A food bank in Wales recently received an unusual donation that might end up being more of a gift than anyone could have guessed.

On October 5, the Cardiff Foodbank tweeted out the above photo, of a rusting can of Heinz Kidney Soup someone had donated, still bearing the original price sticker that read, “10d.” The can is believed to be about 46 years old, dating to at least before Britain adopted a decimal system for their currency in 1971. Heinz hasn’t even made kidney soup in about 35 years. It is easily the oldest donation they’ve ever received. But maybe not the strangest.

“We have had both snails and caviar donated to us before. I guess it may be that people have had them in Christmas hampers and don’t like them, so rather than waste them have donated to us,” says Helen Bull of the Cardiff Foodbank. “When people are in food crisis it may not be their first choice of food, but I am sure somebody appreciated them when we put them out as a separate ‘help yourself’ item.” According to Bull, the food bank received 132 tons of food donations in 2016 alone, so it’s little wonder that some strange vittles make it into the mix.

The can of kidney soup is no longer edible, but it might end up being a boon for the charity, which receives no public funding. “We are currently following up a lead from someone who is willing to give us £500 for the soup,” says Bull. At the very least, the attention that the soup has brought to the food bank has raised its profile, which will hopefully lead to more donations. Ideally, they won’t be 50 years old.

Gastro Obscura covers the world’s most wondrous food and drink.
Sign up for our regular newsletter.