Has Hugh Fernley-Whittingstall gone too far?

**sharp88** · 12-09-2008, 14:48

I was watching a cook on the wild side the other day and Hugh Fernley-Whittingstall was eating garden snails! He met up with a bloke who on a regular basis, eats them! They were collected, starved off for a couple of days to get rid of the faeces and bunged straight into boiling water!

30 mins ago he was eating woodlouse fritters on the tv!

I can't help but think hes running out of material...

**Celt_Ginger** · 12-09-2008, 14:50

I think "A cook on the wild side" was the first series of television shows he made. It was certainly a few years before he made the River Cottage shows. So, as opposed to running out of material, I probably think he had to dumb down the material for main stream TV.

**fishfish** · 19-09-2008, 13:28

Originally Posted by Celt_Ginger

I think "A cook on the wild side" was the first series of television shows he made. It was certainly a few years before he made the River Cottage shows. So, as opposed to running out of material, I probably think he had to dumb down the material for main stream TV.

when i worked in france the locals would go out in the vinyards and collect them to eat , they were the same as our garden snails , in cyprus i saw them for sale in the markets , i saw them cooked on the bbq there too! just chucked a few handfulls on the bbq and the squeeked and popped like popcorn!
I met HFW last year when i asked him about the woodlice fritters he said it was "an aquired taste , which i will never aquire!"

**Wayland** · 19-09-2008, 14:31

Now the Romans, they 'ad the best idea fer eatin' snails.

They used to breed em on little islands with only one type of herb on 'em.

So yer could 'ave yer garlic snail, yer mint snail or yer anythin' yer fancy snail.

Put em in a saucer o salty milk t' fatten em up an' Apicius is yer uncle like.

**fishfish** · 19-09-2008, 14:38

now that is a bpilliant ide! all the oned down my allotment must taste of beetroot and cabbage!

**Rhoda** · 12-09-2008, 14:53

Aren't garden snails the same species as are eaten in French restaurants anyway? Might be wrong...

**slowworm** · 12-09-2008, 14:58

Our large garden snail, Helix aspersa , is the one widely raised and eaten by many people so there's nothing wrong with eating the ones you find in the garden. Just make sure they've not eaten anything dodgy like slug pellets, purge them for a few days on something like lettuce to clear their insides out and then cook. Being a keen gardener I've tried getting my own back and eating the snails a few times but I've yet to find a decent method of making them palatable!

**scanker** · 12-09-2008, 15:11

IIRC the woodlice were in the second series of ACOTWS, the one where he's on the little narrow boat. As has been said ACOTWS was a long time ago. I think the accompanying book first published in 1997, so it's certainly more than 10 years ago. The woodlice eating was triggered by a pamphlet called "Why not eat insects".
http://www.foodreference.com/html/artinsects1.html

**sharp88** · 12-09-2008, 15:17

Originally Posted by scanker

IIRC the woodlice were in the second series of ACOTWS, the one where he's on the little narrow boat. As has been said ACOTWS was a long time ago. I think the accompanying book first published in 1997, so it's certainly more than 10 years ago. The woodlice eating was triggered by a pamphlet called "Why not eat insects".
http://www.foodreference.com/html/artinsects1.html

I've eaten eath worms and toredo worms n thats about it. I can't see alot wrong with eating certain types of insects, but the prospect of eating something that is a detritavor puts me off.

**Aaron** · 12-09-2008, 15:57

IIRC he also eat elvers (young eels) during that series, which is in for a bit of a dig these days as eels are quite scarce in many of our rivers and waterways. Gordon Ramsey got a slating in the press when he did the same in 'The F word' in June.

**AndyW** · 16-09-2008, 19:53

Originally Posted by Aaron

IIRC he also eat elvers (young eels) during that series, which is in for a bit of a dig these days as eels are quite scarce in many of our rivers and waterways. Gordon Ramsey got a slating in the press when he did the same in 'The F word' in June.

A bit late to this but...

I have the River Cottage Fish Book. He talks in their a lot about those species that are endangered and he talks at length about Eels.

They are on his at risk list and it's considered best to avoid them.

Snails, never tried them but I'll probably get around to one day

Andy

**BOD** · 17-09-2008, 04:02

Never had land snails in my life (at least not to my knowledge) but have had river snails and mangrove snails like these.

Funny how I can put these in my mouth but not the land snails.

Could be cos my first land 'snail-ly' memories are the Giant African Land Snail

**scanker** · 17-09-2008, 07:06

Originally Posted by AndyW

A bit late to this but...

I have the River Cottage Fish Book. He talks in their a lot about those species that are endangered and he talks at length about Eels.

They are on his at risk list and it's considered best to avoid them.

Snails, never tried them but I'll probably get around to one day

Andy

I think he did eat elvers in ACOTWS, but as I stated in an earlier post, it was 11 or so years ago. It's possible they weren't as endangered/scarce then as they are now, but I don't know.

**saddle_tramp** · 12-09-2008, 15:59

Originally Posted by sharp88

I've eaten eath worms and toredo worms

I take me hat off to you survival lot, but thats just wrong

**sharp88** · 12-09-2008, 16:01

Originally Posted by saddle_tramp

I take me hat off to you survival lot, but thats just wrong

Yunno earth worms...(yeah sorry about the spelling on my last post) fried up taste like bacon rind. I can't say I'm much of a survivalist, bushcrafter would be a better word.

**JimN** · 12-09-2008, 16:22

I'm just reading "Hugh Fearlessly Eats It All", which is a collection of Hugh's articles from when he first started as a writer and he mentions the Woodlice in past tense in an article from September 1998 so it's certainly a good while back.

He says they taste a bit like shrimp (unsurprisingly as they are a close relative). The biggest problem is the ratio of shell to meat.

btw, it's an interesting read if anybody gets a chance as it shows how some things have changed over the past 10+ years and how some things haven't progressed at all.

**grebo247365** · 12-09-2008, 16:25

Garden snails and the fat doormouse were introduced to britain by the romans for gastronomic purposes, anyone tried eating gliss gliss.

**jojo** · 12-09-2008, 17:31

Being a keen gardener I've tried getting my own back and eating the snails a few times but I've yet to find a decent method of making them palatable!

There are a few recipes using "escargots" on this page

Google translate would help with the translation! You must have a good tasty sauce with snails, otherwise they taste a bit like "nose pickings"

see: "beurre d'escargot" recipe.

In fact some of those sound quite good.....hey, i can see all the snails running away from the garden...

I thought I'd translate this omelette with snail recipe:

32 snails, peeled
100 gr butter sauce
10 eggs, salt and pepper

Progression:
1) Fry the snails and add butter sauce, put the snails on a plate.
2) Beat your eggs with a fork and add pepper and the sauteed (fried) snails
3) Make your omelet as usual, eitler flat or rolled and serve with a rocket salad, for example.

Snails and eggs, simple but delicious!

**sharp88** · 12-09-2008, 17:52

I think I'd eat them if I was very drunk, thats about it...I keep imagining this rubbery texture with a burst of goo. Besides, don't snails carry TB?

**jojo** · 12-09-2008, 18:02

Originally Posted by sharp88

I think I'd eat them if I was very drunk, thats about it...I keep imagining this rubbery texture with a burst of goo. Besides, don't snails carry TB?

Not certain, but I think this is something aquatic snail can carry, rather than land snails.
At the end of the day, everything is a health risk, including life (being a terminal disease

)

**Rebel** · 12-09-2008, 18:06

Gardens snails and slugs can be eaten.

You can cook British garden snails the way the French cook escargot (essentially the same thing). Baked in butter, garlic and parsley is a common method.

The advantage of eating snails over slugs is the the skin is more tender and they don't look as disgusting.

Before eating them it is essential to either fast them for at least three days or feed them something that is edible by humans. If you don't you risk getting sick because their intestines may well contain poisons.

I don't really eat them myself but I did when I lived in France where it is common and they taste pretty good. Apparently it used to be popular to eat them all over Europe in times gone by.

**firecrest** · 12-09-2008, 22:14

Ive considered eating snails, Ill get round to collecting them eventually.

Can you feed them on something good like chives or parsley to make them taste nice?

Its an experiment waiting to happen....

**spiritofold** · 12-09-2008, 17:19

Ya know what, i draw the line at snails and slugs!

I know theres always that chance if fate played its bad card and i really needed them to live, but i'd have to grow some serious balls to eat them!!! I can think of nothing worse to put in my mouth (this is a family forum!)

**spamel** · 12-09-2008, 17:25

Snails are OK if cooked a certain way. Boiling wouldn't be my preferred method. I have had them roasted in garlic butter and they were fine. I wasn't even queasy about eating them. If it wasn't for the fact that my girl loves snails, I'd be collecting the massive ones from my garden to eat.

**Scots_Charles_River** · 12-09-2008, 22:26

I dont see the difference between eating any meat whatever the animal or insect, it's just meat.

I'm a veggy, have been since 1992. Never had a day off work in 11years. And the ten before that too.

Nick

**woodstock** · 12-09-2008, 23:21

Originally Posted by sharp88

I was watching a cook on the wild side the other day and Hugh Fernley-Whittingstall was eating garden snails! He met up with a bloke who on a regular basis, eats them! They were collected, starved off for a couple of days to get rid of the faeces and bunged straight into boiling water!

30 mins ago he was eating woodlouse fritters on the tv!

I can't help but think hes running out of material...

you don't starve them you purge them giving them oats powdered milk ect for about 4 days along with clean water any that have ingested any toxins will die and should be removed and the common garden snail is perfectly good to eat

Originally Posted by firecrest

Ive considered eating snails, Ill get round to collecting them eventually.

Can you feed them on something good like chives or parsley to make them taste nice?

Its an experiment waiting to happen....

No need they taste delicious after purging with some garlic butter parsley and a splash of lime juice

**firecrest** · 13-09-2008, 10:26

Do they need to be exponged in saltwater like the french do, or is this simply a method of cleaning them? I looked into eating snails a while back, I ate periwinkles off the beach and they were delicious and thought snails looked so similar they probably tasted the same.

**crazyclimber** · 13-09-2008, 10:35

Like Spam I've only had them in garlic butter but in fairness they taste good. A little bit of willpower was required to eat the first mouthful admittedly but I've enjoyed oysters, mussels, squid, prawns, lobster etc before and none of them immediately look particularly appealing either when they're sliding or swimming or doing whatever they do (or maybe it's just we're not hungry enough!)

**jojo** · 13-09-2008, 10:57

Another nice French site (in English) regarding the farming, preparation and consumption of snails

Enjoy.....

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