Thieves have stolen €90,000 worth of fine French snails destined for some of the country’s most prestigious restaurants.
Jean-Mathieu Dauvergne, the producer, said he was in a state of “shock” after discovering the disappearance of 450kg of snails from his farm in Bouzy, in the Champagne region of eastern France.
Dauvergne had been due to deliver the fresh and frozen snails to restaurants throughout the region for Christmas, including the Michelin-starred Domaine les Crayères in Reims, which serves them in puff pastry.
Jean-Mathieu Dauvergne and, below, snails on his farm
The theft is yet another blow to a struggling sector. Despite the French consuming up to 14,300 tonnes of snails a year, according to the Chambers of Agriculture, about 95 per cent are imported, mainly from Romania, Belgium, Turkey, Hungary, Greece and Indonesia.
France itself has 271 snail farms and Dauvergne’s, L’Escargot des Grands Crus, has one of the highest profiles. “We are starting to get known and that’s certainly what attracted the crooks,” he told Le Parisien.
He said he had lost his entire annual production in the theft between Sunday night and Monday morning. “They cut the wire fence, broke open the door with a pickaxe, smashed the motion sensor lighting and then they helped themselves to the cold room. It’s very surprising because they stole 450 kilos of snail meat. It’s incredible to have stolen so much. It must be for a very well organised network.”
He said there were enough snails for 10,000 meals and added in a Facebook post that the theft was a “very tough blow”. He estimated the loss at €90,000.
L’Escargot des Grands Crus
Commander Rémi Dubois, a police officer based in Épernay, said Dauvergne’s snails were “worth almost as much as champagne”. He said the criminals appeared to be “experienced” and “professional”.
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Dauvergne said he was scrambling to meet his commitment to supply regional restaurants for Christmas by purchasing snails from other producers. But not all chefs are happy with this solution.
César Pételot, the owner and cook at La Table du 18 restaurant in nearby Tours-sur-Marne, usually serves snails in puff pastry with parsley cream and confit garlic. But he told the TF1 television station that if the snails did not come from L’Escargot des Grands Crus he would take the dish off the menu.
Dining and Cooking