British Food Fortnight kicks off today – a celebration of all things home-produced – so what better time to highlight some of the more unusual foods available from Britain these days. For starters, where does buffalo mozzarella come from? Italy, of course, but did you know that quite a few farmers in this country rear water buffalo for meat, and a small number of them are turning their hands to making their own buffalo mozzarella? Laverstoke Park, a dairy and arable farm at Overton in Hampshire, and Steve Mitchell of Clentrie Farm in Fife are both starting production very soon.

And contrary to what you may believe, you can collect exactly the same species of snails from your own back garden as those collected in France. “The only difference,” says snail farmer Tony Vaughan, of Credenhill Snail Farm in Hereford, “is that the ones you find here are English, and those across the Channel are French!” Vaughan is determined to dispel the myth that France produces the best snails in the world. “They are the biggest exporters of snails, but they actually have to import snails to meet demand. So what does that tell you?” Snails were once a staple in the British diet and have certainly made a comeback on the restaurant scene, so give them a go.

Originally developed in Japan, where it is known as Kobe beef, Wagyu beef is considered to be the tastiest and most tender meat in the world. This is because it is highly marbled with unsaturated fat. The cows are reared on David Wynne Finch’s farm in north Wales, where they are massaged regularly, fed on luscious green grass and even given locally brewed beer, all in the name of producing the world’s most famous beef. Available to buy from Harrods, I like to serve it simply and quite rare, thinly sliced in small portions to best appreciate its rich, melt-in-the-mouth flavour.

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