Motatos has been offering big brand name groceries at an average of 60% off the recommended retail price in its homeland Sweden and in other countries since 2012 - and now it has launched in the UK for the first time. The main aim of the retailer is to save the planet - selling food that would otherwise end up in landfill - but during the cost of living crisis it is also being marketed as a way to save you money.
In the week that it launched, we decided to give it a try and see if it lives up to the hype - and if it can really save you money, or save the planet. Setting a £50 budget we signed up to see what all the fuss is about.
Signing up was easy, add your email address and a password and you're ready to shop. No need to book a delivery slot or any other options as you would with a supermarket, just jump in and start choosing your goodies.
If your order is over £40, then delivery is free. The food will come in cardboard boxes delivered by Evri, so it is quick and convenient and you don't need to worry about adding a delivery cost to your final bill.
The site works quickly and smoothly - if you're familiar with supermarket shopping sites this won't be a challenge. In the left-hand menu there are categories like Food Cupboard and Toiletries. Click there and you get more options like Tins, Jars & Packets. All very intuitive.
You can then click to add the items you want, or click through for more information. One handy hint is you can also hover over the food items to see the best before date.
This is useful as part of what Motatos sells is food that is approaching or past that date - the kind of stuff that retailers and manufacturers would often bin. In reality it is fine to eat for weeks, months and in some cases even years after that date.
At the minute there isn't a huge selection. The choices in Food Cupboard are fine, and there are a few toiletries to pick from, but in categories like Baby & Toddler and Pets there is not much to see yet.
Obviously, this will change as the site grows and develops. There are also sections on the site showing the latest additions, what is selling out fast, your favourites and best bargains.
We found enough to choose from in the Food Cupboard and Household sections and quickly filled two boxes - for under £50. With every item a did a quick Google search to see how the price compares.
In some cases they were available at the same price, or a few pennies cheaper at other retailers. Sometimes at big supermarkets, sometimes retailers like B&M and Poundstore. But none of those retailers had the same range - so to save a few pence you would have to shop at multiple places and maybe add delivery costs to your bill.
Other items were well below what we could find anywhere else online.
So Motatos seems to do what it says - offering big brand names at a discount. The 60% off is an average, Some items you will see are around 25% off and others more than 80%.
Each item shows you clearly what the price is, what the recommended retail price is and shows the difference. Some you can bulk up your savings by buying two or three at a time.
But the operative term in the phrase is 'big brand names'. What you are getting is items like PG Tips tea bags, Lyons coffee, Bisto gravy granules and Mars chocolate.
They are much cheaper than you would find them usually on the shelf - but still more expensive than if you were to go for an own brand. So if saving maximum pennies is your thing you may not find what you are looking for here. If own-brand washing up liquid, toothpaste and curry powder are not your thing and you always have to have the exact right brand, then Motatos is for you.
There are some things that all of us are reluctant to swap. Personally, I always go for Heinz Beanz and PG Tips tea bags. Most other shopping I'm happy to swap out for an off-brand saving. But if you have to have Dairy Milk, Walkers, Cif or Pizza Express then this is a great option.
Motatos also offers organic and free-from items at the same discounted rate - another great choice if that is what you are looking for.
I pressed order and the site said my groceries would be with me in 3-5 days. That was 6.50pm on Wednesday - and the two boxes arrived safe and sound at 10am on Saturday. Perfect.
Everything we ordered was there. Minimal packaging - cardboard and paper. All good for the environment.
Some were past their best before date, some are coming up on it and others still have a couple of years to go. Some had UK labels stuck over foreign labels showing they were maybe originally made for export.
Others showed no reason at all why they can't be sold.
And then there was the tea and coffee. The four boxes of PG tips were utterly crushed. Ripped open. Destroyed.
Not something I was expecting - but the contents of the boxes seemed fine and nothing was missing. Same with one of the boxes of coffee pods. Crushed.
But the contents were fine. And I am sure the three dented tins of sweetcorn will also cause me no problems.
We also got some Snickers snacks, two large bottles of wood floor polish, some jars of curry sauce, toothpaste, flour and gravy granules in the order. All perfectly fine and good to go. So not a typical £50 shop, but some great store cupboard essentials that will last us for a while to come.
You won't get everything you normally buy in a weekly food shop - basically you have to pick and choose from what is on offer at the time. But there are some great staples and if you absolutely must have those brand names for certain things this is definitely the place to shop.
Next time it comes to stocking up, or next time I need some more PG Tips or Heinz Beanz, I will definitely try Motatos again.
