Maria Brand had to pull over to investigate the ‘hard’ ingredient in her sandwich (Picture: Liverpool Echo)

A woman was left horrified after she excitedly bit into a Christmas sandwich – only to discover a piece of wood between her teeth.

Maria Brand was left ‘repulsed’ at the less than festive find.

The teacher had purchased the sandwich, from a Tesco Express on King Street in Merseyside, on November 30.

It was meant to be a ‘turkey and trimmings’ combination of ingredients as part of a wider meal deal.

When Maria bit into the sandwich, she soon felt something ‘hard’ inside her mouth.

She parked her car and investigated further, before she prised a small piece of wood from between her teeth.

Maria said the sandwich was meant to be ‘a bit of a treat’ during her short lunch break at work.

The teacher told the Liverpool Echo: ‘I was honestly repulsed when I took the penultimate bite of the first half. I pulled into the prom to eat quick and was looking at the lovely scenery until my last bite. 

Maria Brand got an unwelcome surprise in her meal deal from Tesco Express in Merseyside (Picture: Maria Brand/Liverpool Echo)

The hardworking teacher was left feeling ‘repulsed’ at the find (Picture: Maria Brand/Liverpool Echo)

‘I thought it was bone but when I took it out of my mouth I saw what can only be described as wood. It’s put me off, I didn’t finish the rest. I think I’m going to stay away from boxed sandwiches for a while. 

‘I don’t often get meal deals, I usually take my own lunch but if I do I go Tesco or if I’m feeling lush go to M&S. 

‘I’m really disappointed, it’s totally put me off and taught me to always pack my own lunch. It’s knocked me sick and I kept thinking about it all afternoon.’

Maria said her aim was to not to ‘shame a company’, but to find out if this has happened to anyone else.

She told the Echo she was curious ‘what other trimmings Tesco might be considering for their festive sandwiches’.

A Tesco spokesperson said: ‘We are sorry that Ms Brand found this in her sandwich. If she takes it back to one of our stores, we will investigate and she can get a full refund.’

Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at [email protected].

For more stories like this, check our news page.

Maria Brand was left feeling ‘repulsed’ at the less than festive find.