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It's been ages since Manchester Evening News lifestyle editor Dianne Bourne has opened her Too Good To Go app - the platform where you can rescue discounted bags of end-of-day treats from various cafes, restaurants and supermarkets in your area. But intrigue got the best of her this week when she overheard someone mention they'd secured a bag from Gail's Bakery - the upmarket London chain that has been expanding its presence here in the north west recently, launching in Prestwich, Didsbury, the city centre and Wilmslow.

The bakery isn't exactly budget-friendly, so the possibility of nabbing some bargain delights at close of business when Dianne knew she'd be passing a Gail's was sufficient to draw her back to Too Good To Go. Nevertheless, Dianne was taken aback to discover that the Gail's Bags available had "dynamic pricing". Dianne had no clue dynamic pricing existed on Too Good to Go until now, but after a swift Google, it seems numerous other users have been puzzled by its arrival in recent months as well, reports Manchester Evening News.

There are countless Facebook and Reddit discussions explaining it all, but essentially, yes, it's gone, rather Ticketmaster, with dynamic pricing meaning sought-after brands (and their bags) can be priced higher to manage demand. As one user put it: "Good to know food is like an oasis tix".

Obviously, if nobody grabs them up, the nearer it gets to the sale deadline, that price might drop further. If only the same applied to concert tickets, eh. Having monitored Gail's bags closely, she could understand why surge pricing was being implemented as they disappeared so rapidly that Dianne realised she'd need to reserve one the previous day.

Dianne succeeded in securing one for the "dynamic price" of £7.49 for a bag that was described as containing items worth £15. The following day she made her way to the Wilmslow Gail's for her designated collection time of 5.40pm.

As anyone who frequently collects Too Good to Go bags will understand, there's no benefit in arriving early because they won't release your bag until the specified time arrives. Nevertheless, Dinanne doesn't routinely use Too Good to Go these days, so she turned up thirty minutes beforehand and had to loiter about waiting.

Fortunately for Dianne, though, this bag was absolutely worth the delay. Even whilst approaching to collect it the shop worker was enthusiastic on her behalf, declaring: "Oo it's a good one tonight" further building her anticipation.

Dianne genuinely hoped it would feature one of the bakery's renowned sourdough loaves, as that was precisely what she required for the week ahead. When she entered, she had been admiring some of the remaining cakes on the counter and was equally hoping some of those would be included as well.

When he passed her the bag Dianne was instantly struck by the considerable weight of it, and couldn't wait to get home to examine everything contained within. And it's reasonable to say when Dianne did, well, she was rather astonished by the selection of goods.

Here's what Dianne received.

What was inside the bag?

The shop assistant was absolutely right - Dianne genuinely struck gold with this Too Good To Go bag. The first item Dianne spotted was the loaf, which happened to be the largest thing in there.

It turned out to be one of the brand's waste-less sourdough that normally retails for £5, and it tastes absolutely delicious.

Dianne kept half of the loaf fresh for toast and sandwiches throughout the week, then sliced up the remaining half to pop in the freezer for future toast requirements.

The next bag Dianne opened revealed she'd truly hit the jackpot - it contained one of Gail's highly sought-after cinnamon buns!

She supposed the good people of Wilmslow weren't feeling particularly peckish on the day Dianne visited because typically these buns are the first items to sell out at the bakery in her experience.

And Dianne can confirm it tasted just as delightful at tea-time as it does first thing in the morning, so that was a genuine triumph.

There were additional bags to investigate which held substantial pastry items - one of the brand's chocolate-filled almond croissant and a pain au chocolat, which her children divided up for their dinner, whilst there was sufficient left over to save for breakfast the following day.

There was also a sour cherry and chocolate scone included.

All in all, Dianne calculated the items to well surpass the £15 that is guaranteed within the bag at closer to £20 - all for the "dynamic price" of £7.49.

Here's the complete list:

Cinnamon bun - £3.75

Almond croissant - £4.10

Pain au chocolat - £3.10

Sour cherry and chocolate scone - £3.70

Waste-less Sourdough - £5

RETAIL PRICE - £19.65

TOO GOOD TO GO DYNAMIC PRICE - £7.49

The verdict

Dianne was thoroughly impressed by the items in my Gail's bag, and it appeared completely reasonable value for the products she received which were all still of excellent quality and freshness, despite being under the "dynamic pricing" banner.

The entire purpose of Too Good to Go is to reduce food waste, whilst also giving users the opportunity to secure a bit of a bargain, and with this one, Dianne thinks she can confidently say both objectives were achieved.

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