Online grocery shopping has taken off in the last few years. The benefits are obvious to most of us and as more and more people become familiar with the internet and payment processes seem to get more secure each year, there is no surprise that people are choosing to shop for essentials online. The range of online grocery shopping options seems to grow daily - so what are the best ways to complete your food shopping online?

Advantages of online food shopping

Most major supermarkets offer an online service - although this can be something of a postcode lottery! In the early days of online grocery shopping many consumers were (rightly) concerned about the quality of produce that might be picked, packed and delivered by a range of strangers. However, the experience of most regular online grocery shoppers seems to suggest that these fears are largely unfounded. The real advantage and savings to this type of online grocery shopping is simply that it saves time and frustration. The weekly or monthly 'big shop' is time consuming and can be fraught if you're accompanied by a range of children. Online grocery shopping also means that your 'shopping cart' doesn't fill up with additional extras that you didn't mean to buy - or weren't even aware that they had made their way into your basket.

The big disadvantage

While the 'big shop' can be completed online quite easily there are some downsides. Delivery times can involve a high level of micro-management on your part - ensuring someone is home to take delivery at the time (roughly) specified by the supermarket. Online grocery shopping has, until recently, only been worthwhile for the bigger shops - leaving many of us 'nipping out' at lunchtime and on the way home from work to pick up all of those little daily essentials that we have run out of. However, a range of options have now started to appear that can help you to get round these problems.

And the solution

Organic veg box delivery services have sprung up around the country - although some of these have been hit by the general tightening of belts in the last couple of years. One alternative that seems to combine the best of all worlds, is the service offered by some of the UK's dairies. Believe it or not, your milkman can now offer a range of items in addition to the traditional milk, eggs and fruit juice. The online grocery shopping services offered by the dairies are increasingly popular. With late ordering times and early morning delivery services they offer an extremely competitive service compared with many of the larger online grocery shopping services. The real beauty of food shopping for essentials through your milkman is that delivery is free - as they work to established rounds.