Since the new year is just over a week old, let's take one more look back at 2025, this time with an eye for the weird. The Standard recently published a recounting of six strange food stories in the UK. As with nearly everything in these turbulent and fast-moving times, 2025 was filled with...interesting moments.

Japanese fruit sandos from Simply Recipes

Some of these moments did not seem that odd to me, such as the strawberry sando that Marks & Spencer released just before Wimbledon. I would definitely try one, but maybe it's because I have such a sweet tooth. That said, I must admit that I would not consider this, or Tesco's "birthday cake sandwich", to be a main course as the latter described itself. Both clearly land in the dessert or snack category.

The weirdest one was the hunt for the "langoustine lifter" who carried out a number of food-related thefts involving lobsters and high-end beef in several London locations. Apparently the woman has not yet been caught. I don't know what the motive would be since it seems unlikely there is much of a black market for flowers. Did she just enjoy the finer things but didn't have a budget for it? It seems like quite a risk to take for surf 'n' turf.

The US had its share of outlandish food stories in 2025. We can start with an insanely expensive strawberry that sold for $20 (yes, for a single strawberry) at California's upscale grocery store, Erewhon. If you had money left over from shopping there, you could splurge on a "curated water menu" at a fine dining restaurant. Restaurants offered sommelier guidance on mineral content, acidity and mouthfeel with prices ranging from $11 to as much as $95. For water. I'll stick with Culligan.