Shop for groceries from home with these online delivery services

01 April 2020 - 18:27 By Steve Steinfeld
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Save yourself the stress of going out and get your groceries delivered to your door.
Save yourself the stress of going out and get your groceries delivered to your door.
Image: 123RF/olegdudko

Don't feel like braving the shops during lockdown? Luckily you can still have groceries delivered to your door in the form of meal kits and ingredient boxes, or using an online shopping app.

Here are some options that have been given the “essential services” green light by the government:

MEAL KITS

Fast gaining popularity, meal kit services provide a choice of delicious recipes along with all the ingredients you'll need to make each dish. Everything arrives pre-portioned and ready to cook, so there's no fuss or waste.

UCOOK

UCook is a subscription-based meal kit service that offers a choice of 12 delicious recipes each week, divided into categories like “easy-peasy” and “health nut”. You can chose to have kits for two, three or four meals delivered. Each dish comes in various serving sizes.

The current menu features the likes of sunset roast chicken with fresh orange and organic pomegranate gems, beef and chorizo ragu with linguine and basil-infused soft cheese, and much more.

How much? Prices start from R265 per week (two vegetarian meal kits for one), and vary depending on the menu chosen as well as the number of dishes and serving sizes selected.

Where do they deliver? Cape Town, Johannesburg, Durban and surrounding areas.

How to order? Visit ucook.co.za

DAILY DISH

Much the same as UCook, Daily Dish allows customers to choose recipes from a range of menus including kid-friendly “family”, “express” (meal that can be made in 30 minutes or less), “carb-conscious”, “vegetarian” and “fitness”.

Current dishes on the menu include sticky chicken tenders for the kids, beef keftedes for the carb-conscious, and crunchy roast summer roots for vegetarians.

How much? Prices start from R425 per week (three express or carb-concious meal kits for one), and vary depending on the menu chosen as well as the number of dishes and serving sizes selected.

Where do they deliver? Select suburbs in Gauteng and the Western Cape.

How to order? Visit dailydish.co.za

INGREDIENT BOXES

It's all about quality fresh produce and grocery staples with these ingredient boxes. While not geared towards specific recipes, they allow you to stock up on essentials for day-to-day cooking.

URBAN FOODS

This fresh produce supplier, which usually supplies many a restaurant, have a home delivery service too. They have an ever-changing selection of fresh fruit, vegetables, meats, nuts and deli items for sale — check the daily order form to see what's available. They now offer a 24-hour delivery window from the time you place your order.  

How much? A minimum order of R500.

Where do they deliver? Gauteng

How to order? Visit urbanfoods.co.za. Urban Foods is not as tech-savvy as some other delivery services, so you'll need to manually fill in an order form (find it here) and e-mail it through to them together with proof of payment in order for a delivery to take place.

MUNCHING MONGOOSE

This is a subscription-based service with a difference: Munching Mongoose specialises in locally-sourced, organically-farmed, ethically-produced and artisanal goods. They offer an array of different-sized bags and boxes of ingredients, which are delivered on a weekly basis.

What's in each delivery will vary slightly from week to week, depending on what's in season, but each one generally includes staples like milk, eggs, cheese, fruit and vegetables. You can customise your order to suit your preferences, or add on additional items.

How much? Prices start from R445 for a mini-bag (enough for two people).

Where do they deliver? Johannesburg and surrounds.

How to order? Visit munchingmongoose.co.za

ONE-STOP-SHOPPING APPS

Do you prefer to buy your fresh produce from one supermarket, but your cleaning supplies from another? Good news: there are now an array of one-stop-shopping apps that allow you to order from multiple stores and pay for your total order via a single interface. Everything gets delivered in one go too. Convenient, no?

ZULZI

This app, which claims to be the “first digital mall in the world”, offers you the opportunity to order online and have your groceries delivered on the same day. They usually strive for a one-hour delivery window, but this has been suspended due to the pandemic. Some of the major retailers featured include Pick n Pay, Woolworths, Dis-Chem and Clicks

Where do they deliver? Johannesburg and Cape Town.

How to order? Download the Zulzi app via the App Store or Google Play.

ONECART

This app allows you to order from most, if not all, of the stores you'd likely visit on a normal grocery run. This includes Pick n Pay, Woolworths, Food Lover's Market, Dis-Chem and Clicks, to name just a few.

OneCart previously promised a two-hour delivery option. However they've announced that there have been substantial delays in the wake of the crisis.

Where do they deliver? Johannesburg, Pretoria, Centurion, Cape Town and Durban.

How to order? Download the OneCart app on the App Store or  Google Play; orders can also be placed via their website.


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