Squirrel goes on sale in Shropshire supermarket Harry Tuffins
If you're fed up with turkey this Christmas perhaps you might like to go for zebra sausages, kangaroo burgers or a whole squirrel.
A Shropshire supermarket is now stocking a whole range of exotic meats, from camel to whole baby squid – but it takes a certain adventurous type to tuck in, store bosses admit.
The exotic meats and sea food are being sold at independent supermarket Tuffins, in Craven Arms, and are causing quite a stir with customers.
Harry Delves, commercial director at the Craven Centre store in Shrewsbury Road, said it was something of an experiment that they had only been doing for a couple of months.
He said: "We started off with stuff like kangaroo, wild boar and buffalo steaks and branched out from there.
"It's probably not to everyone's tastes but it's maybe for people who like something different and its something you don't see every day.
"We do it as an alternative really – I did put something up about it on Facebook suggesting it might be an alternative Christmas dinner or Sunday roast."
He said the eyebrow-raising meats were never likely to be the supermarket's biggest sellers, but the likes of buffalo rump and wild boar burgers had sold well – and after a slow start one customer had asked to have four whole squirrels put aside for collection.
He said not all of the food was as unusual as it might seem to British tastes.
"Kangaroo, for example is extremely high in protein so maybe something body builders might like to try before they go to the gym.
"We have diced goat too – goat is actually the most popularly eaten meat in the world." Singular seafood was also on the menu, he said: "We have swordfish, baramundi and mahi mahi – I haven't seen mahi mahi since I went to the Maldives on my honeymoon, I don't think you can get it anywhere else here."
Because of the distances it has to travel, the food is all frozen and from one supplier, Kezie Foods, he said.
"Their tag line is 'always adventurous with food', which says it all, really," Mr Delves said. "We don't necessarily want it to be the main thing we're known for, but as an independent retailer we're always adding to our range and it's about not being afraid to try new things and push the boundaries."
However, he was yet to take the plunge himself, he said. "I haven't tried any of it yet – but I do feel like I'd like taking some kangaroo home some time," he said.