RIVERFORD organic farms in Dorset are going from strength to strength with the introduction of their new recipe boxes.

Company founder Guy Watson started growing organic veg in 1986 on his family farm in Devon and set up the veg box scheme in 1993 - they now deliver more than 48,000 organic veg boxes across the country every week.

Riverford has scooped several awards over the past few years including Best Retailer in the Observer Awards and Best Organic Retailer at the Natural and Organic Awards in 2013, but their latest idea means Riverford’s produce is now reaching even more tables.

Each recipe box contains seasonal, organic produce and the recipes come from cooks that Riverford has worked with over the last 25 years.

There is a choice of vegetarian, quick '30 minute' or original recipe options, and the recipes change every week so there is always something new to try.

Everything needed for three organic home-cooked meals is included and delivered free with ingredients in the exact quantities you need and easy to follow instructions.

Gareth and Gill Rossiter, who started delivering Riverford vegboxes to Dorset families in 2014, said: “So many people aspire to cook from scratch but don’t quite manage it. We know our produce wins on flavour, but that’s no good if people can’t find the time to prepare it.

“We’ve learned that as a business we must constantly evolve to stay relevant to increasingly busy lives, so with our new recipe boxes you can still cook from scratch and eat well, without having to spend time planning, shopping or even measuring the ingredients.”

The pair added that Riverford's recipe boxes are not just popular with time-strapped professionals, but amongst parents of young children who get to eat well after putting the kids to bed, less confident cooks, and even older people.

Gill said: “Our vegboxes don’t suit everyone so we are delighted with the reaction to the recipe boxes so far, and hope they will help many more people discover the pleasure that comes from cooking, eating and sharing really good food. They are a great addition to our range of organic veg, fruit, meat, dairy and deli.”

**

Bridport News reporter Liz Jackson reviewed one of Riverford's vegetarian recipe boxes to see just how easy it was to make a quality meal from scratch.

**

LIKE MANY people, I have high hopes when I cook at home but often have very little time, and I feel intimidated by more unusual ingredients even though I enjoy sampling them when eating out.

This is where Riverford's ingenious recipe boxes come in.

The jam-packed packages of varied produce, chilled ingredients, and step-by-step recipes from expert chefs allow you to try meals you would normally be too nervous to have a go at cooking on your own.

There are even convenient pre-measured pots containing a complex range of herbs and spices, which bring out the best flavours from the farm's organic, locally-sourced ingredients.

Although I wasn't prepared to become a recipe box convert the whole set-up worked perfectly for me.

Across the three days I made fennel and olive tagine, vegetarian kedgeree and potato pancakes with homemade baked beans and smoked cheese.

It was genuinely easy to prepare and cook everything, knowing I had all the ingredients and was confident in how to use them.

As an indication of my success: I used fennel, saffron and smoked cheddar for the first time across the three meals provided; the meals tasted fresh, full of flavour and much better than my usually bland mid-week meals; and my attempt at aromatic wholemeal couscous with ras al hanout proved to be a hit too.

It's definitely something I would try again as it's the perfect healthy alternative to a ready meal when you don't want to think too much about what to cook.