Coffee shops are one of my favourite places to pick up a Too Good To Go bag because they often have the best sandwiches and you can grab a cuppa on the way out, too. This week, as part of my quest to get a ‘magic bag’ from every possible Manchester venue, I snapped up a haul from a ‘hidden’ coffee shop and the contents were delicious.
Tucked away behind Deansgate, Bean Coffee might be tricky to find for those who don’t know where to look. It’s actually located inside the beautiful 1920s Blackfriars House - a stylish community workspace - just through the main door and to the left.
As I turned the corner into the coffee shop at 1.45pm, there was a relaxed work meeting underway, complete with ideal-bouncing and a curious dachshund beneath the table.
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Beyond that, the café was empty, with plenty of small tables to pull up a pew - as I waited at the counter, I eyed up a window seat that looked out onto Parsonage. I’d already had a peek in the food cabinet to see what kind of things might be in my food waste saving bag, and the offerings looked pretty decent and varied, from chicken Caesar salads to cheese toasties.
I made my way to the till to let the barista know I was there to collect a Too Good To Go bag, which - like an illusionist pulling a rabbit from a hat - she produced from behind the counter in the blink of an eye.
For those yet to discover the delight that is Too Good To Go, it’s a free-to-download app that partners with over 22,000 food businesses including the likes of Greggs, Pret, Starbucks and Costa, alongside thousands more local independent favourites.
Instead of throwing food away that is left unsold at the end of the day, restaurants, coffee shops, pubs and retailers can pack the produce into Magic Bags for Too Good To Go users to buy for roughly a third of its original retail price, collect at an allotted time, and take it home to enjoy. You won’t know exactly what’s in your order until you pick it up - it’s all part of the surprise.
My Too Good To Go bag at Bean Coffee cost me just £3, with a promise of £12 worth of goods, but the value totalled more like £16 to £17. In fact, three of the items included in the bag were over £3 each individually, so I knew the bag was going to be good value for money - unlike some of the chain coffee shops I’ve been to previously.
The first thing I unpacked from my bag was a ham and cheese croissant worth £3.50. All of the items had the same days date on the packaging, but it’s easy to use your own initiative on whether it’s still okay to eat, and I knew that the ham and cheese croissant would be perfectly fine the next day, particularly if toasted. These toast really well in a sandwich maker, providing a super quick and easy ‘brunch’.
There were then three sandwiches - of sorts - in the bag, which was perfect as I live with my parents, both of whom take packed lunches to work. At home, I let them pick which they wanted, with mum opting for a Veggie New Yorker sandwich with cheese and onion, worth £2.50, while dad opted for the meatier chicken and chorizo sourdough ciabatta, worth around £4.50.
This left me with a very exciting looking rainbow feta wrap, worth £4.25. The pink wrap looked fantastic and as a self-confessed feta fiend, I was pretty happy with my lunch option.
Last but not least, there was also a cheeky Caramel slice thrown in - this is one of those items that could happily sit in the cupboard for weeks and still be good to eat, so there was no rush to save this one from the bin, but it was still very much appreciated to boost the value of the bag.
And as for the atmosphere inside Bean Coffee, I was in my element surrounded by towering house plants and sustainable coffee cups. Just out of the way of the hustle and bustle of Deansgate, it felt like a really relaxing retreat and the ideal place to pause and refuel before heading back through the city to Piccadilly Station.
Bean Coffee is an independently owned coffee roaster that was founded in 2008. They launched their own roastery in 2016 and now have a number of branches primarily in Liverpool and Greater Manchester. In 2020, they opened their first retail-based store in Rochdale town centre, followed by a coffee shop and store in Liverpool One last year.
Accompanying their range of freshly prepared sandwiches and wraps, Bean also serves up an extensive menu of hot and iced coffee, and non-coffee alternatives that can be enjoyed with a cake or sweet treat in store.
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