I tried Too Good To Go bags from Greggs and Starbucks

The initiative, which was founded in Copenhagen to reduce the amount of food waste from buffets in Denmark, aims to connect food businesses with people who want to help solve the climate crisis, access good food and save some money.

With winter on the horizon (and high costs and cuts to the Winter Fuel Payment hitting millions), any steps people can take to help ease the financial squeeze should be encouraged.

I've read about the app online and heard from a few friends about their positive experiences, so I decided to give it a go this week in Taunton. Here's how I got on.

What is Too Good To Go, and how does it work?

Too Good To Go is a certified B Corp company that is “on a mission to inspire and empower everyone to fight food waste together”.

The company saves surplus food from going to waste through its free mobile app, which customers use to can use to order parcels and surprise bags.

As well as preventing goods that are near their sell-by date from being binned, the app also helps shoppers save money on meals and treats.

Local businesses that use Too Good To Go include M&S, Morrisons, Costa, Miss Millie's, Starbucks, Harvester, Co-op and Greggs.

This week, I downloaded the app and tried surprise bags from Greggs and Starbucks to see what goodies I could get my hands on.

Greggs (Wellington Road)

While waiting for the kettle to boil at the office, I reserved a secret bag on Monday morning for collection that evening between 5pm and 5.30pm.

The process only took a couple of minutes and cost £2.95, with the app claiming I had made a saving of around £6.

When I arrived at Greggs after work, all I had to do was show the worker my booking confirmation in the app and watch him scuttle around the store, choosing items from the shelves and fridges to put into a paper bag.

Greggs opened on Wellington Road in March 2023. (Image: Newsquest)

It was quite exciting to open the bag and see what I'd been given: a roast chicken and bacon club baguette, two boxes of cheddar and mozzarella bites (eight in total) and two packets of yum yums (four in total).

The sandwich went into my fridge at home for lunch the next day, while the cheese bites were reheated in the microwave for a tasty pre-six-a-side snack.

Here's what came in the Too Good To Go bag from Greggs. (Image: Newsquest) The yum yums, predictably, didn't last long once I'd dished them around the house.

I'd say this surprise bag was more of a nice treat rather than anything substantial, with the cheap price making it taste that bit sweeter.

Starbucks (Hankridge Farm)

The following day, I ordered another surprise bag, this time from the Starbucks café and drive-thru at Hankridge Farm, for collection in the early-evening.

This bag cost £4 and contained a cheese twist, a ham and cheese croissant, a sausage sandwich, a mozzarella and tomato wrap, and a berry crunch yoghurt – products the app reckons would usually set you back £12 (and it's hard to argue with that, given you're normally hard pressed to get a coffee and a sandwich from Starbucks for less than a tenner).

The app gives helpful reminders when you've made an order. (Image: Too Good To Go) Again, the collection process was quick and easy. I popped into the store with the booking confirmation ready to go on my phone, then watched as my pre-prepared bag was retrieved from a large fridge in a back room.

The savoury items were useful to have for breakfast and lunch the next day (I shared them around so they were gone pretty quickly, but I'm sure they would last a day or two in the fridge), and I offloaded the yogurt pretty quickly as I've never been able to acquire the taste.

This felt like great value and would be genuinely useful for anyone trying to make some savings on their lunches, if they're happy to take a bit of a gamble about what they will end up with – but it's probably not something for fussy eaters!