Feb 17

Feb 17 Broken Foot Diaries Part 5: Online Grocery Shopping

The Broken Foot Diaries is now coming to an end with one final last post: Grocery Shopping! When newcomers relocate to Manila I often give them a warning that realistically, they can do one errand per day. Do not expect to get a lot done in Manila yourself as traffic and systems take much time. However, a #perksofpinas is that you can have others complete tasks for you at a very reasonable cost. During this whole broken foot debacle I have ordered groceries to my home via MetroMart but my personal favorite is Session Groceries.

a happy kitchen shelf with fresh local produce

Session Groceries|

Session Groceries is a reliable and respected grocery delivery offering produce and other food items all the way from Benguet province, think Baguio. I’ve read a number times that it is best to eat with the seasons. Eat what your local area has in season and Session Groceries offers just that. Each week their list of offerings changes to fit the supply of the local farmers they work with directly. Flexibility is required as the offerings really do change week to week and I appreciate that because I am finally eating what is the freshest produce as opposed to eating produce that’s been imported and traveled weeks to arrive in Manila. So yes, the freshness of Session Groceries is one of my favorite aspects.

The ordering process through Session Groceries isn’t the easiest. You need to order by Wednesday at noon to receive your order by the weekend and it depends on what phone you use. For example, the app doesn’t work on my phone or the website so I always need to order through a Google Docs form. Orders will be delivered to your home with a delivery fee. As a society we have become spoiled by instant gratification, especially in Manila where we can order a milk tea on Grab food. However, the freshness and flavor of the produce from Session Groceries is worth it for me.

The order quantities are large so I do recommend sharing the produce with someone and perhaps splitting an order. All of my produce has been healthy and fresh upon arrival, however we usually don’t eat it all over a weeks time as the order quantity is very large. On average my orders have been around 3,000 php for A LOT of food. Plus, their packaging is all reusable and eco friendly except for some of the plastic strawberry containers. Go Session Groceries!

In terms of customer service, Session Groceries is excellent. They have regular lines of communication through Viber and FB messenger and promptly reply. One week my order was overlooked, funny enough it was the only week I submitted my order early, and I reached out to Session Groceries. They had my box of produce put on a bus (like a passenger!) from Baguio and then had it delivered to my door within the day. At the time they didn’t know I had a social media platform or a blog so they weren’t doing it for that reason, they were completing the order because of their excellent customer service.

Here are some ways I have enjoyed my produce over the last two months.

Breakfast|

Chocolate granola from Landers + milk + strawberries & Pancakes with fresh cream + strawberries

Lunch|

I miss sandwiches big time! It’s quite hard to find a proper cold cut deli sandwich in Manila, unless you come to my place! Arugula BLT’s with vinegar soaked red onions, heirloom tomatoes, topped with arugula and a side salad of kale+seeds+apples.

Veggie sandwich + fruit salad & Yogurt cake + passion fruit + mango + strawberries

Dinner|

Lemon rosemary chicken. The lemons are divine from Session!

Arugula pesto pizza

Niçoise salad with french beans, aquaponics lettuce, cherry tomatoes etc.

Leftover ribs from Landrina, french beans, strawberries

Dessert|

A pavlova bar with proper toppings: whipped cream, strawberries, mango and passion fruit.

I appreciate the business model of Session Groceries supporting the farmers in Baguio and offering a straight supply to us city folk. The produce is cheaper, tastes better and I know that the farmer is being taken care of. I also LOVE the different options as the offerings are seasonal. Good work Session Groceries! May we always find what we’re looking for.