Every little helps: the rotting remains of the bird found in a Tesco salad (Picture: Caters News)

A couple eating a romantic meal by candlelight reportedly found a five-inch long dead bird in their salad.

James and Jasmine Watson made the grisly find after dishing up a pre-packed baby leaf salad with their steak and chips.

Mr Watson started tucking in before spotting the soggy remains on his plate.

Tesco said the bird was a Blackcap European warbler – usually found in Spain and Italy – and offered the couple £200 compensation.


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Sales director Mr Watson, 32, said: ‘I took three mouthfuls and then saw it. My first reaction was why have I got a soggy fishcake on my plate?



‘But then I saw its beak and realised it was a full-size dead bird.

‘We couldn’t believe it. We both got off our stools and stood there in utter amazement for at least two minutes.

‘We only had a few low lights on so we were effectively eating by candlelight.’

The £1.50 salad – marked ‘washed and ready to eat’ on the bag – had been ordered online before being delivered by Tesco.

The salad was marked ‘washed and ready to eat’. (Picture: Caters News)

Mr Watson added he and his wife had gone out for a ‘few drinks’ on a Friday evening before returning home to prepare dinner.

The next morning he went straight to their local branch of Tesco in Yate, South Gloucestershire, and the store manager later visited their home with a bottle of wine and some flowers.

Tesco – which was this week voted Britain’s worst supermarket by customers – has apologised to the couple and offered them a £200 gift card.

But Mr Watson said the offer is insulting and says he has no plans to shop at Tesco again.

‘I would really like someone from Tesco to sit down and explain me how an animal so large got into a bag of salad,’ he said.

‘The magnitude of this was disgraceful and I find the offer of compensation a bit of an insult.’

Tesco said: ‘We were concerned to learn of this issue and have investigated thoroughly with our supplier.’

The store added: ‘We have been in contact with our customer to reassure them how seriously we have taken this matter, and offered them a gesture of goodwill.’