"It's another way of learning," he said.

"If you have a look at pictures in anatomy books, no matter how good they are, they are flat and two-dimensional.

"This is about actually getting in there and feeling what a joint is like, and getting a feel for what the materials are like."

Dr McNally's recipe for maple-glazed spare ribs is described as "an ideal start to study the ribs and costal cartilages as well as muscles of the thoracic wall".

The ribs recipe was a favourite among his students, he said.

Suggested oven times and ingredients are mentioned alongside terms like "neuro-vascular bundle" and "parietal pleura".

Dr McNally said: "You can tell people that cartilage is nice and smooth and shiny, but until you actually see it and feel it, you have no real idea."