A man who couldn’t fight his hunger and decided to eat a can of meatballs aged 11 has lived to tell the tale.
Jim Hawkins, from Devon, was “bored and hungry” when he picked up a tin of Tesco Blue Stripe meatballs which expired in 2013.
The budget tin, which has seen five UK Prime Ministers, had been hidden in the back of Jim’s cupboard for more than a decade – it even survived a move – before it finally reached its culinary potential.
Jim, 60, said: “I was bored and hungry so I dug into the deepest, darkest corners of the tin cupboard. “It tasted just as I remembered but much milder.
‘An updated can of meatballs would get a rating of 4/10, as it’s the cheapest processed food and is really only brought camping, but I would only rate this one less: 3/10, despite being 11 years old. outdated. .’
Jim Hawkins, 60, from Devon, was unfazed by the 13-year expiry date on a tin of Tesco Blue Stripe meatballs.
Tesco Blue Stripe meatballs (pictured left and right). that broke out in 2013, have survived a move. However, despite being eleven years old, Jim said they tasted good, just a little milder.
Jim added lots of hot chili sauce and peas to the meatballs and polished the entire portion with cheese and rice.
He was not worried about eating the previous meal, but was somewhat put off by the “formation of a circular skin that had gelled on the underside of the removed lid.”
Jim explained that he felt good after eating the old food, adding, “I never would have known it was so old.”
Jim, however, was discouraged by what he described as the “formation of a circular skin that had gelled on the underside of the removed eyelid.”
Jim added lots of hot chili sauce and peas to the meatballs and polished the entire portion with cheese and rice.
However, the engineer, who works for a pharmaceutical company, admitted that eating them was a “bit of a hasty decision.”
After serving in the military, Jim is accustomed to eating canned foods and considers himself an adventurous eater.
‘No one tried to dissuade me from eating them, because my beautiful fiancée was on a work trip, so I was home alone; Always a recipe for disaster.
“She’s a vegetarian so she wouldn’t even touch real meatballs let alone the blue striped ones and she’s definitely not dumb enough to mess with sell-by or sell-by dates.”
Tesco’s value brand was originally launched in 1993 with distinctive blue and white striped packaging, but was abandoned in 2012 over fears that customers would be embarrassed to buy it.
Jim added: ‘I’m a fan of the yellow sticker section at Tesco. It’s like playing Russian roulette with the digestive system; never a dull moment.
‘That’s why I very often eat food that can no longer be sold. Although the dates are usually a few days and not a decade.
“I currently have a 5kg can of corned beef in the cupboard that is even older, possibly 15 years past its date, enough to make 100 sandwiches, and I’m pretty sure there’s a can of pineapple in there that’s older. Maybe I’ll try them next.