This year, Ocado won the award for Best Online Retailer for Vegetarians and have since launched their brand new Vegetarian Shop, based on feedback from customers. As I do most of my food shopping online, I was eager to test this out, as one of my pet peeves is that a search for vegetarian or vegan will often bring up the most obvious foods (like Quorn and dairy-free milk), not the necessarily ones you're looking for.
The new Ocado vegetarian shop categorises products by eating occasion and food type, making it easy to browse for meat-free alternatives, filled pasta and deli products, plus of course cheeses, store cupboard ingredients and even raw foods. There's also a wine category, which is useful, as animal by-products in wines are often something that people forget about, especially when entertaining vegetarian and vegan guests. As well as the dedicated veggie shop, each product is clearly labelled with a v for vegetarian...including toiletries. An extra symbol for vegans would be great, but it's quite easy to search for vegan products, as there's also a vegan check box in the search menu.
I recently tried out the new vegetarian categories and was amazed to find the wide range of products available, which I might not have found if I just shopped through my favourites list and special offers, as I normally do. In the meat substitute section, there were 30 different types of veggie sausage and 25 varieties of burger alone...that's far more choice than most supermarkets can offer in store. My only real criticism is that if you don't know where to find the vegetarian shop section, as it's not that easy to locate (you need to click on World Foods & Free From first and then select Vegetarian.)
By using some of the many special offers available and selecting Ocado's own brand products, my weekly shop cost almost exactly the same as it would from the other major online supermarkets, so that dispels the myth that Ocado are much more pricey than their competitors.
Of course, the after-sales emails and delivery were both up to their usual standard. I particularly liked the email telling me the name of my delivery driver and which van they'd be driving. Ocado also pack their bags well, which makes it so much quicker to put the shopping away, when all of the frozen and chilled products are packed together. Without wishing to sound snobby, Ocado delivery drivers are a cut above the rest, which is probably down to better training in customer service.
When it comes to quality, all of my fruit, veg and chilled products were well within their use-by dates and of a good quality. I would definitely recommend Ocado to my fellow veggies, as it makes online shopping so much more simple.
Integrity Statement
I received a complimentary shop with Ocado for the purpose of this review. All views expressed are genuine.
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Morrisons have always been known for their special offers, but they now have an I'm Cheaper price promise and a brand new online shop. I've sometimes used my local Morrisons as a 'top up shop' as it's local, however I very rarely used it to get my whole week's food shopping; as it's quite a small shop. I have recently tried shopping online with them, which worked out really well, as I found a much wider range of products at great prices.
I was lucky enough to be chosen by Britmums as a #MorrisonsMum to review the Morrison's shopping experience and shop for our Bank Holiday food. This was the first time I'd done a 'proper' shop in my local store and I was impressed at the range of products they now offer in store. I even found they stocked curry leaves, which have been eluding me for some time!
I planned my weekend shopping to include ingredients for:
- Mexican taco/tortilla bowls with vegetarian chilli
- Mushroom biryani, chana korma, paneer tikka kebabs and naans; fresh fruit salad
- Vegetarian barbecue; mini strawberry shortcakes (recipe from Morrison's magazine)
I bought a wide range of foods and drinks including fresh fruit and veg, cheese, frozen foods and packet foods (including a bargain pack of dried spaghetti at only 23p for 500g!). As it was a bank holiday, I also splashed out on some rather nice wines, both on special offer (including a Fairtrade white) and some beer...
I was really pleased with both the quality of the produce and the prices. Quite a few items on my list were either on special offer or on a price promise, which made my shopping comparable, if not cheaper, than what I would have paid at any of the other major supermarkets. All the fruit, vegetables and fresh herbs that I needed were in stock and those which were left over after the weekend, have lasted well.
While I was there, I picked up a copy of the free Morrisons magazine and was pleasantly surprised at the number of tasty veggie recipes in it, alongside a feature on National Vegetarian Week.
Miss K liked the look of the strawberry dessert page and soon whipped up a batch of mini strawberry shortcakes on her own. The recipe was simple to follow and tasted delicious, filled with Morrisons strawberries and cream.
My shopping experience at Morrisons has made me more likely to shop there again (especially online) as I now know that it can compete with the other main supermarkets on both quality and price.
Vegetarian Sausage Kebabs (makes 4)
This veggie sausage recipe is super-easy and quick to make (makes a great camping meal too!).
Total cost = £2.67 or 65p per kebab
- Quorn sausages (half price) £1.12
- Bell peppers (half a pack of Morrison's bumper pack) 80p
- 1 onion 10p
- 1 pack button mushrooms 65p
Defrost the sausages slightly and soak the skewers in water.
Cut the sausages into thirds and cut the peppers and onion into chunks. Wipe the mushrooms.
Thread the sausages and vegetables onto skewers alternately and drizzle with a little oil or bbq sauce. Barbecue for around 10 minutes turning once or twice.
Integrity Statement
I received complimentary Morrisons vouchers to pay for the goods for this review. The views expressed are genuinely those of myself and my family.
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Now, I must admit that this review is a little biased. When the lovely people at Ocado approached me to review some of their new vegetarian products, I jumped at the chance. As an existing Ocado customer, I already know that their website is easy to navigate, their products are great quality and their delivery drivers always have impeccable manners. I also love the email that arrives before each delivery telling me who will be my delivery driver and which van they'll be driving!
In case you don't know, Ocado don't have any actual shops, but deliver their own Ocado-brand products plus the full range of Waitrose products.
When Wayne arrived (in the cabbage van!) he offered to take my shopping into the kitchen for me, but I was happy for him to leave it in the hall. I unpacked the bags and found lots of goodies to try, including: Pieminister wild-shroom and asparagus pie, Lincolnshire Secret Sausages, Linda McCartney lentil and vegetable cottage pie, Booja-Booja Hunky Punky Chocolate (vegan) ice cream and Waitrose nut roast Wellingtons.
We were all intrigued by the Secret Sausages, as they're made from vegetables and rice rather than the usual soya or Quorn used in most veggie sausages. Whilst not unpleasant, they tasted more like stuffing than a sausage, so I wouldn't really be tempted to buy others in the range. The Linda McCartney lentil and vegetable cottage pie was equally uninspiring and lacked any real flavour apart from the lentils!
The Pieminister pie was very good though and was large enough to share between two for a main meal. It was packed full with a variety of juicy mushrooms and asparagus in a creamy sauce.
My favourite product was the Waitrose nut Wellingtons, which were a chunky nut roast and butternut squash mixture generously stuffed with goat's cheese and wrapped in pastry.There were two individually wrapped portions in a pack and would be ideal to have handy in the freezer if you have just one or two vegetarian guests over for Christmas dinner.
The Booja-Booja Hunky Punky Chocolate (vegan) ice cream was a bit of a revelation to us all. I didn't know that dairy-free desserts could taste that good! It tasted just like premium chocolate ice-cream but is made from just four ingredients...water, agave syrup, cashew nuts and cocoa. It's not cheap at the RRP of around £8.00 for 500ml, but if you can get it on special offer, it's definitely worth it.
I know that some Ocado products are a little more expensive than those from other supermarkets, but Ocado do have a low price promise and price match with Tesco on a wide range of products. They also have lots of half price, discounted and 2 for 1 offers each week. They stock a good range of fresh and frozen vegetarian products, including some which are a bit different to those stocked in all of the other main supermarkets. I also find that the quality of their fruit and veg means that it lasts longer than those from cheaper supermarkets, which means less waste.
Have you tried shopping with Ocado yet? If so, do leave me a comment and let me know what you think of their service.
Images courtesy of Ocado.com
Integrity Statement
I received the pictured products to review. I did not receive payment, and the views expressed are genuinely those of myself and my family.
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I was lucky enough to win £100 to spend on products from Approved Food, after submitting my budget family food ideas to a Tots100 competition. If you haven't discovered them already, Approved Food sell a wonderfully random selection of foods and other products which are either end of ranges, approaching their use-before date or past their use-before date. As someone who is happy to eat products a little after their eat by date, this was great, but I know other people maybe slightly more wary!
The Approved Food website is easy enough to navigate, although not as user friendly as the major supermarkets' websites, mainly because the categories are more limited and the product availability changes frequently depending on is in stock. For example, you might see a great bargain one day, add it to your trolley and come back the next day to find that it's out of stock. I found the best way to shop was to go through each category picking what I could use to make different meals, plus adding a few random products just to try, or ones which I knew would keep for longer such as dried pasta, rice and kitchen products. You then need to check out that day to ensure the goods remain in stock.
One other point worth mentioning from a veggie view point, is that there were lots of dried pulses, pasta and grains, plus some eco, organic, vegan and gluten-free products available when I placed my orders, which would cost significantly more had I bought then in a supermarket or health-food store.
I was slightly confused by the checkout process, as I expected to be able to select a delivery day/time. Instead, after checkout I was emailed with an estimated range of delivery days. I was then texted with a day (no time as yet) for my delivery, and at this point I could choose to select the allocated day or one of the following two days. After that, I then received a further text and email confirming a one hour delivery slot, which again I could choose to change if not convenient. I had already specified that I was happy for the delivery driver to leave my delivery in a specified safe place if I wasn't in, so I was happy with the time slot offered. There was also a useful delivery tracking button, should your parcel not arrive as expected and a helpful approved food forum, where you can ask questions about different products, delivery times etc.
My deliveries arrived on time and in good condition. Everything arrived well packaged in cardboard boxes, with each glass jar or bottle individually wrapped in bubble wrap. Taste-wise, everything was fine. Some of the out-of-date biscuits I bought were a tad soft, but not enough to spoil their taste.
On my first shop I spent just £27.73 (including delivery) on mainly packet, tinned and bottled products which should have retailed at £86.62, saving me £58.62. I spent 23.26 on my second shop, saving £44.53 compared to the RRP. However, a saving isn't really a saving unless the products are used, so I would suggest that you meal plan as you shop and don't get too tempted by the array of discounted chocolate on offer!
Integrity Statement
I won £100 to spend at Approved Food. I was not asked or required to write a review and the views expressed are genuinely those of myself and my family. The link provided is a referral link.
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Of course, the after-sales emails and delivery were both up to their usual standard. I particularly liked the email telling me the name of my delivery driver and which van they'd be driving. Ocado also pack their bags well, which makes it so much quicker to put the shopping away, when all of the frozen and chilled products are packed together. Without wishing to sound snobby, Ocado delivery drivers are a cut above the rest, which is probably down to better training in customer service. 
