Here in London my Portuguese neighbour was delighted when I gave him a bucket of garden snails - which he prepared for the table. We only have a small garden so snail hunting is a manual task. We go out after dark with torches and hand pick them into a bucket. Unless my neighbours are hungry they are sent to their maker with a jug of boiling water - which is quick and poisonless.

I believe the FAO of the United Nations publishes two guides to snail farming - including tips on preparation and on how to breed them (should you be so inclined!).

Beer traps work by drowning the snails - and you do need ot remember to empty them regularly - the smell of decomposing snails in a beer trap is, to say the least, offensive.