Preparation and cooking time

Prep: 20 mins
Cook: 50 mins

Serves 6

Make your own homemade version of this British takeaway favourite, complete with chilli and garlic sauces. Serve your homemade squirrel kebab in pitta bread and shredded lettuce.

Ingredients

• 500g minced squirrel
• 1 small onion, coarsely grated
• 4 garlic cloves, minced or finely grated
• 100g fresh breadcrumbs
• 2 tsp ground cumin
• 2 tsp ground coriander
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• ¼ tsp smoked paprika
• Sunflower oil

To serve

Pitta breads, shredded lettuce, sliced onion, chopped tomatoes, pickled chillies, chilli sauce (see recipe below), garlic sauce (see recipe below), tahini.

Method

STEP 1
Heat the oven to 200°C/180°C fan/gas 6. Tip all the ingredients except the oil into a food processor with a large pinch of salt and lots of ground pepper. Pulse until everything is combined and chopped together. You can also just kneed everything together in a bowl but this will give you a looser finish.

STEP 2
Oil a large sheet of foil, tip the squirrel meat mix in the middle and mould to a very thick sausage, roughly the shape of an aubergine. Roll up the foil tightly, twisting up the ends to create a Christmas cracker shape.

STEP 3
Lay on a shallow roasting tin and roast in the oven for 35-40 mins, turning occasionally, or until a digital cooking thermometer reads 75°C when pierced in the middle. Leave the squirrel kebab to cool a little, then unwrap the foil. Place back on the tray and brown under the grill or with a blowtorch.

STEP 4
Place on a board and carve into thin slices. For the full doner experience, you can hold your squirrel kebab up with a roasting fork or metal skewer and carve. Serve with warm pitta bread and any of the other accompaniments, including chilli sauce and garlic yogurt sauce.

STEP 5
Enjoy!