Stop! Stop! Don’t bait or squash me SAVE ME And let me grow Into a delicious & yummy ESCARGOT…. Helen and Robert Dyball, snail farmers from The Congewai Valley still live by this poem that appeared on their first business card back in 2000. when they walked on to their newly purchased property and said ‘let’s fulfill a 15 year dream and start a snail farm’, they placed an add in the local newspaper for snails as breeding stock and have not stop since. ‘To-day we live at anything other than a ‘snails pace’,’ says Helen Dyball and love every minute of it. In the beginning we had no idea what to do, but were fortunate to have assistance from a snail farmer in the U.K.who walked us through his farming method. We soon realized that raising snails in the U.K. was a lot different to raising them in Australia, so we ‘bit the bullet’ and decided to go alone. After many sleepless nights, bottles of Hunter Valley wines, disagreements - Snails Bon Appetite was born and the concept we have to-day was founded. In 2002 we were invited to attend the Tocal Field Days. We went with great enthusiasm to display our beautiful, yummy snails and were amazed how many people were keen to taste and interested in snail farming. People were lined up 4 deep to talk to us for the 3 days. We then decided we should have a growers network to help with the supply of snail meat. Today, Snails Bon Appetite has a growers network of 10 growers in NSW, as well as growers in WA and NT. We assist with snail farming enquires from people overseas, supply restaurants in the Hunter Valley and Sydney with distributors in Brisbane and Melbourne. School excursions are very popular, students journey to Robert’s at Pepper Tree Restaurant, where they are shown the workings of a busy French kitchen, see the cooking of Snails Bon Appetite delicious Escargots by Executive Chef Robert Molines. For information contact Snails Bon Appetite on 02 4998 0030 business hours 0419 291 866 or email info@snails.com.au And remember…..live life @ a snails pace.
Keith Tulloch Wines © Chris Elfes
A special Hunter taste sensation...try
Hunter Valley Snails
The Australian Escargot from Snails Bon Appetite
We need yoHurelen Snails! Call Snails Bon Appetite Ph: 0419 291 866 info@snails.com.au www.snails.com.au
PET FRIENDLY
Authentic Italian Home Cooked Food to takeaway Open Friday, Saturday & Sunday 10 - 4pm Other days and group tours by appointment.
Bunna Bunoo Olive Grove 237 Fishers Hill Rd Vacy NSW 2421 Ph: 02 4938 8086 Fax: 02 4938 8157 Mob: 0412 256 616
www.bunnabunooolives.com.au www.hunterimag.com.au
9