The Covid-19 lockdown has left many of us rummaging through cupboards and freezers in an attempt to cobble together a nutritious meal.

But a dad-of-two from Canterbury went a step further when he decided to cook a piece of beef that had been frozen for more than half-a-decade.

Currently at home in Sturry while his workplace is closed, business manager Paul Smith planned to treat his family to a delicious roast.

But on pulling a joint of meat from the freezer, he was surprised to find it in a bag labelled "2014".

"I got it from my mother a year or so ago when she changed her freezer and she needed some space," the 56-year-old explained.

"I saw the chunk of meat and didn't see its date, so I took it. Then I just happened to get it out the freezer thinking we'd have it at the weekend."

Realising the age of the rib of beef, the exact provenance of which is unknown, Mr Smith took to popular Facebook community Canterbury Residents Group to ask its 37,000 members whether it would be safe to eat if cooked thoroughly.

His post attracted more than 100 comments from users, many of whom were full of encouragement.

"If it smells OK I would say good to eat," said one, while another added: "I have eaten older food from our freezer. It might have some freezer burns, otherwise I think that it should be OK."

But others warned eating the meat would be "dangerous" and "not worth the risk".

Mr Smith said: "It was really mixed response - I'd say it was 50/50. But people were so keen to know what happened next, so I turned it into a bit of a short story. I thought well, I'll just cook it and we'll try it, and if we don't eat it we'll throw it away."

In the days that followed, Mr Smith documented a dramatised version of his progress in a series of Facebook posts, each of which racked up hundreds of reactions from those keenly following what he dubbed "beefgate".

After defrosting the joint in a bucket of water for two days, Mr Smith confirmed it had "no bad smell whatsoever".

On Sunday, he cooked the beef slowly at 150 degrees for about four hours, before serving it up with roast potatoes, Yorkshire pudding, cauliflower, carrots and gravy.

Although his comical posts described him feeding the joint to his teenage son, Mr Smith confirmed this was all in jest.

"I didn't feed it to the kids but my wife and I did try it," he said. "It was OK, but yeah I think it had been in the freezer too long. I probably overcooked it as well, just to be on the safe side."

Those following the events on Facebook were full of appreciation for Mr Smith's hilarious documentation of the saga.

"The reaction was amazing," he said. "Like everybody I think, we're just taking things one day at a time and making the most of it.

"I think everyone else is feeling the same thing, and looking for a bit of light-heartedness from all this doom and gloom."

What's the oldest thing you've found in your cupboards during the lockdown? Email a picture to news@thekmgroup.co.uk

For advice on freezing and defrosting food, visit the NHS website.

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