The bargain boxes are made up of food which might otherwise be dumped but some are better than others
I love Too Good To Go. I’ve bought dozens of boxes packed with food nearing its use-by date over the past few years, making countless meals for me and my family.
Supermarkets, corner stores, cafes and bakeries all link in with the food waste app allowing people to buy food at the end of the day which would otherwise be heading for the bin. And whether it is Greggs or our local bakery, Starbucks and Costa or Morrisons and Spar – I’ve tried them all.
But my favourite is usually Aldi. Their boxes are like gold dust and usually sell out in seconds but I’ve honed my skills so I know exactly when to switch on my Too Good To Go app and click for the often lucrative savings.
The only downside with the supermarket offers is you have to collect them late in the day. Aldi is from 9.25pm on a Monday to Saturday so often I simply can’t be bothered at the thought of going out so late.
But when I happened to flick on my app later than the usual time and spotted there was a box for the following day I decided to go for it. I knew I had a meeting, which meant I would be passing about then, so I pressed the button and quickly received my Apple Pay notification that I’d paid £3.30 for the deal.
I arrived early as my meeting was over so headed inside to buy a few essentials then waited for the box. When it was brought out it looked like a good one – I’ve had mixed experiences between outstanding value to a total waste of time and effort so you never know.
In fact it was so heavy I nearly dropped it as it was handed over. At a glance I knew I’d done OK as there was a roast in the bag chicken sitting on top.
But it was only when I got home for a closer look that I was shocked at the contents. For far from being out of date the Roast in the Bag Pork, Sage and Onion Stuffed Whole Chicken had more than a week to go.
Two other items – chicken breast fillets and a meat feast pastry slice were the same. The only issue was the packaging was bashed – not open just dented.
This was a first and big surprise. And it meant the £3.30 box stretched a week to make a roast chicken Sunday dinner without even having to freeze the meat.
It didn’t stop there – the chicken fillets did two meals, a curry and some fajitas, and the meat slices went down nicely with homemade chips and some of the salad.
Some of the food was heading out of date but the noodles made a lovely stirfry with the peppers, spring onion and mushrooms for a late dinner the night I got them. There was also a mac and cheese sandwich which my son devoured and some Specially Selected Spanish Ibérico Ham Croquetas 108g (usually £1.99) which went down a treat after a quick zap in the air fryer.
I didn’t work out the full price of the box had we paid it, but Aldi guarantee it contains products worth more than £10. In this one the roast chicken alone would set you back £5.59 while the chicken breasts are £4.69 full price so by the time you add the other items it is likely to be twice this.
Too Good To Go is an app which links food firms with customers. It aims to reduce food waste but also help the environment by reducing food waste.
It also gives customers the chance to try new foods for a fraction of the original price. But the “surprise bags”, also called “magic bags” are just that – a surprise meaning you have no idea what is inside until you collect it.
On this occasion the box definitely did its job. We got a bargain and loads of lovely meals – the leeks and salad all made it to our plates as well as the rest – but sadly the rice noodles did end up in the bin as there is only so much you can eat after 9.25pm.
If you haven’t tried it then it is definitely worth giving a go. I’ve had boxes with enough in to feed us for a week as the contents will often freeze but also some which we found lacking and not worth the effort.
In fact my last Aldi one left me saying “never again” as it was packed with three bags of stir-fry vegetables, two tubs of beetroot and some fruit. But even the worst ones are usually worth much more that you pay.
Next time I’m out at that time I’ll definitely be trying to grab a box to try again. Let’s hope it’s another good one.