Michael Caines did not take the petition in person

One of Devon's best-known chefs has been given a 600-signature petition to take a controversial dish off his Exeter restaurant's menu.

Protesters want double Michelin star-winning chef Michael Caines to stop serving foie gras at the Abode Exeter.

Production of the pate made from force-fed geese and ducks' livers is banned in the UK, but it can be imported.

Mr Caines did not take the petition in person. Neither he nor anyone from his restaurant was available for comment.

'Cruel product'

Protesters showed a human being force fed with spaghetti to compare the conditions, they said, birds were subjected to to produce it.

Sharon Howe of the organisation Exeter Friends for Animals, which held the protest outside the restaurant while the petition was handed in, said: "It's quite ironic.

"Michael Caines promotes local produce, which we think is a very praiseworthy. But at the same time he is importing a product, which, were it produced in this country, would be banned because it contravenes animal welfare legislation.

"It's a very cruel product."

Mr Caines was born in Exeter in 1969. He appeared in the BBC's Great British Menu programme and was awarded an MBE for services to the hospitality industry in 2006.