On a recent trip to France, I ate snails for the first time. Not the deeply unpleasant experience I'd imagined it might be – it was a little like eating garlic flavoured wine gums (the soft kind) – but not something I'm champing at the bit to try again. The whole time I was eating them, I couldn't quite rid myself of the memory of them sliding all over the patio at home, leaving slug trails everywhere and nibbling on my hostas.
Anyway, the trip was a good one and our hosts – Nelly, David and Emma – were incredibly generous, plying us with all manner of delicious wines, cheeses and pastries and making us feel incredibly welcome.
Back in Blighty, some holiday-themed notepaper was hastily cobbled together (see above) and a thank-you note duly scribbled and despatched. David is an avid collector of les bandes desinées, so the Tintin reference won't be lost on him.
NB. On the version I posted, the snail had a speech balloon saying 'Vous avez mangé ma famille!' ('You've eaten my family!')
Dip pen (Leonardt 700 nib) with Windsor and Newton ink on Saunders Waterford 90lb HP paper. Digital colour.
