A horrified couple were tucking into a candle-lit supper - and found a whole dead bird in their Tesco salad.
James and Jasmine Watson made the grisly find after dishing up a pre-packed baby leaf salad onto a plate to accompany their steak and chips.
He started eating the food - before spotting the soggy FIVE-INCH long bird lying in front of him.
A five-inch bird was found in a bag of salad from Tesco
Tesco has identified the bird as a Blackcap European warbler - usually found in Spain and Italy - and offered the couple £200 compensation.
Sales director James, 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 - was part of a Tesco home delivery that James and Jasmine had ordered online on January 30.
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The bird has been identified as a Blackcap European warbler
James added: "We had the food delivery a couple of days before and had then gone out for a few drinks on the Friday evening.
"We came back and were preparing dinner in the kitchen - my wife was cooking some scallops as a starter and steak for the main meal and I prepared the salad.
"I opened the bag, tipped it into a salad bowl and cut up some other salad bits and put them on top. Then I served the salad on some plates.
"We were eating off our breakfast bar in the kitchen with our plates just inches apart and we both saw it at the same time."
Sickened James was unable to contact Tesco's customer services that evening but the next morning went straight to the local branch in Yate, South Gloucestershire.
The store manager later visited their home in Yate with a bottle of wine and some flowers and took away the salad and the dead bird.
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Tesco - which was this week voted Britain's worst supermarket by customers - has apologised to the couple and offered them a £200 gift card as compensation.
But James said the offer is insulting and he has no plans to shop at Tesco again.
He is also still waiting for a proper explanation for the presence of the bird.
"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.
"If it was a maggot or something I could almost understand it but how a whole bird was not picked up, I have just been gobsmacked by the whole thing.
"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.
"Both we and our suppliers have robust measures in place to prevent incidents such as this, and our salad leaves go through complex filtering and washing systems.
"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."
