Thieves have stolen €90,000 (£79,000; $104,000) worth of snails from a farm in northern France which supplies gourmet restaurants.
L’Escargot des Grands Crus in Bougie, near Reims, said its entire stock of fresh and frozen snails had been looted – a “real blow” ahead of the holiday season.
The thieves broke into the farm overnight on Monday, cutting the boundary fence before breaking into the farm buildings, but a police complaint was lodged at the end of the week, news site Franceinfo reports.
Authorities are now under surveillance while the farm tries to restock to meet end-of-year demand from customers.
Edible snails – or escargot – are a French delicacy, usually cooked in garlic butter or wine before being removed from their shells.
Producers in France see a surge in sales around December, as people spend money on feasting during Christmas and New Year celebrations.
“This is definitely not the kind of post we thought we’d write with the holidays approaching,” L’Escargot des Grands Crus wrote in a statement announcing the theft Thursday.
It described the incident as “a shock, a goof and a real blow to the entire team”, adding: “We are doing our best to replenish our stock to keep you satisfied for the holidays.”
The farm has supplied restaurants, including Michelin-starred Les Crayères in Reims, as well as gourmet cuisine and private clients, Franceinfo reports.
Photos of the farm after the theft show shelves and fridges almost completely cleared of snail products.
“An entire portion of finished products from the store and a stock of raw materials from my laboratory were stolen,” farm manager Jean-Mathieu Dauvergne told the news site.
This was my year-end stock…we had just the right amount to spend the holidays without any worries.”
<a href