The snails take 150 days from egg to maturity. “It’s a lot of work” he confesses, “I doubt if I’ll ever get rich doing this, but I love what I do, it’s my passion”.
The snails grow all through the summer and are harvested in autumn. They are killed by being dipped in boiling water, “it’s immediate” says Mike. The meat is separated from the shells and blanched, then it’s rapidly chilled or goes into dishes which are frozen “it’s the best way to retain the nutritional value and the taste”. The shells are scrupulously cleaned and used for presentation.
“In theory, we can keep the meat for up to 18 months” says Mike “but that never happens, we always sell everything well before that”.
All the work at the farm is done by hand, from harvesting to cleaning and preparation of the dishes. Mike does everything himself but has help at busy times of the year from students who gain valuable work experience for planned careers in the catering and restaurant industry.