In Which The Dismal Political Economist Offers Gourmet Advice – Eat Your Squirrel with the Head Off

Just Trying to Help – And Vegans Can Skip This Post

It turns out that squirrel is starting to make the menus of the folks who want to be up to date.  Forget the idea that this was something only the Jed Clampett’s of the world ate, wild squirrel can be on a dinner plate near you (although not to near as far as The Dismal Political Economist is concerned).

THOSE brought up on Beatrix Potter, the author of “Squirrel Nutkin” and other long-loved nursery tales, may flinch; but Andrew Thornton, manager of the Budgens supermarket in the north London suburb of Crouch End, says sales of squirrel meat have soared since he started selling it in 2010.

But there are potential problems with eating a squirrel, beside getting over the fact that the squirrel is just an uppity cousin of the rat (yes they are both rodents).

Wild meat is not always tasty. Mr Arnold says black bear is “bloody and a bit metallic”. Nor is it always healthy. Doctors in Kentucky say eating squirrel brains is linked to Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (better known as mad-cow disease).

But a solution is in hand.

Squirrels are now mainly sold headless

So let that be the consumer tip for today.  Always buy your squirrel with the head already having been taken off.  You will feel better and the squirrel will feel better.