Although snails are not commonly eaten in England, yet the large Roman variety properly prepared is by no means to be despised, and is a very popular dish in many districts of France and other parts of the Continent. The ordinary garden snail will serve the purpose, but the Roman variety is much larger and is supposed to possess a better flavor.

Throw the snails into boiling water for a quarter of an hour or twenty minutes, and then remove them from their shells and let them boil for another ten minutes in well-salted water, stirring them about briskly in order to clean them. At the same time the shells must be thoroughly cleaned with hot water. Now mince finely a few button mushrooms, some parsley, shallots, and a little garlic - or onion, if it is preferred - and work into a paste with fresh butter and a little pepper and salt. Put a little of this mixture into the shell, then replace the snail and fill the mouth of the shell with more of the paste. Lay them one by one upon a cooking plate, into which a little white wine has been poured, being careful that the mouth of each shell is upwards. Turn another plate over the whole and cook in a brisk oven for half an hour. Serve very hot.

Another method is to stew the cleaned snails - without their shells - in equal parts of strong stock and white wine with a few mushrooms and a little parsley. Immediately before serving, the yolks of two or three eggs should be well stirred in.