A butcher whose countryside estate began running short of rabbits started selling squirrel - and the meat has proved so popular it sold out in three hours . Elveden Estate butchers in Suffolk is restricted to the numbers of rabbits it can shoot every month due to plummeting numbers and added the unusual delicacy to its menu in a bid to replace stocks . The free range squirrel is white in texture and is said to have a similar taste to rabbit while being low in fat . Elveden Estate butchers in Suffolk have added squirrel to their menu after their levels of rabbit starting running low . The unusual delicacy became so popular with customers it sold out in three hours . James Holliday , forestry and conservation manager at the estate , said : 'Rabbits are no longer breeding 'like rabbits ' . 'Nationally , numbers have been in decline over the past few years and have now reached such low numbers we are limiting the number killed in order to maintain a sustainable population . 'The population had been decreasing since the 1950s and it has become increasingly important for us to conserve as many rabbits as possible . 'We have been catching the squirrels for a while now but obviously the reduction of rabbits made us think we could use them as a substitute and it has done very well . ' The meat is being used in a variety of recipes by the estates customers , including a squirrel pasty ( pictured ) Richard Howard , food shop manager at the estate , said squirrel meat could be a healthy addition to diets . He said : 'Squirrel from Elveden is wild , nutritious and has virtually zero food miles , coming straight from the estate itself , making for a highly ethical mix . ' The meat is being used in a variety of recipes by the estates customers , including a squirrel pasty .
Elveden Estate butchers in Suffolk saw rabbit numbers plummet recently . The cull was ordered by the Environment Agency after a survey found that rabbits were being killed at an unsustainable rate.