A roadkill enthusiast has compared foraging dead animal corpses from the side of the road as "an extension of gathering blackberries".
Tim Simpson, 48, has been picking up roadkill for nearly three decades and says it's a way to source free, ethical and tasty meat.
He says he does not like the idea of wasting food and that it used to baffle his uni flatmates.
Mr Simpson says he understands the reservations people may have about eating roadkill but says it is just "an extension of gathering blackberries" for a pie.
Mr Simpson told the i: “I think the assumption is that anything at the side of the road is sort of automatically spoiled and squashed.
"But even at 40 or 50 miles per hour – you can see whether it’s in good nick.”
He says if the carcass has rigour mortis then you know it's been dead a few hours and if it is still warm then it has been about 20 minutes.
However, he does warn that to be careful in the summer when it's warm and it has been in the sunshine.
Mr Simpson does say his rule of thumb is: "If it smells bad, don't eat it."
He says with the power of the internet anyone can learn about how to handle a dead animal.
Other tips he has shared include looking for "shiny and bright" eyes on deer to know it's recently dead and to hang the meet-up in a cool room to tenderise before cooking.
His favourite type of roadkill is a type of deer called muntjac and he also really likes wood pigeons.
He adds that while a squirrel is nice it isn't the easiest to spot and he avoids badgers altogether.
Anytime he spots a good piece of roadkill he never fails to inspect it.
One time he says he picked up a deer on the way to his aunt's funeral.
Mr Simpson also says his partner and son enjoy eating roadkill and he always has some at the bottom of the freezer.
The Food Standards Agency (FSA) does not advocate eating roadkill, citing health and safety concerns.
Dr Darren Cutts, Head of Meat Hygiene Policy at the Food Standards Agency told The Mirror: “The FSA advises against eating roadkill, as the animals may not have been healthy when killed and may have been suffering from disease or environmental contamination.
"There is also no way of determining how long it has been at the roadside, which will further heighten the risk of getting ill from harmful diseases and increased contamination.”
