A BARNSLEY woman has been left ‘shaken’ after finding a ‘disgusting’ surprise in her microwaveable rice bought from a new supermarket.

Lucy Hayes, 38, of Shepherd Way, Royston, bought the food a few weeks ago from the new Aldi supermarket on Durham Road in the town – but was shocked to find a strange unidentified object once she had cooked the rice.

Her husband, 32-year-old Liam Hayes, said: “We haven’t got a clue what it is if we’re being completely honest, but it looked absolutely disgusting.

“It didn’t just look like gone-off rice, it was something else and we’ve just been told to hand it back to the store and get a refund but it’s really shaken my wife.

“I’m not too bothered with the smells of things myself but it was making Lucy gip – she’s been really put off by it all and to be honest it’s just really confused us.”

An Aldi spokesperson said: “Although rare, microwavable rice can go mouldy if the packaging is damaged, resulting in the product being exposed to air.

“We apologise to Ms Hayes and would encourage her to return the product to her nearest store for a full refund.”