A woman was given a nasty shock when she found a locust lurking in her Waitrose salad.
Berenice Baker was just about to tuck into her watercress, spinach and rocket salad when she made the somewhat unappetising discovery having already added chicken and rice to the mix.
The locust - an insect known for swarming and rapid breeding - was soon nicknamed Larry by Ms Baker's colleagues.
"One forkful was half-way to my mouth when I noticed something different to the heft of an average salad leaf, and there he was," the technology journalist told BuzzFeed.
She added: "I let out a bit of a squeal which grabbed the attention of the office."
Ms Baker then took her plate down to the Waitrose branch below her office in Bayswater to confront its managers about her unexpected lunch guest, which had caused her to shake with nerves.
She said the upmarket shop's manager was "very sympathetic and helpful" and put the locust into a bag to send to the Waitrose head office.
Ms Baker was then given a refund and a free lunch - but steered clear of the salad.
She said she thought the insect must be from abroad, and said she was now expecting another "biblical plague" after Larry's arrival and the Saharan dust causing a smog over London.
A Waitrose spokesperson said: "We’re so sorry - this must have been an upsetting experience. Although an isolated case we are investigating what could have happened."
