One of the best apps I have come across over the years has to be Too Good To Go.
Available free on the app store, Too Good To Go allows you to purchase unsold food from eateries at the end of service to prevent them from being discarded.
Not only is it beneficial for businesses, as it allows them to reach new customers and make money from food that would otherwise be wasted, but also consumers can access food at affordable prices and do some good for the planet.
And another aspect I love about the Too Good To Go concept is the surprise factor – you never know what you’ll find inside a bag.
The north-east businesses taking part
To be quite frank, I’m surprised more stores and restaurants in the north-east haven’t jumped on the bandwagon yet.
Nevertheless, there is a line-up that feature on the app, some of which include:
- Faffless, Aberdeen
- Red Robin Records, Aberdeen
- Bandit Bakery, Aberdeen
- Mad Potato, Aberdeen
- Vertical Shoots Urban Farms, Westhill
- The Chocolate Bar, Ellon
- Aberdeenshire Larder, Ellon
- Wander and Graze, Chapelton of Elsick
- JG Ross Bakers, multiple locations
One thing that’s worth pointing out is that every day and bag varies.
While Faffless, for example, may be offering three Too Good To Go bags one day, it may be offering none the next. Be sure to check the app daily to see what’s available.
What I got my hands on…
Keen to get my Too Good To Go fix, I decided to pick up a £3 bag from JG Ross Bakers, on St Swithin Street in Aberdeen, recently.
I simply placed my order and paid using the app, and picked it up later that day. You’re given an allocated time to collect your food, so it couldn’t be any easier.
Not sure what to expect, I was shocked at the weight of the bag when it was handed to me.
Full to the brim, I started unpacking the contents on my return home and was met with not one, two, three or four items, but seven.
There were sweet and savoury options on the go, all of which still boasted a lovely fresh scent. It really is hard to top the aromas of baked goods.
There was a sandwich and packets (four per pack) of butteries, brown softies and muffins, as well as a small loaf.
And if that weren’t enough, the branch had also thrown in a delicious-looking doughring and yum yum, too.
The savoury items had all reached their sell-by date, but they certainly didn’t look it and the bread items still had a spongy texture.
I was expecting the doughring and yum yum to be a different story and rather on the hard side, but they didn’t disappoint either. The cream and icing still melted in the mouth and the dough was as sweet as ever.
It’s a given that they would have tasted better straight from the oven, but everything was still perfectly edible and there were no complaints in my household.
General prices of the items:
- 1x egg mayonnaise sandwich: £2.95
- 1x salted caramel yum yum: £1.35
- 1x large pink iced doughring: £1.30
- 1x brown softies (packet of 4): £1.40
- 1x premnay butteries (packet of 4): £1.76
- 1x muffins (packet of 4): £1.72
- 1x small wheaten sliced bread (400g): £1.37
Total cost: £11.85
Total savings: £8.85
Was it worth it?
It’s safe to say that my recent Too Good To Go experience was definitely worth it.
Because the items had been picked up on the day of their sell-by date, it felt great knowing they were being put to use and not thrown away.
It was an absolute bargain to say the least, as well.
I’ll certainly be making more use of the app in the future, that’s for sure. And I would definitely encourage others to do the same.