This wonderful delicacy, popular in salads, pasta dishes, boils, seafood mixes and BBQ style grills are proving a treat in restaurants, gastropubs, wedding catering and for home indoor and outdoor parties.
Caught in the nutrient rich chalk stream waters of the River Kennet in Berkshire, the wild crayfish from the Kennet Crayfish Company are fresh, humanely processed and delivered chilled, next day to your door; delivering a real taste of summer.
Wild crayfish have an exceptional flavour and texture valued by top chefs and food lovers throughout the country.
They are seasonal because, although they don't truly hibernate, they become torpid and much less active throughout the cooler months.
Their trapping and processing is highly regulated because Signal Crayfish, the ones allowed to be trapped in the UK under license, are an invasive species that's harmful to the river environment, native species and other river dwellers.
Culling their numbers helps protect the Kennet, which is a rare and vitally important habitat. So crayfish are good to eat and eating crayfish is good for the environment.
Crayfish guru and managing director of the Kennet Crayfish Company, Andrew Leech, told That's Food and Drink: “This is our second season under the new regulations and in our new bio-secure processing plant.
"We've quickly developed demand from expatriates from Eastern Europe and Scandinavia, where crayfish are extremely popular."
He went on to say: "Getting to the final three of the BBC Food and Farming Awards in 2024, we have made a good start on enticing restaurateurs and caterers to build crayfish into their menus, which is helping spread the word to British consumers about their wonderful taste and versatility.
"Our recently launched crayfish gin is also attracting a lot of attention, winning a silver medal at the World Gin Awards and a bronze medal in the prestigious International Wine & Spirit Competition (IWSC). We are looking forward to an exciting second year.”
Kennet crayfish are available fresh par-cooked & fully cooked. They also come in cooked ready to eat Micvac packs of 500g Net Weight in brine or in a Swedish style sauce with 21 days refrigerated shelf-life.
Kennet Crayfish can be purchased wholesale from the website www.kennetcrayfish.com