One lucky woman hit the jackpot after scooping up a 'gold mine in breakfast form'.
Layla Nicholson was left both impressed and stuffed after purchasing a Too Good To Go bag from a Holiday Inn hotel for less than £4. The features writer had no idea what goodies she'd received but ended up with 'all the best bits' from a hotel buffet.
Writing for the Daily Star, Nicholson showed off the ample amount of food she saved from being wasted - which she says could 'feed the 5,000'. With the help of her colleagues - the bargain food was instantly gobbled up. Read her thoughts below.
The surprise bag is simply that – a surprise. So after nabbing one of the last spots for Holiday Inn Express' Breakfast Bag for just £3.99, I wondered if it would be naff or happily taken back to my gaffe.
After arriving at the Royal Docks branch of the hotel a couple of minutes before I could collect, the polite receptionist asked me to take a seat in the lobby. Before I went to sit down in the quiet area, I noticed that there were four brown bags behind the staff member.
Could these be the 'magic' bags? I suddenly felt a rush of nostalgia as if I was a buzzing kid waiting to find out what was in my party bag. However, patience is necessary with Too Good To Go as you can only collect in a certain time frame.
The seconds ticked by and before I knew it, it was time to grab my breakfast bag. But a seamlessly timed fellow Go-er beat me to the desk and entered through. Not your first rodeo here I seem, but it is mine.
After I presented the code to the desk staff, the brown paper bag and its contents were mine for the taking. On first thoughts, the bag was heavy – would it be to do with the quantity or quality though?
Have I been given a bag full of fruit as some sick January joke or would it be a variation of breakfast goods? It felt like Christmas Day as the bag contained smaller bags and wrapped packages.
For the journey back to the office, I had to refrain from rifling through the contents of the bag. I certainly could smell egg, and I'm pretty certain that the rest of the passengers on the train carriage could too.
After ponging out the London Underground, it was time to open up the 'magic bag' that was pretty much stacked to the brim. But were the leftovers from the hotel buffet simply scraps or a gold mine in breakfast form?
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The 'magic' bag contained a fry-up consisting of a whole bed of juicy baked beans, two sausages, two hash browns and some fluffy scrambled eggs. Now, that would have been decent for £3.99 – getting a full English for that price is unheard of.
Though, that was not it. The Too Good To Go 'Breakfast Bag from Holiday Inn Express also included a tin foil-wrapped bacon roll, two mini choc-chip muffins, two mini chocolate muffins, a croissant and an apple and orange. Got to make your gut happy somehow!
Despite not being able to eat all of the breakfast, the contents of the bag could certainly keep me fuelled throughout the day if that was needed to be the case. I'm not saying that living off a fry up, bacon roll, fruit and pastries is a sustainable diet.
But, if it came down to the end of the month and you're scraping by, then all of that food for £3.99 would definitely keep your body and your bank afloat for the day. The whole point of Too Good To Go is to reduce waste, so you'll never be certain what food you'll be 'rescuing' from day-to-day.
I had my scavenging colleagues on hand to help me finish off any leftovers – so we didn't end up wasting anything. But if you lived alone, getting through all that grub may be a struggle.
It's safe to say that I hit the jackpot with the Royal Docks Holiday Inn Express. Although, the magic of the bag is not always promised.
It's thought that breakfast can set you up for the day. But in this case, my magic bag of breakfast could be enough to cover lunch and dinner too.
What's the best thing you've ever received in a Too Good To Go bag? Let us know in the comments section below