Jamie Oliver Squirrel Recipes - Would You Eat Squirrel?
On today's Jamie and Jimmy's Friday Night TV programme, they looked at cooking squirrel meat - and tried some squirrel meat recipes. In the UK there is an abundance of grey squirrels, which are a pest. A few people are already cooking and selling squirrel meat, including one chap selling Squirrel Pies!
Wild meat has been increasingly popular over the last 10 years and in the show they visited four chefs at top restaurants in the UK to see if they'd be prepared to put squirrel meat on their menus. There were four restaurants that developed a squirrel recipe and made it, then they all tasted them all. Looking at the results I'd have eaten any of them!
- Chef one was Martin at the first Peruvian restaurant in the UK, he already cooks wild meat and would be prepared to consider it.
- Next was the Cinnamon Club, Rakesh - they serve game and unusual meats - could he make a squirrel tandoori? He was asked if squirrel's cooked in India and he said they don't cook squirrels there as a rule.
- Next, the Golden Fleece, Dan Morley - he created a recipe of squirrel meat in wraps.
- Then it was Jamie who sweated off leeks, slow cooked the squirrel, added mascarpone cheese and flaked the meat off. He usually uses rabbit in that recipe.
Then they wondered "would the customers buy it"? So they all put their recipes on their menus for a month to see. Of the four restaurants, two sold out - and sales of squirrel dishes went well on all four menus.
If you fancy it and are wondering where can you buy squirrel meat in the UK, then they said John Mettrick supplies it at John Mettrick Butchers through their shops and website at mettricksbutchers.co.uk - they have three shops, at Glossop SK13, Hadfield SK13 and Stalybridge SK15 - all in the Derbyshire/Greater Manchester area - or they operate a UK-wide delivery service.
How much does squirrel meat cost? Good question, so I checked but couldn't find a price, or squirrel in stock, right now - obviously squirrel is seasonal and he's sold out. They were selling squirrel pie just five days ago at one of their shops, so they've not stopped it, it's still popular. A homemade Squirrel Pie currently costs £1.55.
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WildMeat BuySquirrelMeat JamieOliver JimmyDoherty JohnMettrick SquirrelMeat 022015 ___
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Comments
Kasman wrote on February 22, 2015, 10:09 AM
Meat is meat and the types of meat we eat in the UK are largely down to cultural preferences and nothing to do with actual suitability to eat. Other countries eat meats we in the UK don't normally consider as food - dog and snake in Asia or even horse just across the channel in France! I would certainly be willing to try a squirrel pie.
UK_Writer wrote on February 22, 2015, 10:14 AM
The cooked squirrel looked much like any other meat. So long as it came in a pack like any other meat I'd eat it. I'd only hesitate over buying it if it were significantly more expensive than other meats, and/or if I worried what the taste was like in case I didn't like it. It looked nice
I'd buy a squirrel pie - I bet it's lovely with potatoes, carrots and gravy. Maybe some peas :)
j2jworkz wrote on February 22, 2015, 10:16 AM
All I can think of is Frank, my resident squirrel. No, think I'd have to pass.
1CoralLevang wrote on February 22, 2015, 10:25 AM
Yes, I would eat squirrel. I would even buy it and cook it myself. I would, however, want to know from whence it came. I'm not sure that the ones I see hanging out in the city would be the ones I would be comfortable with eating.
WordChazer wrote on February 22, 2015, 10:56 AM
No. Galloping Gourmet I may be, but that is a meal too far. Like fried cricket and sauted tarantula, not appearing on a menu anywhere near me anytime soon.
GemstonePink wrote on February 22, 2015, 11:28 AM
I have been a vegetarian for many, many years, but my grandfather did hunt. He did serve us squirrel. I do not remember the taste at all. No way would I eat any meat or fish of any kind now.
UK_Writer wrote on February 22, 2015, 11:31 AM
I bet Frank'd eat other squirrels if he ran out of nuts!
UK_Writer wrote on February 22, 2015, 11:32 AM
Well, the ones for sale come from the woods - in the cleaner parts of the country. Jamie Oliver substituted the squirrel into one of his rabbit recipes - I have eaten rabbit in the past and loved it, so I guess it must be similar (ish)
j2jworkz wrote on February 22, 2015, 11:32 AM
UK_Writer I'd like to think not, but Frank is a survivor.
UK_Writer wrote on February 22, 2015, 11:33 AM
My friend at last night's dinner was telling me how her mother used to subscribe to Galloping Gourmet in the 1970s, so she was the guinea pig for a lot of Galloping Gourmet recipes before her mother cooked them at dinner parties.
I'd not eat bugs. Not ever. But squirrel's just meat really.
UK_Writer wrote on February 22, 2015, 11:33 AM
Well, if you ever change your mind and want meat again - maybe a cute furry squirrel's a good place to start :)
MelissaE wrote on February 22, 2015, 11:45 AM
Yes. I grew up eating squirrel. My son is an avid hunter, and we eat what he kills. Usually, I cook it in the slow cooker with gravy and serve with dumplings. Sometimes, I cook it on the grill, but it tends to get dry. We eat anything really.
UK_Writer wrote on February 22, 2015, 12:03 PM
That sounds nice. I'd not want to skin a squirrel though - or any animal. I like my meat delivered to me chopped in pieces and in a plastic wrapper :)
seren3 wrote on February 22, 2015, 12:15 PM
Wild meat is regulated in California. Recently some frozen racoons were removed from a meat market because their source was not known.
I haven't had squirrel - but it's a possibility I'd try it.
UK_Writer wrote on February 22, 2015, 12:22 PM
There'll be regulations in the UK too if it's meat for human consumption. But I guess it's like all wild meat - if you shoot it, or your mate does, or a bloke down the pub's offering it, then that happens.
maxeen wrote on February 22, 2015, 12:28 PM
I wouldn't have anything to do with anything that Jamie Oliver considered acceptable.
1MelissaE wrote on February 22, 2015, 1:06 PM
Yes, meat that you buy in the store is regulated here in Tennessee also. But, anyone can eat what they kill. In fact, shouldn't that be the point of hunting. I'd much rather eat meat that was honestly hunted than eat veal from a calf that's been inhumanly raised.
valmnz wrote on February 22, 2015, 3:08 PM
We don't have squirrels in New Zealand, but I guess t's like selling our wild possum. It was very popular for a while, but you don't see much of it any more.
CountryWine wrote on February 22, 2015, 8:25 PM
No way, no how. There is no way you could get me to eat squirrel. It just isn't going to happen.
UK_Writer wrote on February 23, 2015, 2:33 AM
You're right, except he was only jumping on somebody else's bandwagon this time
The butcher's credentials seem to be of the highest order, s it's probably a highly viable meat alternative to the usual choices, although any change in diet for me is cost depending. If it were expensive then I'd not try it.
UK_Writer wrote on February 23, 2015, 2:34 AM
They're cute to look at - which is often a reason or not for people choosing to eat a particular meat or not. Bunny rabbits are cute too though - and commonplace in game/meat sellers' shops.
UK_Writer wrote on February 23, 2015, 2:34 AM
I'd not eat it if I saw its face, but meat's meat if it's tender, tasty and non-fatty :)
jiangliu1949 wrote on February 23, 2015, 4:19 AM
There is no accounting for tastes .I don't know what the squirrel meat tastes like and haven't heard of anyone eating it over here .It must taste good in winter as many other animals'meat ,I think .
UK_Writer wrote on February 23, 2015, 7:25 AM
Well, they eat a lot of nuts :) So maybe it's a nutty taste. When they were cooking squirrel the meat looked nice and firm - like any other meat would do in the dishes they were making.
1scheng1 wrote on February 23, 2015, 7:27 AM
If given a chance, I would like to try. In certain parts of China, they sold the meat of field mice. They will have to pay me a lot of money to eat that.
UK_Writer wrote on February 23, 2015, 2:47 PM
Yes, I'd not fancy eating mice meat. The smaller the animal and the more "vermin like" the animal, the less fanciable it is as wild meat and edible foraged meat.
jiangliu1949 wrote on February 24, 2015, 12:40 AM
I think that is where the cooks have us , who know how to dress the meat .
CountryWine wrote on February 24, 2015, 4:14 AM
Barf bag, please!
Coffee wrote on February 24, 2015, 5:40 AM
I definitely wouldn't have a problem trying squirrel pie!
Thamisgith wrote on February 25, 2015, 5:45 AM
I've eaten all sorts of different foods, so I think that I would probably give squirrel a try. Mind you, the fact that they look like rats with feather dusters pinned to their rear end is a little off putting.
UK_Writer wrote on March 2, 2015, 8:54 PM
Yes, I think I'd just have to be told it was squirrel meat - and not actually see it before I ate it :)
arthurchappell wrote on March 16, 2015, 5:51 AM
I live in Manchester - may well hit Stalybridge to try the squirrel pie out at some stage
bestwriter wrote on April 9, 2015, 7:26 AM
I look at squirrels as part of nature. I enjoy their activity in my garden and so cannot think of eating them!!
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