The time I ordered a veg and fruit box.

The whispers of a UK lockdown sent ripples of panic through the public. People stocked up on toilet paper, hand sanitizer, and cleaning wipes. The grocery delivery websites were crashing and I was left not knowing if we’d ever eat again.

Okay, a little over the top, it wasn’t that bad for us. I had recently done a big grocery shop and, due to an ordering error, I had plenty of toilet paper and cleaning supplies. We had a small freezer stocked with frozen chicken nuggets, pizzas, and chips for the kids and a regular Gousto delivery for the week night dinners. What we didn’t have was fresh fruit and vegetables.

Several resourceful cafes and restaurants shifted their business model and began creating and delivering food baskets, more specifically, the fruit and veg box. We signed up with a local vender early on and have been enjoying a weekly delivery most of the lockdown.

Seems like a happy ending, right? Not so much. Each week we got all the usual suspects - apples, bananas, potatoes, carrots, etc., but we also got a few items we don’t normally order like rutabaga, aubergine, and some very big leeks.

These items may be standard in the typical British home but we are not British or typical so in addition to bringing a box of joy, the veg box brought a challenge each and every week.

The first thing I tackled was the aubergine. After searching Pinterest I settled on a recipe I liked and had all the ingredients for.

I lightly breaded them in panko and parmesan, then baked them in the oven until crispy and golden.

We ate them with a spagbol and they were delicious.

To use the many red onions, tomatoes, limes, and avocados before they went bad, the hubs made a quick pico de galo and guacamole to have with our tortilla chips and margaritas.

The giant leek was going to become a leek and potato soup until I found a cheesy leek bake that was prefect.

I sliced the leek and dropped it in a bowl of water to clean. Once they were clean I sautéed them in butter with garlic until they were soft. I put them in the baking dish then used the sauté pan to make a roux. I used a mature cheddar to make a cheese sauce and poured it over the leeks. I sprinkled it with more cheese and baked it for about 25 - 30 minutes until golden and bubbly.

Lastly, I made a big pot of ‘stone soup.’ Its basically all the vegetables rough chopped, seasoned, and simmered in a veg or chicken stock.

You can leave it as is or, like me, use a handheld blender and blend it down.

Just as I patted myself on the back for using the entire contents of the box a knock on the door brought the next box and the next set of challenges. Did you get a veg box? What have you made lately?

Wish you were here,

xoxo