Publicity snakes and ladders

April has involved us in a lot of press activity. Last week the Kent Messenger newspapers in the Canterbury area featured an article with pictures covering our visit to Tavola XPO, a big trade exhibition in Belgium. (photo (c) jules serkin www.Pressup.biz) I went with Simon from Rough Old Wife Cider and Jane of Canterbury Cheesemakers, with the support of Natalia at Canterbury City Council. The aim was to explore the feasibility of exporting Kentish products across the channel. We learnt a lot about the markets in Belgium and France and the publicity was very welcome. Although we found Welsh lamb and Irish butter on display there was no great enthusiasm for English products.

This was also reflected in the piece on BBC TV last night where a local French chef tried to demonstrate that tinned French snails were superior to fresh English ones. If he had cooked them properly of course the story would have been quite different. When I went to France last year and met Emmanuel Brasseur at his well respected snail farm near Boulogne, he told me that he meets many French people who have suffered badly cooked snails. Like me, he cooks his snails slowly for a long time in a well flavoured stock. He uses French wine and I use English cider but otherwise our recipes are very similar. The snails of course are the same and the truth is that if you cook them properly you get a good flavour and soft texture, whether you cook them in France or in England. If you get them out of a tin of course, who know how they've been cooked! What a pity the TV programme did not show a more balanced view.

Slow at Grow

Great news! This summer the baby snails will be outside in the fresh air at Brogdale near Faversham. We have been lucky enough to be offered a site for the snail farm in ‘Grow’ the garden centre at the back of the plant centre next to the community allotments.

This is the 'before' view of the site.

The chickens seemed to think I was moving the bark chippings just for their benefit. We still have to take down the old hen house but they’ve already moved to smart new accommodation a few yards away. Today we started clearing the site for construction work to begin and look forward to opening to the public at the end of May. By then we hope frosts will be over so the snails can live happily outside.

So raise your glasses to Slow at Grow: the only open snail farm in Britain!

First Day of Spring

1 March certainly feels like the first day of Spring on the snail farm. We're keeping our fingers crossed for the first batches of eggs to be laid this coming weekend. On Saturday we started setting up the enclosures in the barn so the babies will be able to go into their new home at the end of April. As soon as it is warm enough they will be living outside this year. For the first time we’ll try out the rearing method used in Northern France and Belgium. Keeping birds and rodents away will probably be the biggest challenge but we’re looking forward to reducing our human labour input. Meanwhile we're relying on our workforce to put lots of labour into laying.

Multiplication

The first phase of our expansion plans has begun. New breeding stock arrived last Thursday in a large cardboard box to join our own adults which had grown through the winter. The snails looked remarkably calm after being stuck in the post for 8 days. They were packed in two mesh sacks but some had escaped and were busily munching their way through the newspaper packaging. As soon as they were given their freedom they started to pair off without even waiting for breakfast. Mating was more important than food and water - which is good news for us. All we can do now is keep our fingers crossed that egg laying follows soon.

a snail Valentine

We can’t pretend that snails have aphrodisiac properties but they could make the perfect starter for a romantic meal.

SPECIAL OFFER

CROQUILLES D’ESCARGOTS: create attractively presented sweet or savoury dishes with edible wafer shells . Box of 1200 £75.00. Will split.

Live Kentish snails Helix aspersa maxima, fully prepared ready for cooking @ 30p each. Only a few hundred left. Cleaned and ready to go. Special delivery costs £8.65 for up to 2 kg.

Blanched and blast frozen snails, removed from the shells ready for you to cook @ £35 per kilo plus delivery.

Smoked snails: poached with Kentish cider, cured in sea salt and brown sugar, smoked over apple wood, served cold in rapeseed oil with smoked garlic and thyme @ £5.00 per dozen. Freshly prepared to order and supplied chilled or vacuum packed and frozen.

Canapés: cooked snails in garlic and herb butter in edible shells (chilled or frozen) @ £5.00 per dozen.

News:
Expansion plans – the market for home grown snails is developing and the farm is growing with it. This year we plan to raise 100,000 babies outdoors in the summer months. So keep your fingers crossed for good snail weather!

Look out for us in the Times-on-line newspaper: http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/related_features/my_dinner_party/article6915702.ece

Adopt a snail

Adopt a snail is the latest slogan to appear on our stalls. Jim Hunter of Aylesford, a master wood craftsman, has produced some beautiful snails for us to sell. We have three versions. The top one is sycamore with the pattern of a shell burnt into it. The middle one is plain pale sycamore and the lower one is made in oak. Jim has used the grain of the wood to represent the shell in these two.

We are looking forward very much to appearing at West Malling Farmer's Market www.westmallingfarmersmarket.co.uk on the fourth Sunday of each month starting in November. We will be serving hot snails in garlic butter as well as selling snail canapes and smoked snails for you to take away and eat at home. The wooden snails will be on sale there but can also be ordered by phone or email and sent by post.

Live snails are currently available from Derek the butcher at the Goods Shed Butchery in Canterbury. He has them for sale on Saturdays and they can be ordered at any time.

Rachel's Deli

On Saturday I was at Rachel's Deli (http://www.rachelsdeli.co.uk) to give customers the opportunity to taste my smoked snails. It was a lovely warm day and groups of people drifted in and out on their way to and from the Secret Garden Restaurant, Ibbidi Bobbidi Boo gift shop and all the other outlets.

If you haven't yet discovered Mersham Le Hatch Business Village (http://www.mershamlehatch.com/) then I can recommend a trip. Near Ashford and the M20/A20 it is in a courtyard of attractive outbuildings formerly part of Lord Brabourne's estate. This is a group of shops that definitely deserves a closer look.

Rachel is now stocking my smoked snails and garlic butter canapes in the freezer, both perfect for dinner parties and special occasions at home. A lot of the fresh meats and vegetables stocked are organic and sourced locally but there is also a good range of charcuterie, wine and cheeses from across Europe. The tomatoes are so fresh they are still growing in pots outside the window.