Cooking snails

Take your Snayles (they are no way so as in Pottage) and wash them very well in many waters, and when you have done put them in a White Earthen Pan, or very wide Dish, and put as much water to them as will cover them, and then set your Dish or Pan on some coales, that it may heat by little and little, and then the Snayles will come out of the shells and so dye, and being dead, take them out and wash them very well in Water and salt twice or thrice over; then put them in a Pipkin with Water and Salt, and let them boyle a little while in that, so take away the rude slime they have, then take them out againe and put them in a Cullender; then take excellent sallet Oyle and beat it a great while upon the fire in a frying Pan, and when it boyls very fast, slice two or three Onyons in it, and let them fry well, then put the Snayles in the Oyle and Onyons, and let them stew together a little, then put the Oyle, Onyons, and Snayles altogether in an earthen Pipkin of a fit size for your Snayles, and put as much warm water to them as will serve to boyle them and make the Pottage and season them with Salt, and so let them boyle three or foure hours; then mingle Parsley, Pennyroyall, Fennell, Tyme, and such Herbs, and when they are minced put them in a Morter and beat them as you do for Green-sauce, and put in some crums of bread soaked in the Pottage of the Snayles, and then dissolve it all in the Morter with a little Saffron and Cloves well beaten, and put in as much Pottage into the Morter as will make the Spice and bread and Herbs like thickening for a pot, so put them all into the Snayles and let them stew in it, and when you serve them up, you may squeeze into the Pottage a Lemon, and put in a little Vinegar, or if you put in a Clove of Garlick among the Herbs, and beat it with them in the Morter, it will not tast the worse; serve them up in a Dish with sippets of Bread in the bottom. The Pottage is very nourishing, and they use them that are apt to a Consumption.

The Compleat Cook, Nathaniel Brook, 1658

Of Molluscs and Me

I've been experimenting with organic coir blocks from Fertile Fibre: www.fertilefibre.com. I'm using it in the polytunnel in the baby snail pens partly because the compost worms like it and it lightens the soil which can get very compacted. But I also like it because it holds water well to keep the humidity up and I am all in favour of farming solutions that avoid the use of peat. It is nice and light to handle too. The only downside is that it's imported ...but if we wait a few years we may even be growing our own coconut trees!

Snails with sobrasada mash

A new recipe for the book given to me by A Kentish Kitchen.

Sobrasada is a soft Mallorcan sausage, like pate and flavoured with Paprika to give it a deep red colour. You could make your own English version of pork pate but don't forget the paprika!

Mash potatoes with some sobrasada sausage and pour over it at the point of serving, cooked snails in garlic and herb butter.

Sweet potato can be used instead of ordinary potatoes if you prefer.

Of Molluscs and Me

I caught myself photographing worms today. These Dendrabaenas are fascinating because they seem to like climbing. They are supposed to be cleaning up the soil in the snail pens for me but every day I find more up at the top under the lid. The snails collect together in clumps and if I pick up a clump there is nearly always a worm curled up in there too.

Snail Smallholder kit

If you want to rear a few snails in your back garden or allotment read on. This is an opportunity for snail eaters to grow their own food. I will supply baby snails, an attractive predator proof pen for them to live in for the summer and a Smallholder Guide telling you what you need to know. Put it alongside your chicken run and have fun. www.snailfarm.org.uk

Cherry flavoured snails?

For a few short weeks this day tent provided shelter from the sun, wind and rain - though we didn't get much rain. Then one night a strong gust of wind blew it away.

But the Cherry Festival was fun. Lots of people crowded in to meet the snails who were feasting on waste cherries from the packhouse. The snails haven't turned noticeably pink yet. In between showing everyone round I did a cookery demonstration and sold hot snails as well as bottled: both flew of the shelves.

We made our presence felt at the Kent County Show the following weekend. I put together some snail rearing kits for people to buy with half a dozen baby snails and all they need. Hot and bottled snails sold well and I made lots of good contacts to take the snails on visits and give talks.

The next big event will be the Smallholding Fair at Sissinghurst 21 and 22 August. This is a first for me and I'm really looking forward to showing the snails in such wonderful surroundings.

In the meantime, I have a shrew to re-home. It has somehow got through the defences and taken up residence in the snail enclosure. On the whole I like small furry animals, but if they eat snails they have to go! Catching it alive is proving difficult so if anyone has any suggestions I would be pleased to hear from you.