London: A Cornish man famous for eating badgers and other roadkill has added an even more unusual item to his Christmas larder — a dolphin he found washed up on to a beach.

Arthur Boyt, 76, has spent years feasting on dead animals he has salvaged from roads including weasels, hedgehogs, squirrels and otters.

Last Christmas Boyt, a retired marine biologist, tucked into a badger casserole, but this festive season his menu will be spiced up with dolphin meat. Boyt has already had a taste of his find.

“I’ve got to admit, it’s nothing to write home about,” he said.

“It’s not very fishy or oily. I fried it up and it was quite tough.”

Boyt does not buy meat and has been eating roadkill since the age of 13; he says his oddest meal was probably a bat he brought back from holiday.

“The great thing about roadkill is knowing that the animal hasn’t been purposely killed,” he said.

“I feel very strongly about killing animals, so strongly, I can only just about manage a chicken leg at a party or something. I would never buy meat.”

Boyt is spending Christmas Day with his mother-in-law who is cooking a turkey so he has the option of something a little more traditional if the dolphin does not appeal on December 25.

His wife, Su, will not be eating either dolphin or turkey as she is a vegetarian.

Conservationists, however, are not impressed.

Danny Groves, a spokesman for the whales and dolphin conservation charity WDC, said anyone who came across a stranded animal, alive or dead, should report it to a cetacean strandings investigation programme (CSIP) hotline.

Groves said animals could be carrying diseases and pointed out dolphins are considered “royal fish” belonging to the crown.

The government’s official advice for dealing with a dead dolphin is also to call the hotline rather than taking it home and eating it.

“If you think the whale or dolphin is dead call the hotline and let them know where you found the animal,” it says.

“To avoid disease, don’t have any contact with the dead animal without the right protective clothing, eg thick rubber gloves.”

Boyt argues he has spent years eating found meat without any ill effects.

As to the dolphin being a royal fish? “I don’t suppose the Queen will be interested in getting back a dolphin that has been dead for a month or more.”