can and can’t do with your fruit.
Finally, if you really miss these newsletters, I shall continue to write about similar things in ‘Ben’s Hedgeblog’ which you are free to access whenever you wish or you could even subscribe! Here is the link: https://benshedgeblog.bearblog.dev/blog/
Thanks again for supporting our veg boxes and for all the interactions we have had with you out and about. Have a lovely summer holiday and hopefully we’ll see you in the shop soon.
The Hedgehogs 🦔
