Shell-shocked Sheffield man finds 'one-in-a-billion' spherical egg in his half-a-dozen from Lidl

It’s no yolk - John Hargreaves, 66, opened the couple’s box of half-a-dozen from the Lidl supermarket in Stannington Road only to notice the odd-one-out.

John says they were putting the eggs in the fridge one-by-one when he felt the unfamiliar shape in his hand.

“I thought it was very strange,” said John. “I wondered, ‘how rare can this be?’, I’ve never seen one like it before.”

But, turning to the internet, John found what was now resting carefully on his living room table was the product of a one-in-one-billion chance.

Eggs have evolved to be oval as it is a far stronger shape for a mother hen to sit on compared to a sphere, meaning John’s oddball egg would stand little chance in the wild.

However, John admits he “isn’t sure what to do with it now,” and is wondering if anyone would shell out for it at auction.

“It would be a shame, but maybe the best thing is just to eat it,” said John.

“I did think about if anyone would buy it at auction or want to own it, or perhaps drain it so they could keep the shell.”

In March 2025, a spherical egg found by workers at Fenton Farm Eggs sold the oddity for £420 at a charity auction.

Another one, found in Berkshire in December 2024, was sold at auction for £200.