This week our piece is written by Jean, co-founder and director of Local Greens. Jean is an accountant by profession so is not only interested in the cost of what we supply but also its value.
"As a family we have always alternated between vegetarian and non vegetarian days. Since the beginning of 2016 my children have started to ask for vegetarian weeks rather than days, particularly my eldest who wants to learn a range of vegetarian dishes she can easily cook when she goes to university. The first day of the current week, it was just me and her for dinner, we had mushrooms in a cream sauce with pasta and a side salad, most of the ingredients from the Local Greens veg bag. The next day we had a family favourite of aloo gobi, dal and rice, again made with the veg bag veg, the new season charlotte potatoes were perfect for the aloo gobi! Another day we had a simple quiche of courgette and tomato with lots of fresh herbs. As I inhaled the heady smell of the fresh vine tomatoes I reflected on how the vegetable can take centre stage when the quality is so good.
This is where the question of cost and value comes in. The government has introduced a national living wage of £7.20 per hour. This will not make much of a difference to most of us who earn more than that, including Local Greens staff who are paid the London Living wage of £9.40 per hour. The change comes further down our the chain. All of the farmers who supply Local Greens with organic and spray free veg rely on manual labour to grow, harvest, pack and deliver their produce. If they weren't already, they now have to pay a minimum of £7.20 per hour to their employees. The question for us as consumers is do we value our veg enough to continue supporting our local farmers and in time paying a higher price?
Something to ponder when unpacking this weeks veg."