Now charity covers a multitude of vegetables

Around two weeks ago, after a horrendous moment with an outdoor produce vendor’s spittle (yes, spittle), I decided I would avoid going shopping full stop and instead try to get a veg box. Most of the biggies weren’t taking new customers – and none of the supermarkets had any delivery slots – but my cousin had heard about one called Pale Green Dot.

I signed up and paid my £20 for a weekly delivery. But a few days later a panicked email arrived from them about being overwhelmed; I assumed I wouldn’t be getting my box any time soon, so I went and did a massive shop at Waitrose. A few days passed.

My fridge was still full of veg and milk and bread from the Waitrose shop when the bell rang and in came a cardboard tray with a further two-litre bottle of milk; a loaf of bread, eggs, and lots of potatoes, strange bulbs, tomatoes, lettuce, broccoli, pears and apples. Anxiety began to hum. I now had more milk and bread than I could cope with, more funny root vegetables than I would ever engage with, and lots of tomatoes, which I don’t particularly like. How to stop things going off and how to store things? I googled recipes involving tomatoes and potatoes, and eggs and milk.

And then, in an embarrassment of grotesque riches, another veg box arrived on time, three days later, despite my having cancelled my payments. I asked my neighbours if they needed any milk or veg. Nobody did. I have a tiny freezer and am not very good at cooking. I hadn’t pictured this when, two weeks ago, I worried about running out of food entirely. Conscience dictates not letting it to go to waste; maybe it’s time to finally roll up my charitable sleeves and, lockdown permitting, get this unexpected haul to a kitchen needier than mine.