Did You Know One Stop Gives Away Free Food Every Evening? Here’s How It Works

If you’ve got a One Stop near you, there’s a new way to cut your food bill.

Company-owned One Stop stores are now giving away unsold short-dated food every night between 8 pm and 9.30 pm. No loyalty card, no app, no catch. Just free food that would otherwise be thrown away.

It’s a simple setup. Anything that hasn’t sold that day, usually sandwiches, pastries, meal-deal items and ready-to-eat bits, gets put on a shelf near the tills. You take what you need. That’s it.

Finding out about this useful money-saving tip is helpful if you’re trying to stretch the weekly shop, especially for families juggling rising food prices, so being able to obtain free food is the best way to save money!

Which One Stop Stores Take Part?

Not all of them. One Stop has around 800 stores in the UK, but only the company-owned ones take part in the free food scheme. That’s roughly 270 stores, and, officially, franchise stores do not offer the free food window.

If you’re unsure which type your local shop is, ask at the till. Staff will normally tell you straight away, assuming they know, which may not be the case, as per my visit to my local store!

My Visit to One Stop: What Staff Told Me About How the Free Food Scheme Works in Their Branch

I popped into my local One Stop to ask the staff how this new free-food initiative actually works in their store. Interestingly, the team weren’t sure whether their branch counted as a franchise or a company-owned store, and they hadn’t heard that the scheme's details had been actively promoted by their head office.

But what they did say was really useful.

The member of staff I spoke to has worked across several One Stop branches over the years, and they told me their stores have been giving away short-dated food like this for a long time! At the branch I visited, it happens every single evening, usually around 8.30 pm, and it stays out until closing time, so slightly different from the 8 pm–9.30 pm window mentioned online.

At that time, they set up a table at the front of the store with a printed sign saying:

Help yourself. These items go out of date today. The stockmen are going in the bin. Please take them home for free. You may also have some chilled items available — please ask a colleague. No purchase necessary. Giving away, not throwing away.

They fill the table with anything that must be cleared that night, and they actively encourage customers to take whatever they need. No limits. No awkwardness. Just “take it home so it doesn’t go to waste”.

The staff member told me their branch sees the same types of items crop up regularly:

• Sandwiches and meal-deal bits

• Fruit and vegetables

• Bakery items and bread

• Milk, often dairy-free versions, because they don’t sell as quickly in that branch

• Eggs, now and again

• And sometimes meat, including whole chickens, chicken breasts, sausages, bacon, and ham

They said these items are given away fairly often; it depends on the day, but everything they have that needs to go, is made sure to go out on that table.

Their attitude was simple: If someone needs it, they should take it. Better on someone’s dinner table than in the bin!

How This Compares to Tesco’s Version

Tesco owns One Stop, and Tesco has been trialling a similar idea in a small number of Tesco Express stores. Unsold yellow-sticker items are given away after 9.30 pm in those trial locations.

But it’s tiny compared to One Stop’s rollout. One Stop has gone nationwide in all company-owned stores. Tesco’s trial is only in a handful of branches.

If you’ve got a One Stop nearby, it’s possibly the better option right now.

Other Ways to Get Free or Cheap Surplus Food

If you don’t have a One Stop close by or you want more predictable options, here are two solid alternatives:

Olio is a free app where volunteers collect surplus supermarket food (including from Tesco and One Stop) and list it for locals to pick up. It’s free, but availability varies massively by area.

Too Good To Go - Not free, but you can get “magic bags” of leftover café and restaurant food for a few pounds. Usually £3–£4 for £10+ worth of food. Good value, but a bit of a lucky dip.

Is the One Stop Free Food Scheme Worth It?

If there’s a participating store near you, absolutely, as long as you're already passing by. It’s not worth driving miles for, because the selection varies, and some nights you may find they actually have nothing left to give away; it's the luck of the draw!

But if you’re nearby around 8 pm, it’s an easy, zero-cost way to grab:

• Bread

• Sandwiches

• Fruit

• Pastries

• Ready meals

  
  

Freeze what you can. Eat the rest that evening or the next day. It’s straightforward and genuinely helpful if you’re watching the budget.

5 Quick Ways to Make the One Stop Free Food Last Longer

Freeze it the same evening! Most bakery bits, breads, wraps, pastries, cooked meats and many ready meals freeze perfectly. Pop them straight in the freezer to extend their life by weeks.

Cook it before it expires If something is close to its use-by date, cook it that night. Once cooked and cooled, you can freeze dishes like pasta, meat, pies, veg, and leftovers for future meals. Freezing resets the food's freshness, treating it as a freshly cooked product, giving you extra days to use it.

Turn random items into easy meal ideas. Sandwich fillings work in omelettes or pasta. Veg can be roasted and added to rice or couscous. Bread going stale becomes croutons or breadcrumbs.

Portion everything before freezing Split bread, cooked dishes or leftovers into single servings. You only defrost what you need, which cuts waste and makes last-minute meals easier.

Use the fragile stuff first. Things like salads, fresh fruit and dairy items don’t freeze well. Eat those first, and save freezer space for the sturdier items that will last longer.

FAQs

What time does One Stop give out food?

Between 8 pm and 9.30 pm in company-owned stores.

Do I need to buy anything or show a card? No. It’s completely free.

How do I know if my store is participating? Ask staff if it’s company-owned. Franchise stores do not take part.

Is this food safe? Yes. It’s food that was still safe to sell earlier that day but is now close to its use-by date.

Does Tesco do this too? Tesco is trialling a similar scheme in a small number of Tesco Express stores, but not on the same scale as One Stop.

Can I freeze what I get? Lots of items freeze well. Freeze on the same night and they will be fine!