Some of the dishes on the menu

Fancy a plate of roasted locusts for lunch? Or some Mexican spiced mealworms or curried crickets?

And if that doesn't satisfy your hunger pangs, you can round your meal off with a few sweet treats, such as scorpion lollipops, chocolate-covered bugs or cherry-flavoured ant candy.

Belfast's latest pop-up foodie hotspot might be a step too far for most – but don't worry, it's only in town for one day.

The Pestaurant will be serving up delicious treats to the public for free, but with a bit of a twist – the ingredients are common pest species such as ants, crickets and even scorpions. The Pestaurant is the brainchild of pest control specialists Rentokil, which will be serving up a free feast of exotic cuisine at Writer's Square in the Cathedral Quarter on Wednesday, June 4 – everything from edible insects to the more palatable-sounding sweet chilli pigeon burgers.

All the food is free and local Rentokil experts will be on hand to answer any pest-related questions from the public, pass on their top tips for pest prevention and discuss the unique delicacies being served up.

More than 3,000 hungry Londoners flocked to try the unorthodox fare at the first Pestaurant which took place in the city in summer 2013.

Now the Belfast event will mark the UK's participation in Global Pestaurant Day, during which Pestaurant events will be held in 12 different countries across four continents.

The events will tempt punters across the globe to try something different for lunch, with Australia, South Africa, Denmark, France, and the USA among the nations taking part.

Rentokil says the events are held to raise awareness of the problems that pests can cause for homeowners and business alike.

Colm Moore, technical manager, Rentokil Pest Control, said: "Our Pestaurant celebrates the hard work that goes into keeping pests under control and we look forward to bringing it to Belfast.

"Common UK pests like wasps, mice, rats, bed bugs, cockroaches, fleas and pigeons can become a problem for anyone, and can affect both commercial and residential properties.

"Much like the rest of us, they are focused on looking for food and shelter.

"Once they find a good supply of food and an environment where they feel safe, then they will happily set-up home indefinitely.

"Pestaurant is all about bringing some fun to pest control, so please come along and try the food on offer."

Dare to try these recipes at home?

Ginger cricket sweets

Ingredients

20 pieces of crystalised ginger

4oz dark chocolate

20 dry roasted crickets

Cover a tray or a plate with grease-proof paper before you start. Slowly melt the chocolate on a low microwave setting or in a glass bowl above a saucepan of boiling water.

Hold a cricket and a piece of ginger, dip it into the chocolate and let the excess drip off. Place it on the grease-proof paper and leave to cool and harden.

Then hold the chocolatey side and re-dip it into melted |chocolate. Leave again to cool and store in a cool air-tight container.

Scare-amel Apples

(A Halloween toffee apple covered in creepy bugs)

Ingredients

Any selection of eating apples

Caramel

A mixture of mealworms and crickets

Prepare grease-proof paper on a plate, a greased baking tray and have some skewers to hand. Then pre-heat the oven to 190C.

Bake the bugs on the lightly oiled baking trays or grease-proof paper for about 15 minutes (or until they look golden and crunchy and smell like roasted nuts).

Turn them halfway through to prevent burning and uneven cooking.

Slowly melt the caramel in the microwave on a low heat, or gently above a simmering saucepan of water.

Skewer the apples and cover in the caramel.

Then roll the sticky apples in the roasted bugs. Place the wormy caramel apples in the fridge to cool and harden.

They are now ready |to scare off any trick-or-treaters who think your house is safe.

Belfast Telegraph