Squirrel kebabs served up at restaurant with a taste for invasive species
Tap above to watch video report by Sam Holder
Squirrel kebabs are being served up at a London restaurant with a tasty approach to controlling invasive species.
Silo in east London has a menu which might look like a list of roadkill but in fact is helping tackle invasive species by turning them into mouth-watering meals.
The creatures are causing huge damage to the British countryside including crayfish which come over from America beneath boats.
"They are built to become the apex predator in whatever scenario they find themselves, they have massive heads with massive claws,“ said Ed Tejada, Head Chef at Silo.
Also on the menu is Himalayan balsam, a foreign plant which produces 800 seeds which explode into the atmosphere when touched.
They have to be carefully collected by experts at the right time of year and are made into a fruity floral granita.
The species being used as ingredients at the restaurant are over abundant in nature but red tape and bureaucracy means they are almost impossible to buy or eat.
There are strict rules in place to stop the spread of invasive species like Japanese knotweed and the head chef has to buy from a knotweed dealer.
"Japanese knotweed is identical in flavour to rhubarb," said Doug McMaster, Creator of Silo.
"If I was to present you with Japanese knotweed which is organic - so not sprayed with toxic chemicals - you could probably chop it up and stew it like rhubarb and you’ve got a Japanese knotweed compote.
As for the grey squirrel it’s not taken off London’s dirty streets but caught in the countryside.
Doug McMaster, added: "Squirrel is delicious and 1,000 times more sustainable than what you get in supermarkets."
Doug wants the government and those in the industry to think about how these invasive species could become an environmentally friendly source of food in the future.
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