Life delivered: three Ocado regulars unpack the stories behind their weekly shop

The Guardian

5 days ago

The meaning behind the choices we make can get lost in the rhythm of routine, particularly when it comes to the groceries we order week in, week out. But there's a whole lot more than dinner in our shopping baskets, as these shoppers reveal. Even the most prosaic items can conjure a memory, speak to a value, or make good on an intention. It's life, delivered by Ocado …
Reena Mistry, 37, is a digital analyst and pre/postnatal personal trainer and fitness coach. She lives in Leicester with her husband, Chetan, and their two children, Yuvi, 11 months, and Rian, four years. She orders a weekly Ocado shop.
Reena Mistry. Photographs: Helena Dolby
Item 1: watermelonMy children absolutely love watermelon, so you'll often find a whole one in my Ocado delivery. Recently, I saw a recipe in OcadoLife magazine for a feta and Ocado watermelon salad that looked lovely, so I earmarked it. My husband's cousin, his wife and their two children live nearby, and will be coming over for a catch-up soon. I'll make a few dishes everyone can dig into, including the feta and watermelon salad, and poached chicken legs and spicy rice. Hopefully it'll be sunny so we can enjoy them in the garden. The kids are happy to eat slices of watermelon as they are, but the salad is a more grown-up way of serving it.
Item 2: oat milkAfter doing some research on how different foods affect your gut health we decided as a family to swap out cow's milk for Plenish oat milk. I use it for everything you'd normally use cow's milk in, from mac 'n' cheese to chaas, a traditional Indian milk that's a bit like a salted lassi. Chetan and I both used to drink chaas as children, and when I first made it with oat milk I was worried it might not taste the same, but it was just as nice. It brought back lovely memories of sitting around the family table in the garden on hot summer days – memories I'm hoping to recreate for Yuvi and Rian.
Item 3: eggsEggs are a staple in our house – we use them for picnics, omelettes, eggy muffins, all sorts. When I was younger, my dad's speciality was egg and tomato curry. It's a really homely, comforting dish. Now I'm a parent myself, I make it at least once a week, hand-making the chapatis to go alongside it, just like my own mum used to. The only fresh ingredients it requires are eggs and tomatoes – everything else I already have in my larder, so it's really easy to whip up mid-week. As the eggs are the star, I go for Ocado's free-range organic eggs, so they're the best quality they can be.
Item 4: strawberriesAs a healthy-eating household, I encourage my children to snack on fruit, and luckily they can't get enough of M&S strawberries. We add them to snack platters and milkshakes, and I use them to make protein shakes, as I try to lead by example at home when it comes to healthy eating. We sometimes go strawberry-picking as a family, but it's a bit less stressful to get them delivered! We buy them from Ocado year-round, taking advantage of the huge variety of time-slots on offer for delivery, but they're at their best at this time of year. I don't think summer would feel like summer without them.
Melanie Blanksby, 57, is a freelance marketing strategist. She lives in High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire, with her husband, Matt, and their three children – Henry, 25, Florence, 24, and Daisy, 19. A former food writer, Melanie has been ordering from Ocado for more than 20 years.
Melanie Blanksby. Photographs: Victoria Adamson
Item 1: cherries
The whole family loves Ocado cherries, and we buy them for as long as they're in season. They last really well, as long as they don't get eaten on day one! Ocado's food range is great for foodies who, like us, enjoy cooking from scratch. So, assuming the cherries haven't been snaffled as a snack, I'll make a cherry clafoutis. My family used to complain that all my cakes turned out very worthy and brown – I blame being brought up on 1980s' health foods in a household where even cake was expected to contain lots of nutritious fruit and nuts, and minimal sugar! But now I have the cherry clafoutis in my repertoire, things are a bit different. Everyone loves it, and it's a great way of using seasonal fruit.
Melanie unpacks her Ocado delivery watched by a very relaxed four-legged friend
Item 2: François Martenot Crémant de Bourgogne On our last pre-children holiday, Matt and I visited Burgundy, and this crémant is now our fizz of choice. It's dry but with lots of flavour, and brings back lots of happy memories of the places we visited. My latest bottle is for my next girls' night in: one of the great things about Ocado is that I can always get a slot, and I then top up my order the day before my delivery, so it makes planning for occasions like this a bit easier. There's a group of 10 of us who have been meeting up for more than 15 years now. We originally met at our local primary school, and between us we have 26 children. We've celebrated births and holidays and supported each other through sadder times as well. We all appreciate spending a little bit more on wine now and trying to avoid the hangovers …
Item 3: unwaxed lemons Ocado's unwaxed lemons are a summer staple for us – they're really good quality with loads of flavour, and look lovely in a bowl. As well as using the zest and juice in my cooking, we add slices to our water bottles to encourage us to keep hydrated – although I must admit that a fair few also end up in summer cocktails. My son Henry used to work as a barman, and he's continued to develop his own signature drinks even after moving on from that job. His latest concoction is a rum and fig leaf iced tea, made using lemon zest and juice and fig leaves from the tree in our garden. It's a very welcome addition to his repertoire.
Item 4: cottage cheeseOur family has a rainbow of diets – we've got a pescatarian and a coeliac in our household – so finding a healthy breakfast we can all enjoy is a challenge. My friend Evie is a nutritionist, and has always advised us to include protein in the first meal of the day, so we make muffins out of Longley Farm cottage cheese – which is by far the best I've found anywhere, good Greek yoghurt, spinach, feta, eggs and gluten-free flour. Add some dried dill, and these muffins are a big hit with all of us. Even better, they can be cooked in the air fryer and enjoyed on the hoof, too.
Mayah Riaz, 42, is a publicist from Nottingham. She has been shopping with Ocado for about nine years, and uses her Ocado SmartPass to order one or two deliveries a week.
Mayah Riaz. Photographs: Helena Dolby
Item 1: whole chickenI've been making a weekly roast for me and my family for about 10 years now, but since my grandma passed away in December it's become even more meaningful. My grandad isn't very mobile, and lives with my uncle, his wife and cousins 10 minutes away, so every week I buy three whole Tariq halal chickens and cook a huge roast. I find it really relaxing – I put on a podcast and get completely absorbed in cooking. I make it with all the trimmings, roast potatoes, carrots, parsnips with honey and Yorkshire puddings, then drive the food over to my uncle's place. He calls it the world's best roast dinner, which is a fantastic compliment.
Item 2: peanut butterA while back I was feeling really run down, but my GP couldn't find anything wrong. I saw an acupuncturist, who said I was burnt out – at the time, I was a bit of a workaholic. I decided to slow down a bit and improve my diet, avoiding sugar and seed oils, and since changing my lifestyle my energy levels have really improved. Ocado helps me to continue eating well, because it stocks a lot of the healthy items I enjoy. I also dislike supermarket shopping, so having them delivered to my door (and getting money back for returning the carrier bags) really makes my life easier. I regularly buy a big tub of Pip & Nut peanut butter because it's just natural ingredients – peanuts and salt, and I use so much of it: with fruit, in protein shakes, and by the spoonful. I absolutely love it.
Mayah relaxes with her cat and a cup of her favourite peppermint and liquorice tea
Item 3: oatsOats are another staple in my Ocado delivery. When I decided to start slowing down, I moved to Nottingham to be closer to my family – but my job as a publicist in TV and show business means a lot of my work is in London. I often have to get up at the crack of dawn to accompany clients to photoshoots and interviews, and making overnight oats means I can throw the jar in the car to eat when I get a moment. I opt for organic, gluten free oats and vary the brand – it can be Freee or Amisa – I'm always trying different ones. Shoots are often catered with unhealthy food, so taking my trusty oats with me helps keep me on the straight and narrow when it comes to healthy eating. I'm well known for turning up to work clutching a cool bag packed with snacks.
Item 4: peppermint and liquorice teaAbout 10 years ago, I was invited to a juice retreat in Portugal hosted by lifestyle coach Jason Vale. At the time I drank lots of black tea, but we were encouraged to give up caffeine, so I switched to Pukka peppermint and liquorice tea. I loved it and had my fingers crossed that I'd be able to buy it back home, so I was delighted when I discovered I could buy Pukka teabags at Ocado. I carry some everywhere with me, and I've converted so many people to them, from flight attendants to people I've met on holiday. I probably order two boxes a week – I simply can't do without them.
Life Delivered. Shop now at Ocado