Welcome to Abel & Cole - the best seasonal organic food delivered to your door

FAQ

• home
• help
• FAQs

Is everything organic?

The majority of our range is organic, where an organic standard exists. We also offer a wide selection of high welfare, free-range meat, plus a few high quality non-organic products from artisan producers - duck eggs, paté, ewe's cheese and buffalo mozzarella. If you would like to check whether something is organic just look for the orange 'organic' text by the product.

All of our fruit and veg is organic. Very occasionally we sell 'in conversion' produce from farmers who are in the process of converting. This produce is always clearly labelled as 'in conversion' and customers are given the chance to opt out of receiving it if they wish.

Sometimes an organic standard doesn't exist. This occurs with things which aren't farmed, because organic is a farming standard. Our mineral water, wild fish (sustainably caught), wild venison and Ecover cleaning products can't be certified organic.

Where does produce come from and how does it get here?

Our rule is to buy British whenever possible. We have a network of more than 60 independent producers, and all our meat, fish, dairy and bread are always British. We buy as much British fruit and veg as the seasons provide. At the peak of the British harvest, that means almost everything is British.

When British farms aren't harvesting, we go abroad. Our principles remain the same: we work directly with them, treat them fairly and stay as close to the UK as possible. The same goes for things you can't get from Britain, for example olive oil, wine and bananas (Fair Trade of course!).

We never air freight produce - it generates approximately 30 times more carbon dioxide than sea freight - totally crazy!

Why don't you say where the fruit and veg in my box comes from?

We often purchase the same item from several growers in a particular week. It enables us to take smaller harvests and to give you a more reliable supply. We may also bring in supplies from different growers at the last minute, dependant on the weather, crop problems or increased demand from customers. For this reason, it's difficult for us to give full details of where each item in your box comes from.

What is the 'Hungry Gap'?

The first few weeks of Spring are known as the 'hungry gap' because there is a gap in British crop supplies. The hardy crops that were planted at the beginning of the winter have all been picked, and those that were planted at the beginning of spring are still growing. There are still some British crops available (such as mushrooms that can be grown all year round) but it is impossible to get the wide variety of produce we enjoy at other times of the year.

Why do you sometimes use punnets and plastic bags?

We only do this if it's essential to protect the food we're sending you. For example, mushrooms or cherry tomatoes get squished without a punnet around them. Other produce, like lettuce, lose moisture very quickly, and need to be put into bags on the farm to prevent it from drying out.

We don't make any assumptions, though. We'll always talk to the farmer and look at the variety he's growing before deciding to use plastic. For example, some of the more robust cherry tomatoes are fine in paper bags.

We are constantly looking at the way we package our produce and are introducing non-GM biodegradable plastic for all our punnets and bags.

What packaging can I leave out for collection, what can I recycle and what can I compost?

We want to be as efficient as possible when recycling, so please help us to send your packaging packing!

Leave out for your driver to collect for re-use:

• Cardboard boxes (please fold flat, keep dry, and leave out one or two at a time)
• Woolcool boxes® (please fold flat, keep dry, and leave out one or two at a time)
• Ice boxes
• Gel packs

In the recycling:

• Plastic and glass bottles
• Paper bags

On the compost heap:

• Egg boxes
• Our biodegradable plastic bags and punnets

How can I recycle my juice cartons and tetra packs?

Tetra-pak cartons are made of paper, covered with polyethylene waterproofing and sometimes an aluminium lining. They are very good for holding and preserving liquids, but very bad for recycling.

Grove Fresh juices are the only thing we sell in tetra-pak and we're looking for alternative packaging that's easier to recycle.

In the meantime, local authorities aren't collecting tetra paks, but there are some 'hubs' in the UK that do. For further information please go to www.drinkscartons.com.

Why don't you sell a 'UK-only' box?

All our boxes contain as much UK produce as possible. However, during the Hungry Gap there is very little UK produce available. For several weeks of the year, a 'UK-only' box would contain little but swedes and onions. We couldn't fill it, it would be very boring, and it would lack nutritional balance.

We balance our wish to buy British with the legitimate physical and emotional need for variety, nutrition and pleasure in our food.

If you'd like to maximise the amount of British produce you receive, try the Medium Basic Organic Veg Box.

What is 'in conversion' produce?

A farmer must run his farm organically for at least two years before getting organic status from the Soil Association. This period is known as conversion. It's a hard time for the farmer: organic methods are costlier with lower yields, but the produce is still being sold as conventional, competing with farmers who are using pesticides and artificial fertilisers.

To help farmers through conversion, the Soil Association encourages them to sell clearly labelled 'in conversion' produce after one year of farming organically. Melissa Kidd, of the Soil Association, says in conversion produce is "a great way of helping farmers converting to organic, while bringing more UK farmland under organic standards". We completely agree, so from time to time we'll include in-conversion produce in our boxes. It will always, always be clearly labelled.

We understand that you may not want to receive any produce in conversion, so you can exclude it from your box by selecting 'in conversion' produce as one of your 'dislikes'.

Why are some things available at certain times of the year in supermarkets and not at Abel & Cole?

Supermarkets often insist that their suppliers guarantee a year-round supply. These suppliers will source produce from all over the world and transport it by air, sea or road.

We think this is a bit crazy - we prefer to focus on seasonal British fruit and vegetables, enjoying their seasons while they last. There is always something new to look forward to - when English strawberries finish, the apple season begins, for example.

We'll only go abroad for produce when there's no alternative in the UK. Even then, we stay as close to home as possible. So, when English apples have run out, we can enjoy wonderful Sicilian citrus fruits through the winter.

This is why we don't have a full range of fresh produce through the year like the supermarkets.

What's the difference between Abel & Cole and a supermarket?

Where shall we begin?!

• We care about our producers, we are flexible and appreciative with them
• We work with small, independent producers
• We buy our produce on the basis of taste, not looks
• Our fruit and veg are seasonal
• Everything we sell is delicious!
• Everything we sell is natural - no additives
• Everything we sell is ethical - no moral dilemmas in the aisles!
• A weekly shop takes under ten minutes with us
• We can deliver regularly so your shopping takes care of itself
• Our customers are proud to buy from us!

Why isn't everything you sell certified Fairtrade?

The Fairtrade symbol is awarded by the Fairtrade Foundation. It means that the Foundation recognises that the growers have been given fair prices for their goods, which is passed on as fair wages and good conditions for workers. The Fairtrade Foundation also encourages development, so the mark means that growers have received an additional sum of money to invest in the community.

Co-operatives and growers have to pay a small fee to the Fairtrade Foundation to carry this mark, and many (who nonetheless have very high standards) can't afford to do this. We are happy to support the Fairtrade Foundation, but we also trade with smaller growers who don't have the mark, but who offer good conditions for their workers, and with whom we agree fair prices to ensure their businesses are viable. Fairtrade or not, all our organic food and drink is approved by The Soil Association or other recognised organic organisations.

The Soil Association require certain social standards to be met by all producers. They must comply with the UN Convention for Human Rights and the core standards of the International Labour Organisation. The basic standards of the International Federation of Organic Agricultural Movements (IFOAM), to which the Soil Association Certification Ltd is accredited, include social guidelines. The social guidelines of these three organisations cover a huge number of areas, including the right to work without discrimination, the right to basic health and safety standards at work, the freedom to form worker groups to bargain with employers and minimum ages of employment. Growers overseas will have their own national certification bodies, but we have to register all of our suppliers with the Soil Association. The Soil Association check that these bodies meet their minimum requirements for certification, including their requirements for social and working standards.

What certification do your eggs have and how does it compare to the Soil Association standard?

Our eggs are certified by an organic certification body called the Organic Food Federation. The birds are truly free range, exploring and foraging over organic grassland under the natural shelter of hedgerows and trees.

Our growers strongly agree with the Soil Association that smaller flocks allow for better welfare standards because the birds have the space to grow and the room to behave as they would do naturally. In large flocks chickens are more likely to block the doors of the sheds and as a result some birds may never venture outside. The EU stipulates that flock sizes should not exceed 9,000. However the Soil Association has its own limit of 2,000 birds per flock. Our organic eggs come from flock sizes of between 1,000 and 3,000 chickens. Although some of the flocks exceed the Soil Association's size restrictions, the birds have large fields in which to move around outside, all of them get outdoors regularly.

The Soil Association states that chickens must be provided with outdoor shelter. The birds on the farms that supply our eggs have been provided shelter through hedges and trees in their fields. The natural cover encourages the birds to range further and live fuller, more active lives, exploring and foraging over the organic grassland. Soil Association birds must have provision of food and water outside. Our farmers have a policy not to provide feed outdoors for good reason. Feed encourages wild birds which present the greatest threat of disease and potential for contamination of food supplies. However the chickens are free to move around the field foraging for natural seeds and earthworms all day!

We are very proud of our bird welfare standards and the quality of our eggs.

What about your fish?

We have consulted the Marine Conservation Society (MCS) directly about our entire fish range, and also referred to their Sustainable Fish Buying Policy. Our farmed organic trout and salmon is on the MCS's 'fish to eat' list - the salmon is reared in the energetic coastal waters off the Irish Sea, where currents and tidal flows give the salmon wild-like conditions, and our trout is raised in mineral-rich spring water that passes through organic watercress beds. Both these environments keep the fish fit, healthy and disease-free.

What is your delivery charge?

We add a small delivery charge of 99p to all orders.

The minimum order value required for delivery is £10 (excluding delivery charge).