Ocado home shopping

I've done my shopping online a few times, particularly when I was stuck at home with a broken ankle & couldn't get to the supermarket, much less push a trolley around.  Our choices have been pretty limited though, and as far as I knew only 2 of the big supermarkets, plus the frozen place actually delivered to our area.

Recently I learned that 2 other supermarkets have expanded their delivery areas to cover us, and that means TREATS!  Supermarkets that are a little too far away for me to visit regularly, but stock lovely things I like.  And when Ocado offered to send me a delivery of surprises, well, what do you think?

My first shock was receiving a text telling me when to expect the delivery, and giving the driver's details, the second was that he was bang on time, which has never happened with other deliveries. Chirpy, helpful, offered to put my chilled stuff away for me, very amused by the fact that the whole delivery was full of surprises, and I was so overwhelmed I forgot to take his photo. Bad blogger, no biscuit.  Even so, he stocked me up with loads of exciting veggies, and a whole host of healthy lunchbox treats for Miss Squeaky.  It was actually at the top of my shopping list for the week to restock our lunchbox stash, so couldn't have come at a better time.

The delivery itself really impressed me.  While all deliveries separate cupboard items from chilled and frozen (different areas of the van, see), they were in identified bags, so even if I got sidetracked, I'd be able to tell straight away - and a very useful concept for my next "in person" shopping trip.  The receipt print out also showed everything by date order, so I could see at a glance which items needed to be used up quickest.  I thought that was a great asset, it's happened before that I've ordered things with a plan for a few days hence, and found that the ingredients all needed to be used straight away.  By listing the use-by dates, it meant I knew that the best dated products had been chosen, and that I'd be able to use them while they're at their best.

Yogurts, fruit yoyos, wholewheat cookies, veg crisps and dairy free choco mylk (yes, that's how they spell it) for Squeaky.  Peppers, avocados, samphire, girolle mushrooms, berries and rainbow chard for the grow-ups.  Chard?  Wait a minute, I thought Chard was a place in Somerset! I grew up watching adverts for the now defunct wildlife park "Cricket St Thomas, near Chard", and now you want to tell me it's a vegetable?  You'll be telling me Cheddar is a type of cheese next!

Squeaky has already tucked in to a couple of the snacks with enthusiasm, and can't wait to go back to school to show off a whole new set of choices (which make me very happy due to their fruit content, low sugar levels, and all round Good Mummy lunchbox friendly status)  We don't mention the healthy aspect, due to her general mistrust of anything natural, green, or that has ever been introduced to a vegetable, but we're slowly winning the battle.

The selection of lovely veggies deserved a special meal to show them off to their best.  And I am trying to become a real and proper cook, not just someone who reheats things from the freezer.  So, what did I rustle up?  How does baked cod fillet dusted with Polish breadcrumbs, on a bed of rainbow chard, with girolle mushroom couscous, topped with samphire sound?  Trust me, it tasted even better, and made a refreshing and healthy change from roast chicken.

I made this!

Would I reconsider online shopping? Definitely. Our local supermarkets are becoming a nightmare to park, and to get around, especially with Squeaky in tow.  Would I use Ocado? On this basis, absolutely!  Looking on their website, they have a price promise to beat Tesco, the Essential range looks to be great value for money, and if I can pick up some treats along the way, even better!  I'll never lose my bargain hunting streak and still have to pop in to the actual stores to look for the ooopsies and bent bargains, but for the proper shopping, I think things are going to change.  It'll help the budget as well, if I meal plan in advance, don't you think?

Disclosure: I was gifted with a mystery delivery of Ocado products free of charge for the purposes of this review.  I was not told what to write, and all opinions remain my own. Links are provided for convenience, I am not a member of any affiliate scheme and will not receive reward for their use.

Sweetcorn Bites - Review

Veggies aren't exactly popular in our house.  Try as I might, Squeaky's just not interested.  How DO toddlers know they're not supposed to like vegetables, or crusts?  Is it something they teach them in nursery?  Do they tell each other at playgroup?  The message gets around somehow.  Or is it too much Mr Bloom - maybe they think they're actually being offered Colin & Margaret to eat, and that would be wrong.

When the friendly folks at Barfoots offered us the chance to try out their Sweetcorn Bites, I thought it was worth a try.  Believe me, anything that interests Squeaky in vegetables is worth a try.  We received a box of packs of the bites, each bag contains an average of 8 chunks of corn on the cob, each one a couple of inches long.  (The first bag I tried actually had 10 in, but they're packed by weight so I hadn't won the sweetcorn lottery)

The first thing that really impressed me was that they're freezable.  I love sweetcorn, but we never seem to get through as much as I buy, and never seem to have it around when I really want it.  The whole pack can go in the freezer, ready to be pulled out & enjoyed when the mood strikes.  This was extra convenient for us as the parcel arrived just before we left to go away for the weekend, so if I hadn't been able to freeze them, we would have had to munch a lot of sweetcorn in the car!

The bites can be boiled, grilled, or microwaved.  Honest! I didn't realise you could microwave sweetcorn, but 4 mins in the machine, with a tablespoon of water & your cobs are ready to go.  Then how you eat them is up to you - a dab of butter, dunked in tomato sauce, or just as nature intended.  The cobs were gorgeous, all juicy & fresh, just the way I like them, and with their small size, they're great for parents, never mind children, as you can eat them with one hand while wrestling wax crayons, bubble wands, broken phones, or your toddlers other favourite weapon of mass destruction, so that you get your five a day, even if they don't!

Oh, yes, that.  I tried.  The cobs are so little and wee and cute, I really thought we were in with a chance.  And for a minute we almost were.  But the photo to the right was as close to consumption as we got.  A quick examination confirmed that mummy was trying to poison her with vegetables, and that was not to be tolerated.  Further attempts to offer her a sweetcorn bite were met with a blank stare and a quite firm "No mummy".  I know when I've met my match, and this is a stubborn child.

No such problems with me, or daddy.  We polished off the pack in no time.  It's great to have a simple, easy snack that's something different, but good for you.  It's amazing how virtuous you feel when you've satisfied that 3 pm nibble-craving, with something full of vitamins!

Sweetcorn Bites are available from Ocado, and selected stores of Co-op, Waitrose & Tesco.  They retail at £2.49 a bag, and Ocado have them on special offer at the moment at £3 for 2 bags.

Disclosure: I was provided with packs of Sweetcorn Bites free of charge for the purpose of this review.  I was not told what to write, and all opinions are my own.  Links are provided for your convenience only, I am not a member of any affiliate scheme & will not receive reward for their use.