Those of us based in the north-east were treated to something very rare last week – a seven-day long spell of sunny weather.
Yes, there was the odd threatening raincloud in amongst the mix. But all in all, it was clear to see that spring had well and truly sprung.
Being from Turriff in Aberdeenshire, there is a certain line-up of hospitality venues in the area that come to mind when the sun decides to shine and I am in need of curbing my hunger cravings.
These vary from businesses with outdoor seating areas, allowing you to take advantage of the heat to the highest degree, to those that offer refreshing, mouth-watering treats to help keep your temperature down.
I was a regular at one of these businesses during my school years, this being Portsoy Ice Cream.
Located on Seafield Street in Portsoy, the family-run parlour is, of course, renowned for its award-winning ice cream, which is available in a variety of flavours including salted caramel, pistachio, smooth strawberry, and more.
But there is so much more on offer inside, from a locally-sourced range of fresh fruit, vegetables, baked goods and dairy items to waffles and hot chocolates.
Already planning on heading to the parlour with a friend, I checked my Too Good To Go app the day before our visit and happened to spot that Portsoy Ice Cream had one bag remaining for collection the following day.
It was clearly meant to be…
What I got my hands on…
One thing was apparent as soon as I was handed my bag. It was chilled. I took this as a superb sign that there must be a sweet item inside to stop it from melting in the heat.
The best outcome? Ice cream.
I waited until I arrived home before unbagging. I’m always paranoid that I’ll start tucking into the items en route and struggle to stop. Plus, you never know how messy they are going to be.
In the end, there was a chicken and ham sandwich, two packets of four miniature pancakes, a handful of chocolate bars and a Starbucks Frappuccino bottle.
The sandwich, which was packed to the brim with filling, and pancakes still boasted a nice, fluffy texture.
No, maybe not quite as impressive as the texture they would have had on the day(s) of being baked and prepared, but it was still well up there nevertheless – and definitely not poor enough to condone throwing away.
Diving my hand back in and hoping for something that would satisfy my sweet tooth, I was thrilled to pull out four individual chocolate bars. Two of these were Terry’s Chocolate Orange bars and the others were Fry’s Chocolate Creams.
There was also a three-pack of Fry’s Turkish Delights. Seeing all of the treats together screamed sugar rush in the making.
Last but certainly not least, there was the coffee. Smooth and silky, I was glad the bag had been kept chilled before collection. I hadn’t had one in bottled format before, and it tasted great.
Was it worth it?
The original price of the sandwich was £2.99, while each pancake packet would have set me back £1.
The prices of the chocolates and frappuccino are yet to be discovered, but it’s clear as day the bag was a steal.
I didn’t quite get what I was after inside my Portsoy Ice Cream mystery bag, but disappointed is definitely not the word to use from my experience.
I had manifested the idea so much for a 24-hour period that I convinced myself it would feature sweet treats galore – ice cream being one of them, of course.
But in reality, is including ice cream in a Too Good To Go bag a great idea? Probably not. The mere thought of it now just spells disaster.
The sandwich, pancakes and coffee were gone within no time with the help of the family, while the chocolates were a welcome addition to one of my store cupboards.
