Earlier this year I discovered an app that changed my life for the better. And no, I am not exaggerating.
As a 21-year-old who spends the majority of her time living in Aberdeen, I am always on the lookout for a bargain.
However, I love good food – but that goes without saying given my job role.
The Too Good To Go app has allowed me to combine both of these loves into one, and I have definitely made the most of it since making the discovery earlier this year.
Other than the bags I have treated myself to in my own time, I have shared 16 reviews with Press and Journal readers over the past few 10 months on a number of different businesses.
I decided to rate the quality and value for money of each of these bags out of five to see who would come out on top.
Too Good To Go: What is it?
Too Good To Go is a mobile app that 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.
The contents of your Too Good To Go bag are always a complete mystery, adding another exciting element to your experience.
The Bread Guy
I paid £3.39 for my Too Good To Go bag from The Bread Guy‘s Thistle Street branch and made a saving of £8.61.
There was nothing to fault about my first experience of reserving a mystery bag from the business. I made a great saving, the food was stellar and the pick-up was a breeze.
I’ll definitely be keeping an eye out for future bags available from The Bread Guy, which has three other bakeries – one located in Inverurie, one on Glenbervie Road in Torry, and one on Great Northern Road.
Address:16 Thistle Street, Aberdeen, AB10 1XZ
Value for money: 4.5/5
Quality: 5/5
Olive Alexanders
I unbagged three bakes from my Olive Alexanders bag, including a Bandit Bakery sourdough loaf, a raspberry creme brulee tart, and a cruffin.
Some people may be disheartened after unpacking three items from a Too Good To Go bag – in comparison to some of my previous experiences which have seen me remove as many as 10 – but the quality of the products was fantastic.
All three bakes tasted incredibly fresh, and looked and tasted the part.
Address: 8 Golden Square, Aberdeen, AB10 1RB
Value for money: 3/5
Quality: 4/5
Dyce Farm
My vegetarian breakfast mystery bag from Dyce Farm cost £2.79, making for a saving of £4.70.
It isn’t the best saving I’ve made to date or the most food I’ve received, but I was treated to a tasty breakfast for one.
The food that was there was mouth-watering, particularly the hash browns.
Address: 1A Dyce Drive, Dyce, Aberdeen, AB21 0AF
Value for money: 3/5
Quality: 4/5
Charles Michie’s Pharmacy
My £3 Too Good To Go bag from the coffee shop at Charles Michie’s Pharmacy was solid.
Have I had better? Yes.
However, I would still recommend people try one out because the bakes we received were up there. They included a rock cake, scone, a chunk of carrot cake and a slice of Cobbs Dundee cake
Address: 391 Union Street, Aberdeen, AB11 6BX
Value for money: 4/5
Quality: 4/5
Toby Carvery
Considering I paid £2.79 for my vegetarian breakfast magic bag from Toby Carvery, I made a saving of £2.70.
The contents tasted lovely. But despite the money I saved, I would much rather stop by the establishment itself to tuck into a veggie breakfast next time around.
Address: North Anderson Drive, Aberdeen, AB15 6DW
Value for money: 2.5/5
Quality: 2.5/5
Pret a Manger
The dishes inside my Pret a Manger mystery bag – including kale and cauli macaroni cheese, chicken laksa soup, and red Thai veg soup – were fresh, flavourful and sufficient in size.
If anyone were to question me if it was good value for money, I would say without a shadow of a doubt.
For anyone that loves the brand but refuses to spend a hefty amount on the products, then definitely try out a mystery bag from a branch near you.
I saved £12.62.
Address: Food Unit 3 Bon Accord Shopping Centre, Aberdeen, AB25 1HJ
Value for money: 4/5
Quality: 4.5/5
Chloe’s Kitchen Creations
My £4 mystery bag from Chloe’s Kitchen Creations made the trek to Alford, from Turriff, well worth it.
Every single bake was an absolute joy to eat and tasted fresh.
I saved £8 in total – one of my best savings since downloading my Too Good To Go app.
Address: 56 Main Street, Alford, AB33 8AA
Value for money: 4/5
Quality: 5/5
Londis
For a mere £4, I bagged myself 10 items – yes, you read correctly – in my mystery bag from Londis.
Not only was I impressed with the amount inside, but there was also a lovely variety too, including everything from bread and ham to fresh fruit and packets of sweets.
What made the trip even better was that I made a saving of £7.67. However, all of the item prices were based on the reduced prices at the Londis branch I visited, so it is highly likely I saved more than that figure.
Address: North Esplanade West, Aberdeen, AB11 5RN
Value for money: 4.5/5
Quality: 4/5
McLeish
I was expecting more variety inside my mystery bag from McLeish in Inverurie given their extensive range of products. Nevertheless, I was still impressed with the contents.
There were two packets of Sinclairs of Rhynie scones, both different flavours – one cherry and one cheese – as well as a packet of mango chunks from the Co-op and two products by Mash Direct – potato croquettes and beer battered onion rings.
I saved £6.27 altogether.
Address: 45-47 Market Place, Inverurie, AB51 3PY
Value for money: 3.5/5
Quality: 3/5
JG Ross
For £3 at JG Ross, I was treated to seven items including a sandwich and packets (four per pack) of butteries, brown softies and muffins, as well as a small loaf, a dough ring and a yum yum.
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. And I saved £8.85 in the process…
Address: St Swithin Street, Aberdeen, AB10 6XL
Value for money: 5/5
Quality: 3.5/5
Red Robin Records
My Too Good To Go bag from Red Robin Records set me back £3.29 and I made a saving of £5.71. But what was inside?
I was treated to two toasted ciabattas comprising slices of Italian white bread with a filling of bacon, cranberry sauce and camembert.
Essentially, I received roughly one and a half ciabattas free of charge. What’s not to love about that?
Address: 13 Correction Wynd, Aberdeen, AB10 1HP
Value for money: 3.5/5
Quality: 4/5
Authentic Romanian Shop
After spying Aberdeen’s Authentic Romanian Shop on my Too Good To Go app, I put in an order straight away.
My bag cost £3.59 and featured a carton of milk, two slabs of butter, two packets of crunchy pretzels, a packet of crisps and two packets of coffee mix.
There’s a section for everything at Authentic Romanian Shop, whether it be for dairy, fresh fruit and vegetables, meats, canned goods or home bakes. And the members of staff were so attentive throughout my visit.
Address: 427 George Street, Aberdeen, AB25 1ER
Value for money: 3.5/5
Quality: 3.5/5
Buckie Farm
Buckie Farm treated me to a hefty portion of ingredients you would find in a carvery.
This included lashings of meat (chicken and gammon), nine pigs in blankets, an assortment of red cabbage, garden peas, cauliflower and green beans, sage and onion stuffing, and roast potatoes all covered in a thick gravy.
With my bag costing just £3.29 and a ‘traditional carvery’ at Buckie Farm costing £7.29, it was a steal.
It cost even less than a ‘small carvery’ at the eatery, which would set you back £4.99.
Address: Bridge of Don, Aberdeen, AB22 8AL
Value for money: 5/5
Quality: 4.5/5
Portsoy Ice Cream
I didn’t quite get what I was after inside my Portsoy Ice Cream mystery bag – that being ice cream – but disappointed is definitely not the word to use from my experience.
For £2.99, it included a chicken and ham sandwich, two packets of four miniature pancakes, a handful of chocolate bars and a Starbucks Frappuccino bottle.
The original price of the sandwich alone was £2.99, so the rest of the contents were, essentially, free of charge.
Address: 24 Seafield Street, Portsoy, Banff, AB45 2QT
Value for money: 3.5/5
Quality: 2/5
Greggs
The price of my Greggs Too Good To Go bag was £2.59 and it contained a cheese and ham baguette, a sausage, bean and cheese melt, two yum yums and four sugar strand doughnuts.
Again, plenty to get stuck into.
I made a saving of £6.96 and every item sampled by me and my family tasted fresh.
Address: 166, 170 George St, Aberdeen, AB25 1BS
Value for money: 3.5/5
Quality: 4.5/5
Starbucks
Despite not being the biggest one out there, my £3.59 mystery bag from Starbucks was packed to the brim.
I counted five items in total – a sandwich, an iced raspberry swirl, a cinnamon swirl, and two lemon muffins.
It was a total saving of £8.74.
Address: 208 Union Street, Aberdeen, AB10 1TL
Value for money: 4/5
Quality: 4/5
Out of all the bags I have ordered to date, Buckie Farm came out on top after wracking up a total of 9.5/10.
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