CUSTOMERS at a York pub have been going nuts over the latest addition to the menu – squirrel pie.

Andy and Stephanie Cross, who took over The Black Swan pub in Peasholme Green 14 months ago, were already keen on serving game. Rabbit, pigeon and hare are all either on the pub’s main menu or the specials board.

But now customers can also find out what Beatrix Potter knew long ago – that squirrels taste nice.

Mr Cross said it was his wife who came up with the idea.

He said: “She read something about it and then unearthed some recipes.

“Basically, I think it tastes like a strong rabbit, it’s just a more meaty taste.”

The squirrel pie was put on the specials menu and proved so popular that the pub has run out and is now waiting for more supplies. But the cold weather means the squirrels are more likely to stay in their dreys, making them harder to catch.

Mr Cross said: “People were ringing up specially to see if we had the pies on.”

The pies are priced at £7.95, with each dish using about one and half squirrels, because, as Mr Cross said: “There’s not a great deal of meat on a squirrel.”

Much of the meat comes from the saddle and the two hind legs.

Black Swan head chef Maggie Anderton said the skinned squirrels were gently braised for about three hours and the meat combined with potatoes, leeks, cabbage and onions along with a pint of Hobgoblin beer.

The pastry crust featured pine nuts and it was all served with vegetables and mash.

The grey squirrels come from various butchers, including game-specialists JB Cockburn’s of Bedale, who are supplied by gamekeepers from some of the big estates, and Mr Cross hopes to get more of the unusual meat in soon.