Minor British Institutions: The British Giant rabbit

(Alamy)

To the untrained eye, the British Giant may look like any of the other gigantic rabbit breeds that have outgrown their hutches around the world – but this is apparently a distinctively British take on leporine giantism.

The British Rabbit Council – which is not made up of buck-toothed rodents but of humans dedicated to our twitchy friends – specifies that a full-grown British Giant should weigh not less than 13.5lbs (6.1kg), which is a lot of rabbit pie, potentially.

These bunnies come in white, black-blue, grey, blue, brown-grey and opal. Points are knocked off for a rabbit suffering from "bagginess" or a narrow head, and Bugsy gets disqualified if he has a "mandolin- or arch-shaped back", or "ears thick or rubberlike at base", which seems harsh.

They are viable pets, provided you have the room and can afford to feed them (and take the inevitable consequences of a large carrot intake). They seem to cost about £50, perhaps more for a champ. And apparently they are gentle giants.