Snail Pedigrees

Our snails are Helix aspersa maxima - or as they are now called Cornu aspersum maxima – They are related to the common garden snail which is Helix aspersa/Cornu aspersum., but they grow about half as big again. In France these snails are known as Gros Gris whilst the Garden Snail is called Petit Gris.

You could eat the snails out of your garden.

Strictly speaking they are not Escargot, Escargot are Helix pomatia. Sometimes called the Roman or Burgundian snail. These live wild in the UK, on the chalklands or the southern downs, but they are protected by law because they are very rare in the UK. They are difficult to keep in captivity, so most Snail farms have Helix aspersa maxima. When you get Escargots in France they are often collected from the wild.

Photograph of a Roman Snail