A man who has spent his life eating roadkill has revealed what he'll be having for Christmas dinner - roasted whale.

Arthur Boyt, 77, has been dining on run-over animals for years including weasels, hedgehogs, squirrels and otters.

Instead of a traditional turkey, his meal of choice over the festive period this year is part of a Sperm Whale he has stashed away in his freezer.

Arthur Boyt, who has been eating roadkill since he was 13, will be dining on roasted Sperm Whale for Christmas this year

This is the Sperm Whale that Mr Boyt is thought to be eating on Christmas day. This whale was found washed up on a beach in Cornwall in the summer

He said he plans to make a casserole out of it - which he will serve alongside sprouts.

Arthur said: 'I'm still chomping away on roadkill but I have not eaten whale yet.

I am looking forward to it over Christmas.

'It was a whale that washed up in Cornwall over the summer. They carried out a post-mortem on it and I got some slabs of meat which I have not had a taste of yet.

'First of all I'm going to marinade it in wine, vinegar and then seasoning. Then fry it with onions - then casserole it.

'I'll then cook some Brussels sprouts. People who know I have some are warning me that it can contain mercury.

'But I'm not proposing to eat it for the rest of my life - just as a Christmas treat.'

Mr Boyt, from Davidstow, Cornwall, started eating roadkill at the age of 13.

He finds dead creatures who are run-over on roads near his home and scoops them up before taking them home and turning the meat in casseroles, stews, roast dinners and curries.

He has kept the whale, which washed up in Cornwall over the summer, in his freezer where he keeps other food, such as a badger

Last year, Mr Boyt had dolphin for his Christmas dinner, which he said he got in trouble for eating because he 'helped' himself to it

And Arthur says he wanted to make sure the Sperm Whale didn't totally go to waste.

He said: 'Regulations do say that it's wrong to take any part of a cetacean it's the responsibility of the beach owner to dispose of it.

'If you take a piece home, you are disposing of it and you are helping the beach owner. There is nothing wrong with taking the whale.'

His favourite dishes include fox, rabbit, sparrow, deer, and pigeon.

The strangest thing he's tasted was bat and he once had porcupine he brought back from a holiday in Canada.

Last year, he hit the headlines when he revealed he ate a dolphin for Christmas dinner - and says he got in a lot of trouble as a result.

He added: 'Because I helped myself to it people were angry.

'But by doing so, I was disposing of it - which you are supposed to do.

'The owner of the beach wasn't doing that.

'The dolphin was not very exciting. Maybe that's because I didn't cook it properly.

'But I plan to do a much better job with the whale.'

Mr Boyt - whose wife is a vegetarian - claims roadkill is the best way to go about eating meat and also also revealed he is currently working on a cookbook.

This is the dolphin that Mr Boyt ate for Christmas. He said by eating it, he was 'disposing' of it - which 'you are supposed to do'

This is a seal which Mr Boyt found on a beach. His favourite dishes include fox, rabbit, sparrow, deer, and pigeon

Above is an otter shoulder which Mr Boyt cooked and ate after he found it

He added; 'I'm working on a book.

'It will be called Roadkill Eater: recollections, reminiscences and recipes.

'I'm not sure when it will be ready.

'It's been finished for years but I just have not got anyone to kick me up the backside and take it to the publishers.'

Ahead of his book's release, the retired biologist divulged one of his favourite recipes - badger head.

He said: 'The treat I prefer for myself is a badger's head.

'You can get five different sorts of meat from it that all have a different texture.'

He added that it was simple to cook - and can be used for a casserole.

'You can fry it with onions and garlic or have it in a casserole with potatoes and carrots.