Love food but hate the waste? Me too. I know ‘influencers’ get a bad rep for over-ordering food just for the ‘gram but I can assure you I always aim to ensure I’ve eaten every single bite. Whether that means me lying in back of the car with my jeans unzipped groaning or whether I get my leftovers wrapped up ready to eat for breakfast in the morning- I can’t think of anything that feels worse than letting good food go to waste.
My own personal eating habits aside, the amount of food that goes to waste in the UK each year is, to be frank, no less than criminal and anything that aims to stop that wastage is worth a try in my book. That’s where the Too Good To Go app comes in. Whilst they did kindly send me a voucher for a free bag ages ago, this post isn’t at all sponsored by them at all- I just think it’s a fab idea and one I wanted to share.
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So, how does it work? You just log on to the app, see what’s going spare and buy it for a couple of quid. That’s it! When to collect depends on the restaurants closing times and you won’t know what you’re getting until you pick it up so if you’re not one for surprises this probably isn’t the app for you.
I picked up my first Magic Bag from my local Costa (for no other reason than it was close) for the grand sum of three quid and was rewarded with 2 cinnamon buns and four dark chocolate rocky roads. Not a bad haul considering my usual coffee order usually sets me back around double that.
With this initial success spurring me on, I decided to see whether I could make a full, three-course meal from magic bags alone and embarked on what can only be described as a bit of a wild goose chase around the city. Haul incoming...
1. The first magic bag came from the fabulous American Pizza Slice on Bold Street. At a grand total of £4 we picked up 5 slices of their famous 18inch pie. By far one of my favourite magic bags of the day- just unfortunate that two of the slices were topped with goats cheese which is one thing I just CANNOT learn to love.
2. Our second magic bag (or magic box) was a box of mixed sweet treats from Bekas Cafe on London Road. It cost £3 for the lot: 2 slices of cake, scones, cookies and baklava. The best part of this one was just getting the chance to go somewhere new! A very cute place to visit if you're in the area.
3. Not content with all that sugar I then bagged 4 spare doughnuts from Doogles Doughnuts on Lark Lane for £4.34. We got three 'Homer' iced ring doughnuts and a classic glazed. Worth every penny!
4. With our meal sorted we moved on to drinks, and here's where it gets interesting. Brewdog are on the app, rescuing spare pints that are usually poured straight down the drain as part of a line clean. For £4 we got three mixed cans of craft ale which is a bargain for any beer lover. Two of them were around 9%ABV so they're still sitting in my fridge waiting for an appropriate occasion to drink them.
5. Last but not least we spotted a last minute entry on the app from the Baltic Bakehouse on Allerton Road. From them we picked up 3 of their artisan loaves (including my favourite weekend sourdough) for £4. Don't worry- two of them went straight in the freezer and kept me going for the next few weeks.
All in all we ate like kings for the day and spent less than what I'd usually spend on breakfast. The more people that use the app, the more restaurants will join it and the more food will be saved! It's a winning situation all round.
If you fancy picking up your own magic bag you can download the Too Good To Go app here.
My top tip is to keep checking it throughout the day because new stuff comes up regularly and it doesn't last long. You can thank me by letting me know what treats you managed to save!
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