January can feel a bit flat after all the festive food. If you want to eat well without overthinking every meal, a seasonal produce box is a simple reset. With brassicas, onions, potatoes, fennel, celery and beetroot at their best, you can cook once, mix and match through the week, and enjoy fresher flavour than veg that has travelled miles and sat in storage.
Below you’ll find a 7-day starter plan built around winter staples, plus batch-cook tips, quick lunches, and veg-forward dinners. You’ll also get straight answers on value, freshness, and how subscriptions work, including pausing, swapping items, and delivery across the UK.
If you want to try it, explore our fruit and veg boxes for a flexible mix sized to your household. Prefer to pick and choose? You can also shop for individual items in Ted’s Shop.
Why a veg box in January hits the spot
-
Seasonal means better flavour and texture. Winter roots and brassicas love the cold, which concentrates sweetness.
-
You avoid decision fatigue. One delivery sets you up for the week.
-
Freshness is on your side. With Ted’s Veg, items are harvested and packed by hand on our Lincolnshire farm, then sent out with minimal time between field and doorstep.
-
Less waste. You cook around a curated set of ingredients, so more of what you buy gets eaten.
Your 7-day January starter plan
This plan assumes a typical winter selection, such as cabbage or kale, broccoli or Romanesco, onions, potatoes, beetroot, fennel, and celery. Adjust to what arrives in your box.
Batch cook on Day 1 for easy wins all week
Roast tray
-
Beetroot, onions, and fennel wedges tossed with olive oil, salt, pepper, and a splash of vinegar.
Big pot soup
-
Potato, onion (or leek if you have it), and celery soup. Blend half for creaminess and leave half chunky.
Quick “pickle”
-
Grate raw beetroot (and carrot if you have it), then dress with lemon and salt. Keeps for 3 days.
Blanched greens
-
Shred cabbage or kale, blanch for 2 minutes, then cool. Ready for quick sautés.
Day-by-day meal ideas
Day 1 (Sunday): Set up and a cosy dinner
Lunch: Potato, onion, and celery soup with toast.
Dinner: Roasted beetroot, fennel, and onions with grilled sausages, or a tin of beans warmed with garlic. Add blanched greens tossed in butter and mustard.
Day 2 (Monday): 10-minute lunch
Lunch: Beetroot and fennel salad. Add orange segments if you have them, plus toasted seeds.
Dinner: Cabbage fried rice. Use leftover rice, onion, cabbage or kale, soy sauce, and a fried egg on top.
Day 3 (Tuesday): Tray bake night
Lunch: Soup topped with a spoon of yoghurt and chopped herbs.
Dinner: Tray-bake potatoes and broccoli or Romanesco with lemon zest, thyme, and chickpeas. Finish with grated cheddar or a tahini drizzle.
Day 4 (Wednesday): Midweek pasta
Lunch: Roast veg sandwich (roasted onions and beetroot with soft cheese).
Dinner: Pasta with caramelised onions, shredded cabbage, and chilli flakes. Add butter or olive oil, plus a squeeze of lemon.
Day 5 (Thursday): Bright and crunchy
Lunch: Fennel and celery slaw with apple, lemon, and olive oil, plus a handful of nuts.
Dinner: Baked potatoes with a warm beetroot and lentil topping, herbs, and a dollop of yoghurt.
Day 6 (Friday): Easy fish or tofu
Lunch: Leftover pasta or fried rice.
Dinner: Pan-roasted white fish or crispy tofu, served with garlicky greens and roasted fennel from your tray.
Day 7 (Saturday): Clear the fridge
Lunch: Frittata using any remaining onions, greens, and roasted bits.
Dinner: Brothy veg bowl. Warm stock, add sliced celery, any leftover greens, a handful of pasta or pearl barley, then finish with lemon and parsley.
Tip: Keep the celery leaves. Chop them like herbs to finish soups and salads.
Batch-cook tips that save time and money
-
Roast once, eat three times. A big tray of roots becomes sides, sandwich fillings, and pasta toppers.
-
Blanch greens on day one. They cook faster later and stay more vibrant and less bitter.
-
Stock the basics. Oil, vinegar, mustard, lemon, tinned beans, and grains turn veg into full meals.
-
Store smart. Keep cooked roots in sealed containers lined with kitchen paper to manage moisture. Greens wrapped in a clean tea towel stay crisp.
Are veg boxes worth it?
If you care about flavour, freshness, and a nudge toward seasonal cooking, yes. The value isn’t only about price per carrot. You get better shelf life, fewer sad leftovers, and quicker decision-making at mealtimes. Many customers also enjoy the gentle variety that keeps you out of a cooking rut.
Are veg boxes cheaper than supermarkets?
Sometimes. Direct-from-farm pricing can be competitive with premium supermarket ranges, especially when you consider freshness and usable yield. With less time in storage, you tend to throw less away.
At Ted’s Veg, boxes start from around the mid-£20 range depending on size and frequency, with contents that would otherwise add up quickly in a basket of comparable quality. The best way to compare is to track a week, note what you actually eat, and factor in reduced waste.
Which is the best veg box and what’s the best vegetable delivery in the UK?
The best choice is the one that fits your routine. Look for freshness, seasonal variety, flexibility, and clear delivery coverage.
If you want farm-grown produce picked and packed by a fourth-generation family team with nationwide delivery, Ted’s Veg offers weekly and monthly options, simple size switches, and easy pauses if you are away. You can start with a smaller box, then move up as you find your rhythm.
For delivery details, coverage, and how it all works, see our FAQs.
Subscriptions made simple
-
Choose your box size and frequency. Weekly for busy cooks, monthly if you top up at markets.
-
Pause or skip anytime from your account area (handy for holidays or a packed freezer).
-
Swap and tailor. Contents reflect what’s best that week. Where swaps are offered, you can tailor to taste or add extras from the shop.
-
Delivery across the UK. We ship nationwide with careful packing to protect delicate items.
Prefer to build your own? Browse Ted’s Shop whenever you need a one-off top up.
Freshness and provenance: why it matters
Shorter journeys mean brighter leaves and firmer roots. That translates to better meals and more days of good eating. With Ted’s Veg, the field-to-doorstep timeline is tight, which is why customers often say our greens last longer in the fridge. It’s also a direct way to support British seasonal fruit and veg growers at a time of year when imported options dominate.
Quick lunch formulas to keep in your back pocket
-
Soup + something crunchy: toasted seeds and a slice of buttered bread
-
Salad + something warm: shredded cabbage tossed with hot potatoes and mustard
-
Leftovers + protein: roasted veg mixed with lentils or topped with a poached egg
So, is a veg box worth it?
If you want fresher produce, easy meal planning, and seasonal variety that nudges you to cook more veg, a box is a smart January reset. Start small, try a week, and see how much you actually eat. Most people find the freshness and convenience make it stick.
Ready to begin? Explore our fruit and veg boxes to set up your first delivery, or top up with extras from Ted’s Shop. For delivery info, visit our FAQs.