From pest to plate

Robbie McGuiness. Photo: Tracy Hardy.


Imagine a steaming pile of possum.

We're not talking on the side of the road, but rather at the dinner table, piled on your plate, in the form of a stew.

Possum, maybe throw in some beef stock, carrots, potatoes, and don't forget the onions of course, all piled into the slow cooker.

'I've eaten it and it's absolutely yummy. I ate the whole thing in one sitting once, it was just so yummy,” says Otumoetai resident Robbie McGuinness.

He's well aware of public opinion of the idea of a pest sandwich – but make no mistake, Robbie isn't talking about scraping one off the side of the road and slapping it between two pieces of bread. He absolutely recommends it fresh.

'It's got to die immediately. Once upon a time in Hawkes Bay I had to put three shots into one. When I skinned it, cooked it and ate it and it was as tough as old boot.”

And yes, it can be a risky business, but Robbie says just check the possum.

'One of the problems is people say: ‘oh it can have tuberculosis' but when you skin and gut the animal you have a look at it and make sure there's nothing in the lungs or the kidneys or the liver, make sure it's not diseased and if it's not then it's a perfectly healthy animal.

Whether we recommend loading up your .22 and shooting a possum for dinner, well, Robbie's endorsement nearly has us convinced to at least try it once.

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