It's CONSTRICTLY legal. That’s the message from a Maidstone chef after claims in a national newspaper that his new specials menu – featuring python steaks – had "sparked outrage" in the town.

"They belong in the wild, not on people’s plates," one man was quoted as saying in The Sun, under the headline "A slice of pie-thon", after news of Maidstone's new American diner broke in the Kent Messenger last week.

But chef Nick Hunter - whose restaurant at Coyotes in Bank Street also offers exotic specials like crocodile and moose burgers alongside a regular menu - says he has had no complaints, from diners or elsewhere.

And he says he was not contacted by any journalists from the red-top newspaper.

"All we’ve had is positive feedback," he said. "It’s got people talking, but no one’s said we shouldn’t be doing it.

"It’s not unethical, the suppliers are not taking rare species from the wild. They are animals which have been culled. It’s a bit of a cheap shot."